Places of Worship Renewal Fund 2026 (UK): How It Works

About this guide: Grantsights builds its search tools and reports for United States funding only, so there's nothing on this page to buy. It explains the fund using GOV.UK and Historic England's own pages. If you'd want a UK version of our tools, tell us you're in the UK.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund at a Glance

The fund has £92 million over four years, or £23 million a year, according to Historic England. Here are the facts that matter, each checked against the official page.

According to GOV.UK, the government announced the fund on January 21, 2026 (opens in a new tab) as part of a £1.5 billion culture package, saying the new £92 million fund "will replace the £23 million Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme". The live listing is on GOV.UK Find a grant (opens in a new tab), and the full rules sit on Historic England's fund page.

Who Can Apply, and What Counts as Active

Every applicant has to clear three tests, and Historic England's 39-question FAQ is strict about each one.

1. In England. Projects must be based in England.
2. Listed. The building must be listed at Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II. Check it on the National Heritage List for England. Unlisted buildings aren't eligible, even if they're locally listed or in a conservation area.
3. Active. The building must be used for worship at least six times a year, or be owned by a charity that specifically cares for historic places of worship (Historic England names the Churches Conservation Trust, Historic Churches Trust and Friends of Friendless Churches) and open to the public at least six times a year.

A few details worth knowing:

• All faiths, all grades. The fund gives no priority to any faith or denomination, and Historic England says a Grade II building is no less likely to be funded than a Grade I one.
• Buildings not built for worship can qualify. A listed building now used as a place of worship, such as a listed former cinema, counts as active.
• Worship-only buildings aren't penalised. Faiths that only allow worship in their buildings, not public events, are treated the same as those that host both.
• One project at a time. A building can apply more than once over the four years, but the fund will only pay for one project at a time for the same building.

If your building is used fewer than six times a year, it's not eligible. Historic England suggests the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Architectural Heritage Fund or its own grants for places instead.

What It Pays For: The Three Streams and the Exclusions

The fund splits £10,000 to £1,000,000 into three streams, according to GOV.UK Find a grant.

What it funds, in Historic England's words: urgent fabric repairs (roofs, masonry, timber, drainage), professional fees and surveys for those works, and non-recoverable VAT and insurance. Essential improvements (electrical upgrades, heating, toilets, step-free access) and small resilience works (loft hatches, better rainwater goods) are allowed only as part of a larger repair project. Project development, such as condition surveys, investigations and energy audits, can be included in a capital repair application, but not on its own.

What it won't fund:

• projects under £10,000
• routine maintenance, such as clearing gutters
• day-to-day running costs, such as gas and electricity bills
• staff costs, unless they're essential project roles you'd otherwise buy in
• community programmes
• conservation of fixtures and fittings (organs, bells) unless they're an essential part of a wider repair grant
• work that has already started, apart from a year one exception (below)
• any building that isn't a listed place of worship

If your repair bill is bigger than the large stream, you can still apply for a separate, defined package of works, such as one section of a roof, while other money pays for the rest.

How to Apply: Rounds, Dates and the Year One Exception

Applying starts with a short expression of interest in a fixed window. If Historic England likes it, you're invited to a full application. Here's the 2026 timetable from GOV.UK Find a grant and Historic England's fund page.

Historic England expects two EOI rounds a year in years one to three and a single round in year four. It aims to give EOI results about six weeks after a window closes, and full application results about five weeks after the full application deadline. It hasn't published the 2027 dates yet.

The year one exception. In year one only, a limited amount of small-stream money (£10,000 to £50,000) is set aside for projects that lost expected match funding from any source. The project must have started on or after October 1, 2025, have finished or be due to finish by September 30, 2026, and not have had Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme money for the same works. You email Historic England at PWRF@HistoricEngland.org.uk for a separate form, and you can apply at any point up to December 31, 2026, outside the normal windows.

What you'll need. At EOI stage, enough detail for Historic England to judge need. If you're invited to a full application without permissions in place, you'll need confirmation from your denomination or ecclesiastical body that it supports the project and is likely to approve consents. A recent condition survey or quinquennial inspection is the obvious evidence of urgency. Historic England can't write your application, but it's building a network of project officers to help smaller congregations.

Who Won Round 1: Grantsights Analysis of the First 51 Awards

The first 51 recipients will share over £18 million, according to GOV.UK's October 15, 2026 announcement (opens in a new tab). That's an average of more than £350,000 a project, well above the small stream. Neither GOV.UK nor Historic England has published individual grant amounts, so the tables below count projects, not pounds.

Grantsights analysis of the recipient lists on GOV.UK and Historic England's Projects Funded 2026 page. GOV.UK groups the two Grimsby awards under Yorkshire and the Humber instead.

Three things stand out.

Deprivation decided the map. Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) and Cornwall had 12 of the 51 projects, Norfolk had 6, and Liverpool and Birmingham had 3 each. The London and South East area had only 3. That fits the fund's stated rule that projects in the most deprived areas come first. Our reading: a listed church in a prosperous part of the South East faces long odds unless its repair need is unusually urgent.

Big projects got the money. An average over £350,000 means round 1 leaned heavily on the medium and large streams. Small-stream applicants shouldn't read that as a closed door, but it's a sign of where the money went first.

Not just Church of England. Methodist, Catholic, cathedral and Jewish buildings all appear. For example, Grimsby received two of the 51 awards: Grimsby Minster and the Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue, which GOV.UK describes as the only remaining synagogue in Lincolnshire and South Humberside.

What GOV.UK Doesn't Tell You About the Places of Worship Renewal Fund

GOV.UK's listing gives you the headline. The FAQ on Historic England's site, and the old scheme's history, hold the parts that change your plans.

It's not more money than the old scheme's last year. The new fund is £23 million a year. According to GOV.UK, the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was given £23 million for 2025 to 2026 with a cap of £25,000 per claimant, and DCMS said 94% of past claims were under that cap. The difference is the shape. The old scheme refunded VAT to almost any listed place of worship across the UK that claimed. The new one is competitive, England-only, and aimed at the most deprived areas. Plenty of churches that used to get a VAT refund every time they repaired something will get nothing now.

The VAT gap is real. According to GOV.UK, the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme is closed (opens in a new tab) with no further rounds, and outstanding decisions were due by April 15, 2026. Under PWRF, VAT you can't reclaim is an eligible cost inside a grant you win. If you don't win, you pay it. Budget for 20% VAT on every repair quote unless you've got a grant offer saying otherwise.

Routine maintenance is your problem. Gutter clearance, redecorating and keeping drains clear are explicitly excluded. Historic England counts small jobs like replacing some roof tiles or a section of guttering as minor repairs, which only the small stream funds on their own, and only at £10,000 or more. A £3,000 repair job is a job for a trust such as the National Churches Trust or Benefact, not this fund.

Your procurement can sink you. Grant recipients must follow Historic England's procurement rules, which in most cases means appointing advisers and contractors openly and competitively. If you tender before a decision without following those rules, Historic England warns you may have to re-tender or lose some costs. A common mistake is having the builder you've always used price the job and assuming that's fine.

Strings come with the money. Grant conditions usually include public access to the building and ongoing maintenance after the works are done, and you'll need to acknowledge Historic England and government funding.

Some match funding isn't allowed. Other Historic England grants, including the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, can't be your match. Neither can the Architectural Heritage Fund's Heritage Revival Fund for the same works. Everything else can.

If You're Not Eligible: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Unlisted Buildings

The fund covers England only, and GOV.UK's closure notice for the old scheme points the rest of the UK to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Here's what that fund actually gave places of worship.

Grantsights analysis of the National Lottery Heritage Fund's 360Giving file. Places of worship here means recipients whose names point to a church, chapel, cathedral, parish, diocese, kirk, synagogue, mosque, gurdwara or similar, so the count is approximate.

Only 31 of those 220 grants went to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together. According to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, its £10,000 to £250,000 programme (opens in a new tab) accepts faith-based and church organisations, has no deadline and aims to decide within eight weeks, but it won't fund anything that promotes the beliefs of faith organisations. Your project has to be about the heritage and the people who'll use it.

For buildings outside England, Historic England lists who to contact: Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw in Wales, and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The National Churches Trust also runs Northern Ireland church repair grants of up to £50,000, funded by the Department for Communities, and Cherish grants in Scotland. Our grants for churches UK guide sets out those trusts with their typical award sizes, and Scottish congregations should also read funding for charities in Scotland.

Unlisted places of worship in England can't use PWRF at all. Their realistic options are the National Churches Trust, which funds unlisted Christian buildings, Benefact Trust, and the Heritage Fund if there's a heritage case.

Is It Worth Applying? A Straight Answer

Yes, if your building is listed, in England, in or serving a deprived area, and has a repair need of £10,000 or more backed by a condition survey. That's the profile the fund is built for, and round 1 shows it's funding it.

It's a harder call if you're outside the priority areas. Historic England will still consider financial need, urgency and community benefit, but it's honest that demand is high and not everyone invited to apply will get a grant. An EOI is short, so it's often worth one attempt, but don't stop your other fundraising while you wait.

A sensible plan for the 2027 rounds:

1. Check your deprivation status now. Search the Indices of Multiple Deprivation for your area and the areas you serve. Historic England says Community Needs Index data is available by request to OCSI.
2. Get the survey done. A recent quinquennial inspection or condition survey is the core of a credible EOI.
3. Talk to your denomination early. You'll need its written support for the project and likely consents.
4. Line up 20%. Trusts, a local appeal and Gift Aid can make up your contribution, and the grants for churches UK guide lists the main trusts.
5. Plan procurement properly. Agree a procurement approach that fits Historic England's rules before you tender.

If the problem is your roof, our church roof repair grants guide covers lead theft, insurance and the other funders that pay for roofs. If your building also hosts community activities, see community grants in the UK, and charities linked to a place of worship can use our charity grants UK overview.

Sources Checked

All pages read on October 17, 2026.

• GOV.UK Find a grant, Places of Worship Renewal Fund (opens in a new tab) (opening and closing dates, streams, eligibility, round 1 deadline)
• Historic England, Places of Worship Renewal Fund (rounds, criteria, priorities, FAQ): https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/grants/what-we-fund/places-of-worship-renewal-fund/
• Historic England, Places of Worship Renewal Fund Projects in 2026: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/grants/what-we-fund/places-of-worship-renewal-fund/projects-2026
• GOV.UK, Major drive to restore churches and revitalise heritage buildings in communities across England announced (opens in a new tab) (DCMS and Historic England, October 15, 2026)
• GOV.UK, Government announces bumper £1.5 billion package to restore national pride (opens in a new tab) (DCMS, January 21, 2026)
• GOV.UK, The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS) is closed (opens in a new tab) (DCMS, March 31, 2026)
• GOV.UK, £23 million government package to support restoration of thousands of listed places of worship (opens in a new tab) (DCMS, January 22, 2025)
• National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Heritage Grants £10,000 to £250,000 (opens in a new tab)
• National Lottery Heritage Fund 360Giving file, April 2013 to June 2026, via the 360Giving registry: https://registry.threesixtygiving.org