Clergy trusts and grants

In times of hardship, trusts and grants available to clergy and their families are listed below.

Discretionary funds

The Bishop of Dover has some funds available at her discretion to support clergy who face specific financial or other difficulties. These funds are made available thanks to the generosity of The Poor Vicars Charity, The Henry Smith Foundation, The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund, The Church of England Clergy Stipend Fund and The Clergy Rest Fund.

Clergy who find themselves in need of assistance should speak with their Archdeacon in the first instance. (Please note that these funds have award criteria so may not be available in all situations, and as with all grants, you will need to make your tax adviser aware of any awards made when you complete your tax return.)

Clergy trusts and grants

Henry Smith Foundation

aims to use its resources to help people and communities at a time of need and to bring about positive change. They achieve this by funding organisations that work with people to reduce social and economic disadvantage.

Poor Vicars Charity

The principal objective of the Poor Vicars Charity is to provide financial support for 10 poor priests in the ��鶹 of Canterbury and 10 poor priests in the ��鶹 of Ely as allocated by their respective Bishops.

The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund

The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund provides relief to serving Church of England clergy in financial need.

The charity does not consider individual applications but apportions its annual charitable income among the 42 dioceses of the Church of England using an agreed formula. Each Bishop applies the Fund's grant on a confidential basis through their discretionary funds.

Church of England Website Resources

The Church of England website has a wide of support for clergy and ordinands.

Page last updated: Friday 17th July 2026 10:31 AM

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