If you are a Church of England parish, your diocese is one of the first places to ask about funding. Many dioceses maintain their own grant pots or loan schemes for parish churches, and some have funds earmarked specifically for heating or energy efficiency. The amounts are usually modest compared to national programmes, but the process is simpler and the money can arrive faster.
What is available varies enormously. Some dioceses offer interest-free loans of up to £25,000 for heating replacements. Others run small grant schemes of a few thousand pounds for energy assessments or emergency repairs. A few have partnered with the Church of England's net-zero programme to create dedicated decarbonisation funds. Your Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) secretary will know what is currently on offer and can point you to the right application process.
Even where a diocese cannot fund the full project, a diocesan grant or loan can serve as match funding for a larger bid to a national funder. It also signals that your diocese supports the project, which can strengthen applications elsewhere.