About the Development Fund
The Development Fund invites grant applications from parishes, benefices, deaneries and chaplaincies in the Diocese of Oxford to support local projects that are missionally creative, reflect where God is at work in the community, and encourage wider learning across the diocese.
You can apply to the Fund for support with projects that are a new development for your parish/benefice/deanery/chaplaincy and will help with your mission to your community ('missionally creative' projects). This does not require completely new ideas every time: it might be about the way a congregation adapts an existing idea to their parish or community.
We take our definition of mission from the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the Earth.
We have already supported over 250 parishes and deaneries in their mission development with large and small grants. These have helped parishes and deaneries with a wide variety of outreach, from setting up Messy Church sessions or a starting a community garden to developing a village hub or employing a youth worker.
Find out more, be inspired and learn from previous awards we've made.
Available funding
The total amount of money available to award to parishes, benefices and deaneries in the Diocese of Oxford is up to £1m each year. Since the Fund started in 2019, we have awarded over £4.6m to churches across the Diocese.
The Fund is open to all but aims to be particularly helpful to those parishes which, after paying Parish Share and other essential costs, have very limited financial resources to invest in missional activity. We know even modest grants can make a significant difference in such parishes. For Tier 2 applications (grants over £2,500), we'd expect match-funding for the project; further details are available as you work through the guidance via the links below.
If you are looking for a summary of the application process, where to get help and advice on your project, and tips on how to make a good application, try this printable leaflet.
Why you should apply
We are called to put out into deep water and let down the nets: to tell the Christian story with love and hope and confidence.
The Fund provides grants to projects which are developed by parishes, benefices or deaneries to support mission development in their local context. The Development Fund is one strand of our Common Vision, which is ‘to become a more Christ-like church for the sake of God’s world: contemplative, compassionate and courageous’.
How to apply
As with any grant application process, there is a lot of information at first glance. The three steps at the foot of this page (under 'Let's get started...') take you through the guidelines and application process.
Submission deadlines
There are four submission deadlines per year for both Tiers. The deadlines for applications are midnight on 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October.