The Archdiocese’s £1 million Evangelisation Fund is formally launched this week … and applications are now open for innovative projects designed to help reach out to those untouched by the Gospel message.

Archbishop Nolan said: “We are challenged to make evangelisation – or reaching out in faith to others – our principal objective. Our resources, including our energies, our buildings and our material resources should be directed towards this objective.

“We wish to pass on to others the good news of Jesus Christ, so that they can come to know him and have their lives transformed by having faith in him. We Catholics are blessed to have faith in Jesus, and that is a blessing we wish to share with others.

“This fund has been made available – largely from the sale of the former Archbishop’s house used by Archbishop Tartaglia. The new scheme will provide financial backing to new projects – generally with a one-off grant to kick-start an evangelisation initiative.”

Applications for support and funding from the new initiative are now invited from parishes, deaneries and Catholic organisations.

The new scheme is not intended to top up existing projects but to stimulate new initiatives. Also projects without matched funding will not be considered. Similarly direct salary costs (other than a short term start up fund where it can be demonstrated that the salary in the longer term can be maintained from another source) are excluded.

An Evangelisation Fund Committee has been established and it will meet quarterly to review applications. The deadlines for applications in 2024 are 1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October. Normally applicants will receive a response within six weeks of these dates.

Applications should be made online. Full details are available on the RCAG website: https://www.rcag.org.uk/evangelisation/evangelisation-fund

All applications will be vetted against the published criteria. If a proposal meets the criteria, it will proceed to stage two which involves a more detailed budget plan for the proposed new project.

Successful projects will be asked to report back to the Archbishop after six months to share their experience of how people have been evangelised, how the initiative has progressed, what the impact has been, and how the money has been spent.