‘Bishop’ comes from the Greek word for ‘overseer’. So a bishop is a senior Christian minister authorised to have oversight for God’s people. As well as duties given to deacons and priests, bishops confirm and ordain.
Diocese
‘Diocese’ refers to the geographical territory in which a bishop exercises oversight. The Church in Wales is divided into six dioceses each with its own cathedral in which is housed the cathedra (the bishop’s ‘chair’ or ‘throne’).
You can find the meeting dates of the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group here: Provincial meeting dates
If you can't find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact the Church Growth Fund team at churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk.
Tier 1 grant applications
The first, tier 1, is for grant applications for no more than £10,000, mainly from ministry/mission areas, for work which is both innovative locally and replicable nationally.
All Tier 1 grant applications must be sent to the diocesanbishop for written support no later than 28 working days before submission to the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group.
All Tier 1 grant applications will be considered by the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group and grant applications must be submitted no later than 14 working days before the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group is due to meet.
MAs may apply for funding for more than one Tier 1 project. There is no limit to how many Tier 1 applications can be submitted per MA. However, bids must be made on a one bid, one project basis.
No - the Tier 1 stream cannot be used to support building projects. Tier 1 grants may be used for the temporary hire of premises if essential to the project.
No - the Tier 1 stream cannot be used to support staffing costs.
Applicants will be informed of the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group’s decisions as soon as possible and no later than five working days after the Group has met.
No - you do not need to sign the Tier 2 Grant Terms and Conditions, as these are applicable to Tier 2 grant applications only. However, additional terms may be set by the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group which are specific to your grant – these will be made clear to you if your grant is approved.
Tier 2 grant applications
The second, tier 2, is for grant applications for more than £10,000. Applications may only be made by individual dioceses, dioceses working in partnership or the six Cathedrals as a group.
There is no upper limit for grants given to a Tier 2 application, but requests for over £5m will only be accepted from more than one diocese working collaboratively.
All bids must have the written support of the diocesan bishop, the Diocesan Standing Committee and the Diocesan Board of Finance. Where a bid is from more than one Diocese or from the six Cathedrals, we will agree appropriate written support arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
All Tier 2 grant applications are introduced to the Bench for general discussion, prior to formal submission to the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group for approval no later than 14 working days before the Group is due to meet.
The aim of this fund is to enable work by people with people – it is not primarily a building fund. Any requests for funding of work to buildings must clearly and comprehensively set out how such work would wholly and exclusively facilitate, support and assist delivery of the evangelistic programme described in the project bid. Normally, such building related costs would represent no more than 15% of the grant made by the Church Growth Fund.
Grants may be used for the temporary hire of premises, if essential to the project. Rental costs of any lease arrangements will need to be considered in the context of the wider project.
Funding for development of existing projects will be considered but the fund is not able to retrospectively finance work which has already been undertaken.
Tier 2 grant applications will only be considered from dioceses, groups of dioceses or the six cathedrals as a group. Proposals for grant funding will only be considered from individual churches, ministry areas or individual cathedrals in the context of an overarching strategic bid from dioceses or the six cathedrals as a group.
Applicants will be informed of the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group’s decision as soon as possible and no later than five working days after the Group has met.
Yes - if your grant is approved, you will be asked to formally accept the Tier 2 Grant Terms and Conditions. Additional terms may be set by the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group which are specific to your grant – these will be made clear to you if your grant is approved.