Kindred and Clergy
Kindred Grants
When Henry Smith died in 1628 he left funds to help his “poor kindred”, by which he meant descendants of his sister. He did not have any children of his own.
Today, to be eligible to apply for financial assistance, an individual must be able to prove that he or she is a direct legitimate descendant of one of the kindred previously registered, or the spouse, widow or widower of a kindred member. The onus is on the individual to prove their descent.
Under the scheme, kindred in financial need can apply for assistance. Grants to date have included general financial assistance to those on low incomes, regular financial assistance to kindred of retirement age on low incomes, grants to students, training for young people to equip them for employment, and grants for funeral costs. Kindred applying for assistance are required to disclose their current financial situation.
For further details of the scheme or to register please contact the Kindred Administrator at The Henry Smith Charity.
The Poor Clergy Fund
The Poor Clergy Fund derives its current remit from an extract of the will of Henry Smith, which bequeathed funds “for the relief and maintenance of Godly Preachers and for the better furtherance or promotion of knowledge and religion”.
The Fund has two strands:
- Individuals - 'for the relief of Godly Preachers'
Funds are set aside annually for each diocese of the Church of England to assist needy clergy. Grants are made by the Diocesan Bishops, from a budget provided by the Charity. The Poor Clergy Fund is not therefore open to applications made directly to the Charity from individual clergy. Grants are only made to ordained clergy of the Church of England and there are specific further guidelines set down by the Charity against which Diocesan Bishops may consider individual clergy for a grant.
- Projects - 'for the better furtherance or promotion of knowledge and religion'
The remainder of the Poor Clergy Fund budget not used for grants to individuals is known as the Surplus of the Poor Clergy Fund. The Surplus is used to fund projects. The Trustees endeavour to fund a broad range of both established and innovative work. The Trustees are especially interested in work and projects which promote Christianity within the following priorities:- meeting the spiritual needs of older people (including those with Alzheimer's),
- meeting the spiritual needs of those with a learning disability and those who have cognitive impairment,
- reaching out to the unchurched, especially young people and young families; nurturing their spiritual interest and well being, whether through work within local communities or one-off activities such as events which promote the gospel,
- projects which support and care for Anglican clergy at times of acute need.
Trustees are keen to maximise the impact of their grant making and therefore some further factors that it may also be helpful to think about when considering whether a project is likely to be of interest are:
- does the project have potential for wider impact/ replication?
- does the project have the consent of the Diocese/ or the involvement of the wider local and/or religious community (i.e. is the project well networked and therefore likely to be expandable and replicable)?
For further information on the Surplus of the Poor Clergy Fund please contact Genevieve Ford-Saville, Grants Officer.
Reporting Requirements for Clergy Surplus Grants
If you receive a grant through our Clergy Surplus Programme you will need to submit a completed Progress Report Form in each year that you receive a grant from us. Reports are due six months after you receive your grant payment. Progress Report Forms can be downloaded using the links below.
Please ensure you download the correct form as there are different ones for Revenue and Capital grants.
We recommend that you save the Progress Report Form onto your computer before starting to complete it (select the “save” option when downloading).
Revenue Grant Progress Report Form - Clergy Surplus
Capital Grant Progress Report Form - Clergy Surplus