Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell:
"I wanted new churches, a movement of prayer but also storytelling, the story of what God has done in Jesus Christ, what God has done in our lives. The Church of England has generously supported us in establishing this work... but I knew we would need other income streams. So was born the Bishopthorpe Charitable Partners' Trust"
Watch this video and hear Archbishop Stephen share more about the work and vision of the Bishopthorpe Charitable Partners' Trust
The Bishopthorpe Charitable Partners' Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) operating in England since 2024.
Our charitable objects are:
The advancement of education in religion;
The advancement of the religion of the Church of England and of the Christian religion generally;
The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage;
The provision of financial assistance for persons in need who are or have been engaged or employed within the Church of England or other Christian body or who are dependants of such persons; and
The furtherance of the work, mission, practical and spiritual needs of those persons who have, do, or will hold the office of Archbishop of York and those who assist them in their ministry.
The charity is led by a Board of between 5 and 11 Trustee Members, who oversee the day to day running of the charity. The Trustees have created an associate, non-voting class of membership of the charity called Bishopthorpe Charitable Partners. The Bishopthorpe Partners provide support through prayer, their individual talents, financial and other resources. The funds raised are available for the Trustees to make grants to individuals and organisations in furtherance of our charitable objectives. We are recognised by HMRC as a charity for tax purposes: this allows us to recover an additional 25% of donations made to us out of taxed income.
For the 4 years ending in December 2027, the Trustees’ priorities set out in their grant-making policy for funding support are these:
The ministry of the archbishop;
Initiatives or projects that celebrate the faith stories of young people;
Initiatives or projects that renew missionary and purpose; and
Initiatives or projects that share resources for prayer and open up new pathways to Jesus Christ.
The number of projects which can be supported is, of necessity, limited to the amount of total funds available for distribution in any year. At the moment the Trustees are focussed on supporting the Faith in the North programme of work.
The Charitable Partners are invited to attend an annual meeting, where they can meet and hear from the Archbishop about his work and ministry; interact with some of those involved in delivering the grant-aided projects; and receive newsletters and prayer cards to help them understand and contribute prayerfully to the work being done through their donations.
If you think you’d like to know more about becoming a Charitable Partner, please do not hesitate to contact us using the details on our contact page.
