Joseph Rank Trust

The Trust funds projects that integrate faith with practical action across the United Kingdom, and for the Methodist Church Fund also in Ireland. Priority is given to initiatives that demonstrate a Christian approach to meeting practical, educational and spiritual needs. Supported causes include children and youth, community development, education and skills, older people, disability, poverty and hardship, homelessness, refugees and migrants, and criminal justice. The Trust also funds the adaptation or improvement of church properties, including new build and purchase of buildings, to create improved facilities for church and community use. Funding is available for capital expenditure and for three-year running (core) costs. The Trust does not fund heritage, arts and culture, or building maintenance items.

The Trust considers applications from registered charities and faith groups across the United Kingdom. For the Methodist Church Fund, only Methodist churches and charities are eligible. Applicants must be registered with the relevant charity commission in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Projects must demonstrate a Christian approach to the practical, educational and spiritual needs of people of all ages. The Trust supports organisations working with a wide range of beneficiaries including children, young people, older people, disabled people, and those experiencing poverty, homelessness, or other disadvantages. The principle of matched funding applies to core cost grants, encouraging partnership and shared investment.

The Trust does not fund heritage, arts and culture projects. It also excludes building maintenance and repair items such as roof projects, insulation, solar energy, lightning conductors, re-wiring, heating systems, boilers, window replacements, memorial books or display cases, and any work highlighted in Quinquennial reports. Other exclusions include repairs to fabric, stonework, graveyards, pathways, churchyards, gardens, drainage, car-parks, stained glass, church bells, restoration projects, church organs, and loans or repayment of loans. Completed capital projects are also not considered.

The Trust offers two types of funding: capital grants for building projects and three-year grants for running (core) costs. Core cost grants are subject to a matched funding principle, where the Trust expects applicants to secure a proportion of the costs from other sources. The Trust operates two programmes: a General Fund and a dedicated Methodist Church Fund. Both programmes are open for applications.