Diocese of Rochester
At a glance
Key takeaways
- This funder suits Anglican parish churches with building repair or mission needs, but its Missional Property Fund is limited to Anglican parish churches that hold at least one communion service a month, so other organisations should not apply to that fund.
- The Missional Property Fund and Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants are each stated as up to £20,000, and Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants as up to £10,000, but the grant range is not stated, so these figures are caps rather than a typical size.
- For the Missional Property Fund, email a stage-one form to the named contact, and where possible get support in principle from the Diocesan Advisory Committee first, since the charity says this helps.
- Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins applications are accepted until 31 August, need a completed Energy Footprint Tool entry for the last full calendar year and at least 'registered' status for the A Rocha Eco Church scheme, and are prioritised for expected carbon impact.
- Note that a church may not reapply to the Missional Property Fund within 3 years of a previous stage 2 application, whether successful or not.
Overview
Diocese of Rochester is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 249339).
The Diocese of Rochester charity exists to promote and assist the work and purposes of the Church of England in the Diocese of Rochester. It makes grants to churches for mission and ministry, to other connected charities, and to other charitable projects that align with its objects, and it runs a Missional Property Fund to help parishes make their church buildings more suitable for mission. Its annual report records £909,000 awarded in total and gives no split between programmes.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Diocese of Rochester makes grants to churches for mission and ministry, alongside grants to connected charities and other charitable projects that align with its objects. Its property funding supports repairs and improvements to church buildings, especially where these enable mission or ministry or allow parishes to open buildings for mission. Other church funding supports halls with limited budgets to replace gas boilers with low-carbon heating, and helps parishes reduce buildings’ energy use and work towards net zero carbon. The Missional Property Fund is limited to Anglican parish churches. The annual report also describes grants to companion dioceses in Tanzania and Zimbabwe and support for links with the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Estonia.
Themes
- Church mission and ministry
- Church building repairs
- Low-carbon church heating
- Church energy efficiency
What they don't fund
- Missional Property Fund only:
- professional fees
- works outside the footprint of the church, including church halls, external meeting rooms and facilities, church grounds, boundary walls and fences
- redecoration including re-gilding
- bells
- organs
- clocks
- monuments
- brasses
- stained glass
- The same church must not reapply within 3 years of a previous stage 2 grant application to Marshalls, whether successful or unsuccessful
- applicants other than Anglican Parish Churches
- churches that do not hold at least 1 communion service a month
- Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants only:
- Routine maintenance, as set out in the Calendar of Care
- Routine cleaning
- Work to furnishings, such as bells and bell frames, books and manuscripts, church plate, clocks, monumental brasses and decorative metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings, stained glass, textiles, wooden objects
- Conservation reports
- Routine inspection (Quinquennial Inspections, periodic inspection of electrical installations, appliance testing, gas safety checks, etc)
- Routine servicing of building services installations
- Any work covered by insurance
How to apply
For the Missional Property Fund, eligible churches complete a stage-one application form and email it to Carol Goodman.
Application windows:
- Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants: Applications can be submitted anytime until 31 August.
Who can apply:
- Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants: The building must have the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) completed for the last full calendar year, and the church must be at least ‘registered’ for the A Rocha Eco Church scheme.
What to send:
- Missional Property Fund: Copies of the church accounts for the past three years are required if invited to proceed to the second stage.
- Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants
- Complete your Energy Footprint Tool data for the church buildings.
- Complete the Practical Pathway to Net Zero Carbon to generate a carbon reduction plan, especially if you do not already have a church decarbonisation plan.
Applying again: Missional Property Fund: The same church must not reapply within 3 years of a previous stage 2 grant application, whether successful or unsuccessful.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Missional Property Fund projects should have a positive impact on the local community.
- Projects should make the building fit for identified mission and ministry needs and improve accessibility, including for disabled people and young children.
- Wherever possible, applicants should have support in principle from the Diocesan Advisory Committee before applying.
- Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins applications are prioritised for their expected impact on carbon emissions and their contribution to wider net-zero action and planning.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Diocese of Rochester.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £11,860,014 | £13,374,317 | £681,398 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £11,456,558 | £13,724,099 | £1,031,257 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £11,594,800 | £14,099,106 | £766,437 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £12,655,460 | £14,449,693 | £455,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £13,142,309 | £16,083,017 | £909,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- rochester.anglican.org
- rochester.anglican.org/for-parishes/grants · read on 31 October 2026
- rochester.anglican.org/for-parishes/churchbuildings/property-grants · read on 31 October 2026
- rochester.anglican.org/contact-us · read on 31 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.
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At a glance
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Applying to Diocese of Rochester?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required