Submitting Tier 1 grant applications

This page provides guidance on submitting Tier 1 grant applications for the Church Growth Fund.

Tier 1 applications are for grants of up to £10,000.

You can find some answers to frequently asked questions about grant applications to the Church Growth Fund here: FAQs - Church Growth Fund.

Quick summary – Tier 1 grant applications

• Get in touch with the Church Growth Fund team (churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk) to let them know what you are proposing.
• Download and complete a Tier 1 grant application form.
• Submit your Tier 1 grant application to the diocesan bishop no later than 28 working days before submission to the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group.
• Submit your Tier 1 grant application form to the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group by email (churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk) by the deadlines noted below (no later than 14 working days before an Allocation Group meeting).
• You will be informed of the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group’s decision no later than five working days after the Group has met.

Developing a Tier 1 grant application

The first step in any Tier 1 grant application is to let the Church Growth Fund team know what you are proposing by emailing churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk.

You are required to complete a Tier 1 application form in order to submit a Tier 1 grant application. 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.

The criteria of the Church Growth Fund and the Tier 1 grant application form may be found here.

Please read the following document carefully when considering whether your grant application meets the Fund criteria:

• Tier 1 - Church Growth Allocation Fund Application Form

(Please pay close attention to clause g within the application form, which explains that the Tier 1 stream cannot be used to support staffing costs or building projects.)

Submitting a Tier 1 grant application

All Tier 1 grant applications must be sent to the diocesan bishop for written support no later than 28 working days before submission to the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group.

Once support is gained from the diocesan bishop, your Tier 1 grant application can be submitted to churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk by the deadlines noted below.

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.

Deadlines for submitting a Tier 1 grant application

The deadlines below outline when you should submit your Tier 1 grant application to churchgrowthfund@cinw.org.uk:
(assuming you have already gained approval from your diocesan bishop at least 28 days prior to submission to the Church Growth Fund)

• 24 October 2025 (for Group meeting on 6 November 2025) [DATE CHANGE]
• 27 February 2026 (for Group meeting on 19 March 2026)
• 1 May 2026 (for Group meeting on 19 May 2026)
• 28 August 2026 (for Group meeting on 17 September 2026)
• 6 November 2026 (for Group meeting on 24 November 2026)

(NOTICE OF DATE CHANGE - Due to arrangements for the Bangor Electoral College in November 2025, the meeting of the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group has been moved to 6 November 2025. This has also affected related deadlines, which are marked within the deadlines above and table below.)

Tier 1 grant applications will then be considered by the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group. You can find all dates for the Church Growth Fund Allocation Group meetings here: Provincial meeting dates

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.

Therefore, in practice, you should aim to finalise your Tier 1 grant application at least a month before the deadline (to enable you to submit the application both to the diocesan bishop and Church Growth Fund Allocation Group within each respective deadline and allow time to make amendments as necessary).

Here’s some guidance on submitting your Tier 1 grant application: