During their meetings with civil servants and Government Ministers over recent months, Faithworks Campaigners have represented churches’ concerns about their ability to access government funding for church-run community and regeneration projects. Churches from all denominations have found that the application procedures for government funding are often long, bureaucratic and uncoordinated between various government departments. The Faithworks survey of 3,000 Christian leaders also revealed that the lack of clear guidelines to ensure that churches can receive funding without compromising their distinctive faith-basis meant that 1 in 5 church projects had been excluded from government funding because of their faith.

The concerns of Faithworks, and other groups have prompted the Home Office’s Active Community Unit to issue a consultation document with the aim of simplifying, rationalising and integrating the small grants applications process for small community groups in England. (i.e: for grants under £30,000 pounds).

This document includes a specific reference to ensure that the particular needs of minority groups including faith-based groups are fully addressed and specific provision made where appropriate.

These exciting developments follow the Home Secretary’s recent endorsement of the role played by church and other faith-group leaders as “the development workers in every community”. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Churches’ Main Committee, David Blunkett commented:

“We see the role of faith communities working for progress and decency… This is a resource available to all areas of our country, even the most deprived, the least active and the most likely to be disengaged from the political process. This is a resource that every Government regeneration programme and the development of community leadership cannot match.”
 

Consultations have just closed, and the Government has already stated that one of the proposed measures recommended by Faithworks; the replacement of around 15 different forms for various community grants with one, standard application form for all grants, will be in widespread use by the end of 2001. Other important reforms will be considered and, if accepted, implemented over the next few years.

The Faithworks Campaign was asked to submit their comments as part of the consultation process, and we recommended or endorsed proposals including:

• A single government website with information about all available government grants for churches and other community groups who are running practical projects.
• More government-employed outreach agents who will pro-actively approach groups like churches that could run community projects with advice and information about government grants for social projects.
• That the criteria used to assess which grants are eligible should be transparent and take into account the specific needs and concerns of church-based projects.
• Local co-ordination between grant-making agencies to ensure that an area’s needs are addressed efficiently and comprehensively.
• Establish co-ordinating Neighbourhood Renewal Chests in the 88 most deprived areas of Britain to make small grants available to community groups.

Steve Chalke, Faithworks Founder comments:

“These proposals demonstrate the extent to which both politicians and the public now acknowledge that faith works. If they are implemented, the potential benefits for churches are enormous, including proactive help from government advisers, an easy path through the jungle of grant-making bureaucracy, and quicker decision making on applications. Having campaigned hard for change, we are very excited that these measures will equip churches to develop their 24-hour care for communities in new and practical ways.”