Train as a Welcome Plus church - grants available
Together Liverpool is offering small grants to fund churches to train as Welcome Plus churches.
This training, from our partners Welcome Churches, supports churches of any denomination in offering a deeper welcome to people seeking asylum and refuge in their communities.
We’ll provide £100 to cover the Co-ordinator Training fee for up to two people per church. Grants are limited and we're awarding on a first-come, first-served basis.
We're supporting churches of any denomination, and your church must be a Network of Kindness member to apply.
Welcome Churches’ vision is for every refugee to be welcomed by a local church.
By becoming a Welcome Plus church, you can build a trained team, connect with local partners, and offer a safe, practical welcome for anyone seeking asylum or refuge in your community.
Why this matters
We want more local churches to be ready to extend a warm, practical welcome to refugees and people seeking asylum.
Joseph Cottrell, Together Liverpool Social Action Lead Development Officer, said: “We know many churches already have a heart for welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum, but often feel unsure where to begin or how to strengthen what they’re doing.
"Becoming a Welcome Plus church gives you the training and confidence to build a team, connect with people arriving in your community, and offer practical support to help them feel at home. With this funding, we want to make it easier for churches across our Network of Kindness to take that step.”
Any church can register as a Welcome Church for free. By joining the Welcome Churches network you can also refer people to other UK churches when they move.
These grants provide additional training to support churches on the Welcome Plus route.
What the training involves
Monthly training sessions take place on sessions via Zoom.
Welcome Plus Coordinator Training equips your key leaders to:
- understand the UK asylum and refugee system and how people arrive in your area
- connect with local partners and referral routes
- set up safe, effective welcome with the right paperwork, safeguarding and data protection
- recruit, lead and look after a team of Welcomers
The training is designed for one or two key leaders in your church who will take responsibility for welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum.
It will give you the confidence to connect with people arriving in your community, build partnerships with local organisations, and establish safe, sustainable ways of welcoming.
Once your Coordinators are in place, your volunteer team can take part in further Welcomer Training.
Who can apply
- Network of Kindness member churches of any denomination
- Churches that are (or will be) actively welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum
What the grant covers
- Welcome Plus Co-ordinator Training fee for up to two people per church
Monitoring and reporting
We will ask you to share simple monitoring information following the course, about how your church is engaging with refugees and people seeking asylum.
This helps us to learn, and report on impact.
Questions?
If you’re unsure whether your church is eligible or how the funding works, please get in touch and we’ll help you take the next step.