Cross Street Unitarian Chapel Trust Funds Held Icw

The Cross Street Unitarian Chapel Trust Funds Held Icw is a historic endowment supporting the Cross Street Chapel in Manchester, rooted in 17th-century dissenting Protestant traditions and dedicated to providing and maintaining accommodation for its Unitarian congregation. Its core mission upholds liberal religious values of spiritual freedom, inclusivity, truth, humanity, and service to humankind in the spirit of Jesus Christ, rejecting dogma and doctrinal tests for ministers or attendees. Distinctively embedded in Manchester's civic life, the trust sustains the chapel as a progressive hub for open-minded worship, inquiry, community engagement, interfaith collaboration, social justice, LGBT+ equality, and anti-hate initiatives like Pride events, Challenging Hate Forums, and food bank collections.

Funding exclusively targets the chapel's infrastructure, ministry, and operations, including property maintenance (e.g., new pianos, carpets), ministerial stipends, worship services, educational/philosophical programs, musical outreach, and public events promoting diversity and tolerance. Beneficiaries encompass the chapel's congregation, renting community/musical groups for charitable uses, and the wider public accessing inclusive activities, fostering cohesion in Manchester's city center.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; eligibility is limited to Cross Street Chapel Manchester itself, with a strict geographic focus on the city—no external charities or organizations qualify, regardless of income, size, or alignment. Typical annual grants range from £54,000 to £68,686 for core costs, decided internally without public deadlines, application processes, or meetings.

Unlike broad grantmakers, the trust provides no project, capital, or unrestricted funding to outsiders, differentiating it through its inward, enduring commitment to one historic venue's ethical and civic mission rather than dispersed philanthropy.