The Welsh Church Act 1914 makes provision for the funding of church projects.
The council receives an annual allocation which may be awarded for charitable objectives. These may include educational, social, recreational and cultural purposes. The fund is no longer used just for church projects. You can learn more about the charitable purposes for which the fund can be used, by downloading the documents below.
Welsh Church Fund applications can be submitted at any point throughout the year, with requests reviewed in late Spring and early Autumn.
- the application must fall within the charitable purposes identified in The Welsh Church Fund Act. Appendix 1
- financial limits on grants will be imposed at £1,000 for individuals. The limit for groups and organisations will be £10,000
- grants will not be provided in the form of a loan
- grants will only be considered if beneficial for Newport residents. National organisations applying must have a base in Newport, serving Newport residents
- grants to individuals will only be considered where they are a Newport resident. They must clearly show that there is no alternative source of funding available
- grants will not be provided to support the day to day running costs of groups and organisations where these are likely to create an ongoing dependency on the fund for future financial assistance
- grants for equipment will be considered if it is for the setup of a new group or organisation that will benefit the people of Newport. Or if that an established group / organisation is developing or expanding to reach a wider number of Newport residents
- grants will not be made to the same organisation in successive years, unless it is a church application and applications will only be considered if it is for a different and distinct purpose
- there will be a presumption against making grants to individuals for education, health, sporting, artistic or other personal development matters
- the Welsh Church Fund will pay future awards by BACS payment and for organisations and groups the payment will only be made to a company bank account
- all evidence is required to be submitted to the council six months after the grant has been paid
- where a shortfall in funding is identified, all funding must be secured and a start date for the project confirmed within two years of the published decision date
The groups and organisations that will benefit from grant allocations are:
- churches and religious groups
- church parishes
- community groups and charities
- sports and recreation clubs
- environment groups
- individuals that have an identified and proven need of financial assistance
- other deemed charitable causes by the cabinet member and the Section 151 officer
There will be no allocations to private business and other public bodies.
The fund will not:
- support general adult groups for recreational activities
- allocate funds to community and town councils