ALMOST three-quarters of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme funding stays available for the 2025-26 period. With seven months still to go during which applications could be made, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a tracker to point progress.
The tracker records that — of the £23 million available — £5,498,850 has been used so far. There is currently £591,237 price of claims in progress. The 2025-26 scheme will close on 31 March 2026, or once the £23-million cap has been reached, whichever is earlier.
When the cap for the scheme was announced in January, the DCMS said that, on the premise of previous data, 94 per cent of individual claims were for an amount under £25,000, and that greater than 70 per cent were under £5000 (News, 24 January). The funding was prolonged to £42 million a 12 months in 2012, although only £29 million was claimed within the previous 12 months.
In data gathered by Church House, nevertheless, greater than 100 Anglican churches and cathedrals were engaged in constructing projects that might exceed the £25,000 cap on individual applications to the scheme and were in progress or as a result of begin this 12 months (News, 21 March). At least 38 churches and cathedrals were undertaking initiatives at an estimated cost of greater than £2 million, while 41 were undertaking multi-year projects, which might depend on a long-term funding solution from the scheme.
