In this one-off bulletin, we draw together several areas of practical support and important information for our parishes.
Alongside updates on available grant funding and a new short film produced by our Giving Team, we are also sharing guidance on recent investment performance and an outline of the parish share calculations for 2026.
Each of these elements reflects our commitment to equipping you in your local ministry, strengthening the financial resilience of our churches, and ensuring that the resources entrusted to us are used wisely and transparently across the Diocese to help support our vision of Living God’s Love.
With thanks for all you do and our best wishes,
David White, Diocesan Secretary
Glyn Barker, Director of Finance
Available Grant Funding
Many grants are available to support your parish. The diocesan website hosts a dedicated grants page where you can explore current opportunities, criteria, and application forms.
We encourage every parish to take a look and identify what may support your local needs and serve your Mission Action Plans. Diocesan grants are reviewed by the Parish Grants Committee four times a year. Requirements vary, and some funds ask for matched contributions or evidence of long‑term sustainability.
Summary of available grants:
Missional Grants – Two types of support are available through the DBF’s designated funds:
- Small grants (up to £1,000) help parishes launch new initiatives such as Messy Church, youth work, or community projects.
- Major grants (over £1,000) support larger or multi‑year mission programmes that help parishes grow their missional reach.
Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Grants – These grants include support for up to 20% of the cost of major NZC parish projects (also funded from investment returns), along with smaller national church‑funded ‘Quick Win’ grants to help parishes make immediate, practical progress.
Grants for Church Repairs – There are many sources of funding for church repairs, both Diocesan and external. Our DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee) team are available to help you decide which grants are appropriate for you.
City Church Fund Grants – Available to churches in a specific geographical area in the south of the Diocese for missional projects or works to church buildings. Proposals must be discussed with and agreed by your Archdeacon prior to applications being made.
Welfare Grants – The Diocese administer grants from a number of historical welfare trusts and funds, all of which have specific geographical and social criteria. The individual criteria for each grant are listed on our website.
Other Grants – Our website also has links to a number of ministry development and bursary grants, including those from the Verulam House Fund Trust.
Developing giving in your parish
All of our activities, in parishes and the Diocese, depend on the generous giving of individuals in our parishes. We are very grateful for the generosity and support from so many people.
The Diocese received grant funding from the national church to enable the employment of two part-time staff, Kate Ford Giving Adviser and Caroline Childs Digital Giving Assistant, to support stewardship campaigns in parishes.
Kate and Caroline are always keen to receive your questions and requests for support. You can contact them here: giving@stalbans.anglican.org.
A new short film resource produced by the Giving Team for parishes to use in their giving communications is now available. The film has been developed with two key aims in mind:
- To make available high‑quality video content that parishes would not have the resources to produce themselves. By featuring a range of locations, clergy, and volunteers from across the Diocese, the film aims to feel relevant and accessible to a wide variety of parish contexts.
- To shift the tone of conversations about giving. Rather than focusing on “we give because we need to pay our parish share and gas bill,” the film encourages a more positive and compelling narrative: “we give because this church matters to us and we want to help build its future.”
CCLA Performance
Many of you will have investments with CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authority Investment Management Limited). We wish to draw attention to their poor performance this year. It is particularly concerning given that the markets have generally performed well through the year. About one-third of the Diocese’s investments are held with CCLA so we are equally concerned about this and are in contact with them for their response to this. Our Asset Committee meets face to face with its fund managers once a year.
You may be considering whether or not you should invest with another fund manager. We cannot give advice as to what you should do. Only individuals or firms authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can provide personal, regulated investment advice. If you are considering moving, then please do remember the following two points.
- You should make every effort to ensure that your investments are made in accordance with the guidance offered by the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG).
- If you consider moving a restricted fund, under the Church of England measures governing church property, the Diocese must be the Custodian Trustee, so any paperwork will of necessity have to pass through this route.
You may think that you would wish to comment on the performance in your accounts if it is material. If you decide to do so, then the recommendation is that any comment goes as an explanatory point in your annual report. It does not need to be a note to the accounts. It would only become this if a post balance sheet event caused a permanent change in the value of your investments at the time the Balance Sheet is drawn up.
For any questions or support, please email finance@stalbans.anglican.org
Parish Share for 2026
We have worked hard to be able to reduce parish share for 2026. The headline figure is a reduction of 3.5%. But that is an average and means that every parish will see a decrease, provided there has been no change in circumstances, but one that fluctuates around this figure. It is worth setting out why parishes will see differences in their reductions.
Easiest to understand, and to see, is that every parish sees a reduction of 2.06% in their Stipend Contribution (SC). This is directly related to the increase in Diocesan income from total return, which has more than offset the 6.8% increase that we were able to offer for stipends.
The reduction in Ministry Support Contribution (MSC) is where the variation occurs. This figure depends on other inputs, which includes changes in Usual Sunday Attendance, Electoral Roll and the Parish Share Factor. It also depends on how everyone’s figures change as it is shared out across all parishes. There was still an overall decrease which meant that the fluctuation in the decrease in the MSC varies between 1% and 5%.
The overall reduction that a parish sees then depends on the individual make up between a parish’s SC and MSC. The difference in proportion between these two elements coupled with the size of the MSC decrease will determine the overall size of the decrease in parish share for a parish.
We pray God’s blessing on you and your ministry as we continue together with our shared vision of Living God’s Love.