Church Urban Fund

Mission statement

The vision is to see people and communities all over England flourish and enjoy life in all its fullness. CUF works through the Church of England’s local parish networks, and alongside other faith-based and secular organisations, to bring about positive change in neighbourhoods. CUF works by building trust, empowering local people to have a go at addressing the areas of greatest need in their communities, and speaking out against injustice.

Origins

The creation of the Church Urban Fund was arguably one of the most important and lasting legacies of the controversial "Faith in the City" report, produced by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Urban Priority Areas in 1985.

Evolution

The Church Urban Fund went through a period of significant change between 2012-2015. The organisation moved from being primarily a grant giving organisation into being a development agency that is working through the Church of England's Diocesan network to offer support to local communities through the Together Network.

Strands of Work

The Church Urban Fund works across several several strands of work that are bringing about change in communities across England.

Together Network

The Together Network is central to the work of CUF. Through this network of local relational partnerships, we work with churches, national and local government, charities and foundations, as well as individual supporters, to bring about positive change in communities.

The Together Network aims to develop capacity for action at a local level, and to inform, inspire, resource and support local churches and organisations,as they work to address issues of social justice and relationships between communities. As an established, and growing, national network, it is also able to share good practice and encourage joined-up strategic activities over a wider area, and to act as a source of valuable information and influence at a national level.

Making use of locally-based development workers, our work has three key objectives:

To increase the number of church-based social activities, in order to create effective responses to poverty and build strong, flourishing communities.

To strengthen people's capacity to take effective action to tackle poverty.

To develop partnerships and collaborative working between churches and with other organisations, in order to encourage joined-up activities and innovative thinking

Near Neighbours

Near Neighbours works to create integration and social cohesion by addressing hate and prejudice in local communities and by encouraging different communities to work together to address unmet need in their community.

Objectives

Near Neighbours has two key objectives:

Social interaction - to develop positive relationships in multi-faith areas i.e. to help people from different faiths get to know and understand each other better.

Social action - to encourage people of different faiths and of no faith to come together for initiatives that improve their local neighbourhood.

Just Finance Network

The Just Finance Network addresses issues of financial exclusion and the distress caused by unmanageable personal debt by developing community-based responses and financial services.

They also use the practical knowledge gained at a local level to influence policy and better inform decision makers in government and more widely.

Places of Welcome

Places of Welcome works with local community groups to make sure that everyone in their area has a safe place to go for a friendly face, a cup of tea and a conversation.

Timeline

1985 ‘Faith in the City’ report produced, highlighting the social turmoil existing in many of England’s cities.

1987 The Church Urban Fund launched by the Church of England as a response to ‘Faith in the City’ with the aim of supporting local projects tackling poverty in England’s poorest communities. It was envisaged that CUF would have a 20-year life span.

1988 A national campaign launched to raise £18 million from Church members.

1990 £3.2 million was awarded to projects in England’s inner cities and outer housing estates during the year.

1991 Over £18 million had been raised by the national campaign since 1987.

1996 By the end of 1996, the Fund had awarded over £25 million to over 1,180 projects.

1998 The Church Urban Fund celebrated its 10th anniversary. Two thousand people from CUF supported projects attended a day of music, seminars and prayer in Coventry Cathedral.

1998 CUF’s Development Programme was established to work with partners outside the Church and to build practical and strategic alliances within church structures at all levels.

2000 and 2002 Debates at Synod affirmed the Church’s commitment to ministry alongside the poor and marginalised.

2003-2004 Extensive consultation at various levels across the dioceses with the Urban Bishop’s Panel, Synod members, the public and voluntary sectors, to assess the need for continuing CUF and how the organisation should change to be more effective within its contemporary context.

2005 Debate at Synod commended the Church Urban Fund and backed its continuation. In 2005 CUF had invested more than £55 million in over 4,400 local faith based projects in the poorest areas of England.

2006 The Fundraising Campaign due in 2006 to allow CUF to continue to allocate over £3 million each year to projects addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities across England

2011 Near Neighbours programme starts work through CUF that brings together people in diverse communities. It is a partnership between CUF and the Archbishops' Council, funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government

2012-2015 Church Urban Fund goes under a period of restructuring that sees the organisation move from being primarily a grants fund to being a development agency that is working in local areas to strengthen communities.

2016 Church Urban Fund adopts a new look with bright organge, red, and yellow colours dominating the way CUF looks. This reflects the new style of work CUF adopted between 2012 and 2015

2016 CUF takes on the work of the Just Finance Foundation after the successful trial period set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury