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
Be wary of anyone quoting you their own success rate. The figure is unverifiable, the denominator is never stated, and a good application can still lose a competitive round — Buildings for Mission rounds are over-subscribed, and being unsuccessful in one is not evidence that the application was weak. What you can check is whether the funder's published criteria have actually been addressed, point by point, before the application goes in. Nobody can guarantee any specific application will succeed, and anyone who does is telling you something about themselves rather than about your parish.
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