£23 million government package to support restoration of thousands of listed places of worship
Government’s Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will be extended for 2025/26.
- The scheme gives grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to the nation’s listed sites of worship across the UK
Heritage Minister Sir Chris Bryant has announced that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will be extended into the next financial year, providing £23 million so that thousands of historical buildings, including churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, can carry out restoration work.
The scheme gives grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to the UK’s listed sites of worship, such as works to the foundations, masonry and monuments integral to the buildings.
The extension of the scheme recognises that listed places of worship represent an important part of UK heritage, and provide spaces for communities to come together.
There will be a cap of £25,000 that an organisation can claim during the year. This can still be spread across multiple claims.
Nearly £350 million has been awarded under the scheme to date, supporting listed churches, synagogues, mosques and temples across the UK.
Heritage Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:
There are many reasons to care for our faith buildings. They matter to faith communities, they provide a range of vital services to the public regardless of faith or background and many of them are architecturally stunning.
I am delighted that despite the tough fiscal challenges we face, we are able to keep this scheme going for a further year to support faith buildings in every part of the country.
Listed places of worship of any size or faith within the UK can apply to the scheme for support with repairs and renovations until the end of March 2026.
Notes to Editors:
- Claimants will be able to receive a maximum of £25,000 from the scheme. Based on previous scheme data 94% of claims were under this amount.
- There is a range of support available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies that supports listed places of worship, beyond the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
- These include the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s £15 million Heritage in Need: Places of Worship initiative; The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England’s Heritage At Risk grants, which support certain religious buildings such as cathedrals on the Heritage at Risk register.