Wessex Trust
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- Wessex Trust funds the Wessex Synod and its local churches in the United Reformed Church, so a request needs to serve that mission, and groups outside the Wessex Province are unlikely to fit.
- It is by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so start by discussing your application with the Synod Property Officer, which the charity names as the starting point.
- Work on listed buildings must first be considered by the Listed Buildings Advisory Committee: send Form 1 and its appendices to the Synod Property Officer, then email the assembled application to the committee secretary at least three weeks before the Trust's regular meeting.
- The grant range is not stated, so ask the Synod Property Officer what size of request is realistic before you set a figure.
Overview
Wessex Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 282729).
Wessex Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales that exists to advance the Christian religion in line with the doctrines, principles and usages of the United Reformed Church, with particular responsibility for its Wessex Province. It supports local churches in their outreach and mission, directly through its staff and indirectly through the Synod and its committees, groups and officers, and by providing financial and technical resources. In its most recent annual report it awarded £1,036,550, across programmes including annual grants to local churches, Synod-supported work, manses, church mission and uniting congregations, General Assembly work, other Synods, and chaplaincies, industrial missions and other ecumenical situations.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Trust supports the Wessex Synod and its constituent local churches in carrying out the religious purposes and mission of the United Reformed Church. Its grants include annual support to local churches, work supported by the Wessex Synod and the General Assembly, maintenance, repair and improvement of ministers’ manses, support for church mission and uniting congregations, inter-Synod resource sharing, and chaplaincies in higher education, industrial missions and other ecumenical settings. Local church grants assist ministry as churches respond to the needs of their communities and meet the challenges and claims of the gospel. For work on listed buildings, applications are normally considered only after review by the Listed Buildings Advisory Committee.
Themes
- Local church mission
- Manse maintenance
- Church uniting
- Synod-supported work
- Inter-synod resource sharing
- Chaplaincy
- Listed church buildings
Geographic Focus
Priority: Wessex Province of the United Reformed Church.
What they don't fund
- Work on our listed buildings only: The Wessex Trust will not normally consider grant applications for grants towards work on our listed buildings which have not been considered first by the Listed Buildings Advisory Committee
How to apply
For listed-building grants, submit Form 1 and its appendices to the Synod Property Officer for completeness checks, then email the assembled application and documents to the Listed Buildings Advisory Committee secretary.
Deadlines: Submit the required information three weeks before the Trust's regular meeting for listed-building applications.
What to send:
- Supporting information for all grant applications.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Applicants should discuss their application with the Synod Property Officer as the starting point.
- Listed-building applications need prior consideration by the Listed Buildings Advisory Committee.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Wessex Trust.
Grants
Not included above: 12 with no named recipient; 1 line covering other, unnamed recipients (£19,147).
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2020 | £1,966,322 | £1,541,037 | £406,401 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2020 |
| year to 31 December 2021 | £2,767,259 | £1,723,423 | £551,107 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £2,628,296 | £10,744,807 | £9,327,743 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £1,720,112 | £2,374,000 | £819,590 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £10,601,391 | £2,844,693 | £1,036,550 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
In 1 of the 5 years shown, grants paid exceeded income.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2020; year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2024: 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
- urcwessex.org.uk
- urcwessex.org.uk/listed-buildings · read on 30 October 2026
- urcwessex.org.uk/contact · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2024)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Wessex Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 023 8067 8570source
- office@urcwessex.org.uksource
- The United Reformed Church Wessex Synod, 120 Alma Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 6UWsource
- urcwessex.org.uk
- Contact form
Applying to Wessex Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 023 8067 8570source
- office@urcwessex.org.uksource
- The United Reformed Church Wessex Synod, 120 Alma Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 6UWsource
- urcwessex.org.uk
- Contact form