Frequently Asked Questions
Church Burgesses Educational Foundation - Personal
Q: Do I qualify for consideration?A: Individuals must be under the age of 25 and either they or their parents must be permanently resident in the City of Sheffield. Residence for educational purposes does not count as permanent residence.
Q: Will the Trustees approve of the purpose of my application?
A: The Trustees seek to promote education, including social and physical training, and will consider any reasonable application that fits within that remit.
Q: How much information do I need to supply?
A: Please complete the relevant application form and add to it any additional information which is obviously required such as e.g. confirmation of attendance on a course or at an institution, a reference from a music teacher in an appropriate case, details of the organisation with which you are intending to carry out an educational trip.
Q: How often do the Trustees meet?
A: Four times a year.
Q: Specifically for school fee applications – will the Trustees fully fund my child’s school fees?
A: In respect of successful applications it would only be in wholly exceptional circumstances that the Trustees would even consider contributing the whole of the cost of school fees for a child.
Q: I live outside the Sheffield city boundary but my child is attending a Sheffield school – do I qualify?
A: No – the qualification requirement is residence.
Church Burgesses Educational Foundation - Organisations
Q: Does our request fit with the aims of the Foundation?
A: The Trustees have the discretion to make grants to institutions and organisations which include in their aims the promotion of the education of under 25 year olds in Sheffield.
Q: Our project is for the general public, not only for young people. Can we still apply?
A: Only if you can identify a discreet educational element for the under 25’s.
Q: Our project also involves young people from out of the Sheffield boundary. Can we still apply?
A: Yes, providing you can identify a discreet element which relates to Sheffield young people.
Q: Our organisation is based outside the Sheffield boundary, but either the majority or all the users of our facilities are Sheffield-based young people. Do we qualify?
A: You need to show that you have a discreet and identifiable element of your work which involves promoting the education of under 25 year olds, resident in Sheffield.
Q: We are only a small, newly-formed group. We don’t have audited accounts or funds in reserve. Do we qualify?
A: You are not disqualified from applying, but you will need to show that you have proper governance controls in place, even if you are a small, newly-formed group without any audited accounts or reserve funds.
The Ecclesiastical Grants Committee
Q: Which churches are eligible to apply?
A: Churches within the Church of England, situated within one of the four Sheffield Deaneries, Attercliffe, Ecclesall, Ecclesfield and Hallam.
Q: Do we have to be Anglican?
A: Either Anglican or there must be an Anglican element in your LEP or similar arrangement.
Q: We don’t have a Vicar at the moment, can we still apply?
A: Yes
Q: We haven’t applied for help anywhere else, is that alright?
A: It does not disqualify you from applying to the Trust, but you will need to explain why you have not also sought to raise funds elsewhere.
Q: We haven’t been able to pay our Parish share properly for years. Will the Trustees take that into account?
A: All your financial circumstances will be taken into account.
Q: We have already completed the project/we have already started the project and run out of money, can you still help us?
A: The Trust prefers enquiries before a project is launched, but the completion of a project does not disqualify you from applying.
A: part completed project would also be eligible for an application, but an explanation of why the project was begun and why money ran out would of course be required.
Q: Will you apply any conditions to a grant if you give us one? Do we have to report back to you?
A: Normally, yes there will be some conditions, although not onerous and virtually without exception there will be a requirement for a report back.
Q: How quickly can we have the money if our application is successful?
A: Funding in relation to building projects is released against copy invoices or architects certificates. The Trust does not simply hand over grant monies in total and leave it to the successful applicant to expend them. Money can normally be released within a few days once a grant has been agreed, subject to compliance with any conditions applied to the grant.
Q: We are involved in a Local Ecumenical Partnership, can we still apply?
A: Yes, if there is an Anglican element to the LEP.
Q: Do you only give grants to support posts for the ordained?
A: No, the Trust is able to give grant support for a whole range of Christian workers.
Q: Do you give ministry grants to any non-parish based work?
A: Yes, the Trust is not limited to supporting only Parish based ministry initiatives.
Other Charitable Support
Q: What kind of information will help my application?
A: Please see the application form and guidance notes which tell you what you need to know.
Q: How often are we allowed to apply?
A: The Trust would not normally entertain a re-application within twelve months.
Q: Can we apply for running costs?
A: Yes.
Q: Can we apply for capital costs?
A: Yes.
Q: How much can we apply for?
A: Grants range in size from about £500 to a maximum amount of perhaps £10,000.
