What we write
For every parish solar project we deliver, we draft the relevant grant applications as part of our standard work. Typical applications written per project:
- Buildings for Mission (CofE) — national CofE capital grant programme, typical awards £10,000-£50,000
- Diocesan capital programme — variable by diocese, £15,000-£40,000 typical (Oxford up to £40k, Bristol up to £35k, Manchester up to £30k)
- Methodist Net Zero Programme — for Methodist parishes, typical awards £8,000-£80,000
- Catholic diocesan capital fund — for Catholic parishes, varies by diocese
- Listed Places of Worship VAT Grant Scheme — for listed buildings, 20% of capex reimbursed
- National Lottery Heritage Fund — for parishes pursuing a wider conservation project
- Charitable trust applications — Allchurches Trust, Garfield Weston, Tudor Trust, local foundation grants
- OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme — for parish projects including EV charging
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme — for projects including heat pumps
What makes our applications work
Five factors strongly correlate with grant success:
- Diocesan alignment. Applications explicitly cite the diocesan Net Zero plan and frame the parish project as contributing to the diocesan trajectory.
- Mission framing. The financial case is necessary but not sufficient — the mission and stewardship narrative is what wins decisions.
- Realistic financial modelling. Conservative assumptions on SEG export, self-consumption, payback. Grant assessors see through optimistic modelling immediately.
- Diocesan endorsement letter. A supportive letter from the Diocesan Net Zero Officer or environment lead substantially improves application chances.
- Visual quality. Drawings, photographs, layout, formatting all matter. The application should look like the work of competent professionals.
What we don't do
We don't take a percentage of grants awarded. Grant writing is part of our standard project fee, not a separate billable item. We don't bill for unsuccessful applications. We don't oversell the success rates — Buildings for Mission has roughly 30% award rate nationally; we achieve 60%+ for the applications we write, but no installer can guarantee any specific application will succeed.
How the parish contributes
We draft the technical, financial, carbon-impact, and grant-strategy sections of each application. The parish contributes:
- Mission and stewardship narrative (1-2 paragraphs in your own words)
- Description of community engagement and parish ministry
- PCC resolution minute
- Letter from vicar/minister supporting the application
- Any specific historical or local context relevant to the parish
This split works because we know the technical and grant landscape; the parish knows itself best. The combination consistently outperforms applications written entirely by either an installer or a parish independently.
Timeline
- Week 1-2 (post-survey): we draft technical sections of all applicable applications
- Week 2-3: parish drafts mission narrative; PCC reviews
- Week 3-4: we incorporate parish narrative; final review
- Week 4: applications submitted to relevant programmes
- Weeks 4-18: grant decisions arrive (Buildings for Mission typically 6-14 weeks; diocesan capital typically 8-16 weeks)
- Awards confirmed: project proceeds to contract