Founded in 1722
The Charity was founded in 1722 under the will of John Rice
About
The John Rice Charity
The Charity was founded in 1722 under the will of John Rice and was, by various schemes, amended and finally reconstituted in 1956 under the Charitable Trusts Acts 1853 to 1939. The charity was further varied by schemes of the Charity Commissioners on 30th March 1981, 29th August 2000 and 16th October 2002.
The income was originally applied for the relief of need, hardship or distress among ordained clergy of the Church of England who were serving or employed in the area that, in 1722, was comprised within the Bills of Mortality. This covered 97 parishes within the walls of the City of London, 16 parishes near the City and certain specific parishes elsewhere.
The latest scheme widened the area of benefaction also to include clergy of the Church of England serving or employed in parishes in other areas bordering the City of London. For a list of current eligible benefices, please refer to the Home page.
The charity is closely linked with the City church of St. Margaret Lothbury (www.stml.org.uk), with trustees being appointed by, and mainly drawn from, the Parochial Church Council of that Parish and with the Rector being an ex officio trustee.
Application Guidelines
The John Rice Charity
The Trustees of The John Rice Charity consider applications for relief of need, hardship or distress from ordained clergy of the Church of England who are serving or employed only in benefices in the Deaneries or the specific parishes mentioned below.
Deaneries
- The City
- Southwark & Newington
- Islington
- Bermondsey & Rotherhithe
- Tower Hamlets
- Hackney
- Lambeth North
- Lambeth South
Parishes
- St. Martin-in-the-Fields
- St Mary le Strand with St Clement Danes
- St. Giles-in-the-Fields
- St Paul, Covent Garden
- St. James Piccadilly, Westminster
- St Anne, Soho
Applications from clergy serving or employed in any other parish or deanery cannot be entertained.
Guidance for applicants is provided in Criteria for grants. If you meet these criteria, please read the Application Procedure before printing and completing the Application Form and submitting this to the Clerk to the Trustees.
Make an impact.
Criteria for Grants
The John Rice Charity
The trustees will consider applications for help with unexpected or exceptional personal expenditure required by the applicant or the applicant’s dependants. This might include:
- expenditure arising from illness, accident, emergency or family difficulties;
- unexpected living expenses (for example, exceptional need for equipment e.g. white goods, furnishing or decorations)
Applications are not normally considered for expenses that might properly be met by the parish, those that could be considered to be normal living expenses or retrospective expenditure, unless incurred in an emergency. NB. The charity is not able to fund Continuing Ministerial Development or Study Leave, nor can it fund school fees, tutoring, school trips/holidays, dental hygienist appointments or eye tests. This list is not exhaustive but gives some indication of the areas where a grant might be considered:
- Alleviation of hardship in exceptional circumstances
- Computer equipment, printers and software
- Furnishings and white goods – beds, fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble dryers, cookers, wardrobes, bookcases, etc.
- Redecoration and carpets
- Medical expenses, e.g. physiotherapy
- Dental treatment, other than hygienist appointments
- Spectacles, though not eye tests
- Personal needs, e.g. convalescence, care for sick spouse
- Special needs equipment/household adaptations
- Travel expenses incurred in visiting sick relatives (usually elderly parents)
- Funeral expenses and bereavement support
The income of the charity is in the region of £16,000 a year, and applications are invited for grants of any amount, although assistance to any one applicant does not normally exceed £1,000 in any year.
Testimonials
Application procedure
Trustee meetings are normally held twice-yearly in April and October. The deadline for submission of applications can be obtained from the Clerk to the Trustees. Urgent applications, such as for issues of a medical nature, and when delay in consideration of an application would exacerbate financial hardship, may be made at any time.
An application form can be downloaded from this website. Completed application forms should be accompanied by:
- an estimate, letter or other documentary evidence of planned expenditure;
- a letter of support from someone who knows your circumstances, e.g. your Bishop, Archdeacon, Area Dean or Training Incumbent;
- details of your bank account (name of bank, sort code, account number and the account holder’s name as shown on your bank statements).
and sent to the Clerk to the Trustees at grants@johnricecharity.org.uk
Contact Information
Clerk to the John Rice Charity, St. Margaret Lothbury, Lothbury, London, EC2R 7HH
Download the Application Form