Our emergency grants are designed to help in times of unforeseen crises or unexpected costs.

These grants are smaller in value (usually up to £500) and decisions and payments can be made more quickly than for financial support grants. Please read the categories below.

If you are eligible to apply for emergency grants, you may apply for up to three emergency grants per household in each 12-month period.

You may apply for the same category twice in any calendar year.

You can only apply once in any calendar year under the separation, curacy or transport and travel costs categories.

Appliances

We are able to fund the replacement of household appliances, eg cooker, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, hob, microwave, oven, tumble dryer, washing machine etc, up to a maximum of £500.

You may wish to replace an old or inefficient appliance, it does not need to be broken before you apply.

 

Appliance documentation

Please provide with your application:

Households can apply for up to £500 towards car service costs, MOTs, insurance, car tax and repairs.

We would not normally contribute towards the cost of car accident repairs, as we would expect these costs to be covered by insurance. However, we can consider the excess costs on an insurance claim.

We are also able to consider a contribution towards driving lessons, for eligible beneficiaries, including partners, spouses and clergy children up to the age of 25.

 

Car-related costs documentation

Please provide with your application:

Curacy grant

If you are experiencing financial hardship, Curacy grants are available to newly ordained (or soon to be ordained) clergy, transitioning to their first curacy post.

Grants are up to a maximum of £500, to bridge the gap from ordination to the receipt of your first stipend (from the last training grant to the first stipend payment).

Applications are opened for a limited time, from Monday 3 June 2024 to Friday 2 August 2024.

Please provide a diocesan letter, confirming your title post and/or a copy of your stipend slip.

 

Curacy documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • A letter from your diocese confirming your title post and date of ordination
  • Your latest stipend slip, when available
  • Your verification document(s)

Energy costs

Energy bills can be a significant cost and some housing can be expensive to heat. Applicants may apply for up to £500 towards their energy bills.

If you can show you will soon end up in arrears due to your monthly Direct Debits, this can also be considered.

If you have a credit of over £500 with your energy provider, it is unlikely that your application will be approved.

You are also encouraged to contact your Diocese regarding whether a potential cost of living grant is available.

Those living with a registered disability and in receipt of ill health state benefits (whether in tied housing, rented or owned property) who may have higher than average heating costs, may also apply.

 

Energy costs documentation

Please provide with your application:

Note: you may only apply for this category twice in a calendar year.

Furniture

We are able to fund some essential items of furniture (new or second-hand), eg beds, sofas, bedroom furniture, chairs, for applicants in need (eg. result of separation or divorce, domestic abuse, single parents, setting up home since becoming homeless, additional furniture required upon first purchased property for retirees, downsizing etc).

We are unable to fund the costs of carpet/flooring for all households. We are unlikely to fund furniture already purchased (retrospective grants), unless the situation is an emergency, where households are in genuine need or where applicants are applying to us for the first time.

We will ask if you have contacted your diocese, landlord, housing association or local authority for help in the first instance.

Note: If your costs are higher than £500, you may consider applying, subject to means-testing, for a Financial Support grant for furniture.

 

Furniture documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • An estimate/quote/copy of a webpage relating to the item(s) of furniture that you wish to purchase and the cost
  • Your verification document(s)

Gardening costs

If you are living in tied clergy housing and have extensive gardens, you may wish to apply for a grant of up to £500 towards garden maintenance costs.

In addition, those living with a registered disability and in receipt of ill health state benefits (whether in tied housing, rented or owned property) who may need to maintain a garden, may also apply.

 

Gardening costs documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • An estimate/quote for your gardening equipment, maintenance or service that you wish to purchase
  • Your verification document(s)

General living expenses

If you are finding it difficult to meet your day-to-day expenses, you may be eligible for a general living expenses grant up to a maximum of £500.

Examples

  • A temporary reduction in income
  • Increased household bills
  • Costs relating to family life
  • Vet bills (not covered by insurance)
  • Clothing (up to £750 if the request is for twins)
  • Bereavement or funeral-related costs (for immediate family members only). Note: If your costs are higher than £500, you may consider applying, subject to means-testing, for a Financial support grant under Funeral expenses.

 

General living expenses documentation

Please provide with your application:

Independent living

Grants are available to helpeligible beneficiaries live independently (which are outside the scope of our health grants eg. assistive technology, mobility aids or equipment). In addition, those recovering from Long-Covid may also apply for some help around the home.

For example:

  • Help with the cost of personal alarms / 24-hour on-call service for help and emergencies / Telecare schemes
  • Help towards costs of cleaning, laundry or ironing
  • Transport costs for shopping, meeting friends, going to Church, regular hobbies etc.

Please note that the beneficiary of this grant must be an eligible beneficiary. We are unable to provide grants to parents of clergy who are not ordained Anglican clergy or dependent.

 

Independent living documentation

Please provide with your application:

Note: We would expect you to have exhausted welfare benefits (eg, attendance allowance) and for carers to have had a recent carer’s assessment.

 

Moving costs

For applicants who may have already secured a contribution towards moving costs, we are able to provide a quick, emergency grant of £500 in the following circumstances:

For serving clergy moving to a new Diocese, we would expect all applicants to have approached their current and/or future Diocese for help with moving costs in the first instance. If there is a shortfall from the Diocese, we could potentially help with £500 towards these costs.

For retirees, widows or ex-partners, we are able to consider a contribution towards moving costs. In some circumstances, some applicants may wish to approach their Diocese for help, although this will not be conditional.

Note: If your costs are higher than £500, you may consider applying, subject to means-testing, for a Financial support grant under Moving costs.

 

Moving costs documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • An estimate/quote/copy of a webpage relating to the moving services that you wish to purchase
  • Your verification document(s)

Professional fees/membership costs

Grants are available up to £500 for professional membership fees, or to access professional advice e.g. independent financial advice, limited legal advice, union membership.

For all professional advice, applicants will need to ensure and be responsible for checks on accreditation, registration and professional standards of providers.

 

Professional fees/membership costs documentation

Please provide with your application:

Note: Applicants may only apply once per calendar year for this purpose.

Separation grant

For applicants who are having to leave the marital home or tied housing. Eligible applicants may be ordained or in the case of non-ordained married spouses who have recently separated from their clergy partner and who are in a crisis situation (eg living in a refuge, friend’s house, other family, escaping domestic abuse, etc), or simply having to setup a new home.

For the non-ordained partner, we are able to consider a one-off emergency payment of up to £1,500.

Any payments will need to be made to an individual bank account. Payments to joint bank accounts will not be processed.

 

Separation grant documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • An indication of expected costs
  • For the non-ordained partner, a letter (or email) of support from either: Bishop’s Visitor, Broken Rites or diocese, confirming the separation
  • Or a copy of your marriage certificate

Applicants may apply for up to £500 grant towards the cost of the following for their children (up to 25 if in full-time education - not including postgraduate Masters or PhDs).

For example:

  • school uniforms
  • music lessons
  • school trips
  • after-school clubs
  • technology (eg. computers, laptops, printers, tablets)
  • extra tuition

If you have twins, we may consider a grant of up to £750 for school-related expenses.

 

School-related expenses documentation

Please provide with your application:

Technology

We are able to provide grants of up to £500 for technology when it breaks or needs an update. For example:

  • laptops
  • phones
  • printers
  • tablets

Please note that we cannot replace technology which is the property of the Diocese.

 

Technology documentation

Please provide with your application:

Transport and travel costs

We are able to provide a grant of up to £1,000 towards transport, travel, accommodation and other associated costs in the event of a short-term unforeseen circumstance, eg.

  • costs of attending health appointments
  • visiting a family member in the hospital, in cases of emergency
  • visiting children through separation
  • travel costs to visit a family member who is sick, or to attend a family member’s funeral

Please note that we would not normally be able to pay the transport costs associated with everyday ministerial duties.

 

Transport and travel documentation

Please provide with your application:

  • An estimate/quotes/receipts for petrol, transport, travel, accommodation and other related costs
  • Car mileage, where relevant
  • Your verification document(s)

Before you apply

To progress any application, we need the support document(s) listed above in the category type above and your verification document(s). Without these, we can't reach a decision.

The video shows you how to successfully:

  • register on the application system
  • take screenshots (Mac, PC, Phones and Tablets)
  • get a copy of your stipend that isn't blank
  • attach supporting documents to your application

Applying and Documentation

Please apply for one category per application, as listed above, taking into consideration your most urgent area of need. Applications which request help from multiple categories are likely to experience processing delays.

If you have any queries, please contact a member of the grants team to discuss your situation in confidence:

Please check that you are eligible for an emergency grant before applying:

Check your eligibility

Apply

You may also find the questions and guidance helpful.