Focus on Funding – December 2025
November 28, 2025
Welcome to Focus on Funding – your monthly resource to keep you abreast of current and new funding opportunities, and the latest funding news and events.
As well as Focus on Funding, you can access our support, including dedicated funding assistance, identifying funding sources, offering advice on strong applications, application reviews, communication with funders, application development and the facilitation of partnerships.
Other resources on the Funding page on our website include:
- Funding Application Checklist: Enhance your application with expert advice.
- Funding Applications Letters: Guidance on writing persuasive letters for charitable trusts and foundations when no application form is provided.
- Funding Tips: Key tips to consider when creating your funding application.
- Are You Fit to be Funded? Ensure your organisation is prepared to receive funding by addressing key aspects of capability, health, and policy compliance.
- Details of our online self-service funding portal, which makes it easy to find funding for specific activities or services by category, geographic area and more.
- How to access unrestricted funding using easyfundraising.
- Information on applying to the Eric Wright Charitable Trust.
For personalised support with funding for your voluntary or community group, or social enterprise, please contact us at:
📧 CVSfunding@cumbriacvs.org.uk
📞 01768 800350
This page will be updated with new information as we receive it during the month. Please check back regularly. (Last update: 02/01/26 – items added on this date are marked as [NEW])
You can view previous Focus on Funding posts here to catch up on our archive of information.
If you’ve seen something you think we should be sharing, let us know! Email us: info@cumbriacvs.org.uk
[NEW] A guide to AI-powered grant funding
Charity Digital explore how charities can use AI to boost their grant funding opportunities and achieve more for their communities.
[NEW] Big Give’s Christmas campaign raises record £57.4m in a week
Big Give’s flagship Christmas Challenge match-funding campaign has reported raising over £57.4m in one week.
It reported that over 152,000 people donated to the 1,591 charities that took part in the seven-day campaign, the highest number in its history.
The total raised in 205, which includes £25.8m in match funding, marks a 28% increase compared with the £44.7m raised for 1,267 charities in 2024.
Sir John Fisher Foundation Updated Grantmaking Priorities
Sir John Fisher Foundation have updated grantmaking priorities for 2026. You can find out more on their website: Our Funding – Sir John Fisher Foundation
A blog details the changes made and why: New Grantmaking Criteria – Sir John Fisher Foundation
If you hold a grant with them at the moment, it will not be affected, and they will be contacting you to make you aware of these changes.
If you are planning to reapply and have questions about how they fund:
- Speak to them face to face at Cumbria CVS Funders Fair, Barrow Town Hall, 4th February
- Join their webinars, Monday 9th February, 5pm or Wednesday 11th February, 9.30am. To register, email grants@sirjohnfisherfoundation.org.uk with subject ‘WEBINAR’.
- Call or email with your enquiry
The next deadline is 1st March 2026 – for a decision in May 2026.
If you have an open grant with them, please note that their current online evaluation form will be replaced by individual links to a monitoring form. You will receive more information before your report is due.
Earth Raise
Earth Raise applications are now open!
Big Give’s environmental match funding campaign gives charities the chance to have donations DOUBLED for seven days starting World Earth Day (22–29 April 2026). Applications close Friday, 16th January.
Learn more about Earth Raise and apply here
easyfundraising’s Christmas Crackers
🎅 Don’t miss out on a sleigh-load of extra donations this season – sign up to easyfundraising for free, and get daily chances to win £100 or £200 donations for your organisation this Christmas! 🎁
Simply search for the Christmas Cracker on easyfundraising’s site each day from 8–21 December for your chance to win festive funding for your organisation.
Join easyfundraising to take part
Supporting refugees, evacuees and people seeking asylum
Amount available: Variable, dependent on service
Deadline: Monday 1st December
Cumberland Council is looking to fund established voluntary and community sector organisations who can, or have capacity to begin, to support refugees (including new refugees), evacuees and people seeking asylum.
This grant scheme is to support VCFSE sector organisations, working alongside the council, to support refugees, asylum seekers and evacuees and ensure that the additional needs of these groups are met.
Funding is for specific and discreet services the Council feels are needed to execute the above needs. Applicants may apply for one or more of the grants that fit their capabilities and experience. Applicants will need to show how they will achieve the objectives listed under each service, alongside appropriate costings. Applications that focus on or include activities and initiatives that promote community cohesion are welcome.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Ideas and Pioneers Fund
Amount available: Up to £20,000 and a programme of support will be available to help individuals and organisations develop their skills and ideas.
Pre-application access support and a bursary of up to £750 are available.
Deadline: Tuesday 2nd December
Grants are available for individuals, groups and small organisations to explore a new idea for social change that has the potential to transform the way things are currently done.
The funding is for ideas that have a charitable purpose and for any activity that will help the applicant to learn about, test and explore an idea for social change.
The Foundation wants to support people aged 18-30 who have lived experience of the issues their ideas are looking to address or who have been let down or harmed by current systems.
Organisations of any legal structure with a turnover of under £150,000.
Energy Saving Trust – Energy Redress Scheme – Main Fund and Small Project
Amount available:
- Main Fund offers grants of between £50,000 and £2 million for projects that will support households in vulnerable situations.
- Small Project Fund offers grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 for projects that will support households in vulnerable situations.
Deadline: Tuesday 2nd December 2025 (5pm)
The priority of the scheme is to support energy consumers in vulnerable situations and to deliver benefits to the types of consumers that were negatively impacted by the specific issues that triggered the redress payment.
Applications will be accepted from:
- Registered charities in England, Scotland and Wales that are registered with the Energy Redress Scheme and have passed the due diligence process.
- Housing associations with exempt charity status based in England, Scotland and Wales.
- Community energy groups (a co-operative, community benefit society or community interest company) based in England, Scotland and Wales.
The grants can be used for capital or revenue costs and can provide up to 100% of the project cost. Projects lasting up to two years can be funded.
Before applying, organisations need to pre-register by visiting the Energy Redress registration page
Organisations that have not yet registered with the scheme must do so 10 working days before the relevant Fund closes to allow time for eligibility checks to take place.
Home Office – Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme
Amount available: Funded security measures (like CCTV, alarms, and secure doors).
Deadline: Monday 8th December
You can apply to the scheme if your faith community centre or place of worship has experienced hate crime or you believe it’s at risk of hate crime – for example, similar places nearby have been targeted.
Masonic Charitable Foundation Hospice Grants 2025
Amount available: up to £40,00 for projects running over 18 months
Deadline: Monday 8th December 2025 (5pm)
The programme is delivered by Hospice UK and funded by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, on behalf of Freemasonry in England and Wales, to provide funding with a significant and lasting impact on communities.
The funding is intended to support hospice projects that create sustainable change in care delivery for people experiencing financial hardship or socio-economic deprivation.
This programme will support hospices to:
- Work alongside people with lived experience and/or expert organisations to identify the barriers to their service experienced by people facing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation and start to take tangible steps to breaking these down.
- Build a greater understanding of the experiences of people in their community facing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation as well as their experiences or assumptions of the hospice’s services.
- Identify ways their services can be adapted, improved or integrated to better support people facing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation that are sustainable within current financial constraints.
- Partner with local organisations to expand the hospice’s reach, strengthen its service provision, improve the accessibility of services or maximise resources for people facing financial hardship or living in socio-economic deprivation.
Cash4Clubs
The 2025 programme is focused on supporting adult participation in sport.
Priority will be given to applications from groups working in areas of high deprivation and engaging adults from specific under-represented groups. That means those who:
- Are supporting adults living in an area of high deprivation. (Using Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation and the Pobal HP Deprivation Index).
- Increase access to sport for one or more under-represented groups, including women, people from racially diverse communities, people with disabilities and people from the LGBTQ+ community.
- Encourage adults who would not usually engage in sport to take part. Examples include activities that support physical and mental wellbeing or tackle issues such as loneliness and rural isolation.
- Address broader social issues for the local community, for example tackling crime and anti-social behaviour or supporting community cohesion.
Please note you are only eligible to apply for funding if you are an adult group working with 18+ only. Applications cannot be accepted from any organisations with junior sections, delivering junior activities or working with young people in any way.
Amount available: £2,000
Deadline: Monday 8th December
Kristina Martin Charitable Trust
Amount available: information not provided
Deadline: Friday 12th December
Grants are available for UK registered charities whose work supports those with mental health issues and provides support and activities which tackle, in particular but not exclusively, suicide, online bullying and grief, fostering hope and resilience, working both in the UK and beyond.
The current funding round is for the following themes:
- Breaking the link between homelessness and poor mental health
- Reduction in the effects of social media on mental health
- Reduction of Social Isolation
- Improving mental health outcomes for children and young people
Help the Homeless Grant Scheme
Amount available: £5,000
Deadline: Monday 15th December (5pm)
Grants for capital projects are available to small and medium-sized charities registered in the UK working to assist homeless people to rebuild their lives and return to the community.
Projects must assist individuals in their return to mainstream society, rather than simply offering shelter or other forms of sustenance.
National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment
Deadline: 17th December 2025
Amount available: £300 to £20,000 for up to two years
The climate and nature emergency affects us all, but local action can make a real difference. We fund community-led projects that improve the environment and help people connect with and enjoy nature where they live.
You can use the funding to:
- start a new activity or continue an existing one
- help your organisation adapt to new challenges
- run one-off events that have a clear environmental benefit.
We’re looking to fund projects that:
- help people connect with and care for nature in their area
- make a positive difference to the environment
Thomas Wall Trust
Amount available: up to £5,000 (must have an annual turnover of between £25,000 and £500,000)
Deadline: first stage applications is Monday 22nd December
Grants are available for UK registered charities for specific projects that improves communication skills for disadvantaged adults and supports NEET people into employment.
As an inclusive charity, the Trust welcomes proposals which target people experiencing multiple deprivation or other groups demonstrably facing major hurdles to employment, especially women, people with physical, mental, or learning disabilities, and refugees.
The Postlethwaite Music Foundation
Amount available: Grants are typically in the region of £1,000 to £1,500.
Deadline: Wednesday 31st December
The aim of our Foundation is to enrich lives through the power of music, by promoting and advancing music, focusing on the following objectives:
-
- Music education for children and adults
- Music in the community including the promotion of wellbeing
- Music therapy delivered by music professionals
- Grant applicants should choose the objective which best matches their proposed work.
It is not necessary to meet more than one of the objectives.
Find out more about The Postlethwaite Music Foundation here
Sported Foundation – Barclays Community Sport Fund 2025 to 2027
Amount available: Level 1 coaching grants: Football – £160 grant; Tennis – £200 grant; Cricket – £200 grant.
Deadline: Wednesday 31st December
The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
The programme offers:
- Female Coaches for Girls Grants to support football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls. Two coaching grants per club to cover the cost of, or a contribution towards, a Level 1 or equivalent introductory qualification and any additional safeguarding and first aid requirements for the chosen sport. This is to upskill up to two female coaches at the club or group.
The Fund also offers:
- Exclusive match tickets, mascot places, and promotional opportunities.
- Access to advice and support and signposting to training and resource.
Projects must operate in an area of high deprivation. The Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are used to establish eligibility and only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.
Disability applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3 will be considered as long as they groups offer activities for women and girls.
Arts Council England National Lottery Development Funds – Theatre Breakthrough Fund (North)
Amount available: Minimum grant is £100,000. There is no upper limit. Match funding of at least 10% of the project budget is required for Stage 2 applications. This must be from sources other than Arts Council England.
Deadline:
- The first step is to complete the Applicant Profile and Eligibility Quiz (Form A), by the deadline of 9 January 2026 (12 noon). This form must be submitted by the deadline in order to continue the application process. Please note: it can take up to 10 days or longer over the Christmas period for this form to be processed. Until the form is processed, applicants cannot continue with the application process.
- Applicants will then be sent a link to complete their Application and Monitoring Information (Form B) by 27 January 2026 (12 noon).
- Those who are successful at Stage 1 will be invited to develop and submit a Stage 2 application by the deadline of 23 June 2026. Successful Stage 1 applicants will be awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the cost of developing their Stage 2 application.
The Fund aims to support Black, Asian and ethnically diverse theatre makers in the North to make ambitious new work and to provide opportunities for audiences to experience ground-breaking, high-quality theatre.
The funding is for Black, Asian or ethnically diverse-led organisations, or ethnically diverse individuals, or consortia based in the North of England who can demonstrate:
- How they would use the investment to enable growth and progression in their theatre making.
- Ideas that push boundaries and create new content or new collaborations.
- Commitment and capability to develop new audiences in the North and nationally for ambitious, high-quality theatre.
For this fund, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse refers to:
- Mixed: White and Black Caribbean; White and Black African; White and Asian; any other Mixed/Multiple ethnic background.
- Asian/Asian British: Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi; Chinese; any other Asian background.
- Black/Black British: African; Caribbean; any other Black background.
- Other: Arab; Latin American; any other ethnic background.
It does not mean ‘White: British; Irish; Gypsy, Roma or Irish Traveller; any other White background’.
Music for All – Community Project Funding
Amount available: Grants are at the discretion of the funders and values vary from round to round
Deadline: Wednesday 14th January 2026 (12 noon)
The grants programme aims to give a helping hand to projects and initiatives across the UK that are seeking to bring music to their communities. The funding is for groups that need assistance to fulfil their potential in developing truly sustainable music programmes.
Groups, schools and organisations that are bringing music to their communities in the UK can apply.
Theatres Trust Small Grants Scheme
Amount available: £7,500
Deadline: Friday 16th January 2026 (5pm)
Small grants are available for essential works to not-for-profit theatres in the UK that will enable them to be viable and thrive in the future.
The scheme aims to fund small capital improvements to theatres run by charities and not-for-profit groups that will make a big impact to a theatre’s resilience, sustainability or accessibility, or to improving the diversity of audiences.
Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs (2026)
Amount available: approximately £240,000 per hub per financial year is available
Deadline: Friday 16 January 2026 (23:59)
Grants are intended to support Lead Settings to create and deliver the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs network across England, funding hubs to help early years settings create environments where every child can thrive, regardless of background or need. The hubs achieve this by offering accessible, high-quality professional development, providing expert advice, and sharing evidence-informed resources.
Applications must be made by a Lead Setting, which must be a group-based early years setting (school-based, private, voluntary, independent (PVI), or a maintained nursery school). Each application must also identify between two and four Partner Settings, which may be group-based early years settings or Childminders.
The Elephant Trust
Amount available: £2,000 – £5,000
Deadline: Next application round is open Thursday 18th December to Sunday 18th January 2026 (midnight)
Grants are available to artists, small organisations and galleries within the UK to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by lack of funds.
Macmillan Cancer Support – Macmillan Care Grants Programme
Amount available: £50,000 to £150,000. Grants are for either one or two years.
Deadline: Friday 23rd January 2026 (17:00). Decisions are expected in early to mid March 2026.
The funding is for community-led projects that challenge the current system and create lasting change for people facing the greatest barriers to care.
Projects should offer new insights and impact and focus on one of the following three themes:
- Cultural Responsiveness in Cancer Care – projects that help healthcare services better understand and meet the cultural needs of different communities and remove barriers to person-centred care.
- Shared Decision-Making – projects that make it easier for people to understand their treatment options, take part in decisions about their cancer care, and reduce unfair differences in how this happens.
- Dementia-Friendly Cancer Care – projects that support people living with both cancer and dementia, improve their care experience, and help them and their carers take part in treatment decisions.
Macmillan is providing three information webinars that will cover not only the Macmillan CARE Grant but also other Macmillan grants currently available for community applicants:
2nd December 2025 (11:00 – 12:00) Registration is required
11th December 2025 (18:00 – 19:00) Registration is required
8th January 2026 (15:30 – 16:30) Registration is required
Alliance for Youth Organising – Anchor Grants
Amount available: Up to £40,000 a year for 2 years
Deadline: Monday 26th January 2026
This fund aims to support wider access to youth organising and strengthen the youth organising field.This fund is for organisations that already have a track record of supporting youth organising and, with Alliance funding, would have more impact.
Organisations should do one or more of the following things:
- Provide training, coaching, or capacity building, specifically for youth organising groups.
- Run organising and/or political education training programmes, or leadership development specifically for young organisers or activists.
- Offer resources, advice, guidance, tools, or platforms that strengthen youth organising capacity or help new groups to be established.
- Facilitate networks or coalitions that connect and strengthen youth organising.
- Provide legal, communications, or other specialist support services to young organisers.
- Offer fiscal sponsorship, incubation, or infrastructure support for young organisers.
Find out more about Anchor Fund here
Leche Trust – Performing Arts
Amount available: £4,000
Deadline: Monday 26th January 2026. Decisions by 13 March 2026.
The funding is for projects which meet the Trust’s current priorities:
- New Works in Performing Arts – the commissioning, development, production and/or performance of new works in music, theatre, dance and performance across all genres
- Artists’ Professional Development – to support artists’ professional development through programmes that address a clear need or gap in development. These programmes can be aimed at early or mid-career artists, but they need to reflect current context and practices.
There is particular interest in receiving applications from outside London and Southeast of England.
Preference is given to smaller projects, or specific elements of projects, where the Trust’s contribution can have a greater impact.
UK registered charities or local authority-run venues, with a turnover of less than £1.5 million per annum can apply.
Find out more about Leche Trust – Performing Arts funding here
A B Charitable Trust (ABCT)
Amount available: £10,000 to £30,000 per year and are awarded from one to three years.
Deadline: Next deadline Friday 30th January 2026 for decisions in April 2026.
The Trust aims to support charities that promote human dignity and defend the human rights of marginalised and excluded people in the UK.
The values that underpin its work are:
- Justice – it seeks to support people most marginalised and excluded by society.
- Collaboration – it aims to build mutually beneficial relationships with the people it works with.
- Efficiency – it maintains high standards of administrative efficiency and cost effectiveness.
- Learning – it is committed to learn from its grant making to inform future practice.
To be eligible, organisations must:
- Have a mission, aims and objectives aligned with one of the four priority areas. This must be either the sole focus, or the majority of their work. Organisations with a broader remit are unlikely to be funded.
- Be registered as a UK charity, delivering work in the UK.
- Have an annual income between £150,000 and £1.5 million (this applies to the most recent signed accounts and the two subsequent financial years – this would include draft figures and forecasts).
- Have operated for at least a year and be able to provide a full year’s audited or independently examined accounts.
Another Way Women’s Foundation
Amount available: Up to £5,000; £1000 for 1000 words grant
Deadline: Friday 30th January 2026
The funding supports sustainable, cooperative, community-led initiatives aimed at the root cause of gender inequality (system change) in under-represented communities and/or under-funded areas.
The Foundation offers two different grants:
- Another Way Women’s Foundation grants are for any type of project, initiative, service aimed at advancing and empowering women, creating positive social change, sustainably impacting communities, or indeed anything that makes the world a brighter and better place for women and girls.
- The ‘£1000 for 1000 words’ grants provide ‘seed funding’ to kick start things on a project or service aimed at advancing women’s lives for the better.
Find out more about Another Way Women’s Foundation grants here
7stars Foundation
Amount available:
- Project Grants: One-off grants of up to £5,000.
- Shine Bright Long Term Grants: Two-year grants of up to £30,000 per year.
- Child Poverty Grants: Two-year grants of up to £30,000 per year.
- Social Impact Grants: Two-year grants of £5,000 per year.
- Individual Grants: One-off grants of up to £500.
Deadline: Sunday 1st February 2026; Thursday 30th April 2026; Monday 31st August 2026
The foundation makes grants to projects which support young people (18 years and under) who are challenged by abuse or addiction, who are young carers, or who are homeless/without a safe place to call home.
Grow Wild Community Programme
Amount available: £2,000
Deadline: Wednesday 4th February 2026 (15:00)
The funding is for groups across the UK to transform urban spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife through planting and championing UK native plants or fungi.
Projects should be led by groups who care about the environment and will use sustainable materials and practices and have the potential to reach at least 300 people.
In addition, projects need to work with one or more of Grow Wild’s target audience:
- Young people aged 12-25.
- People experiencing some disadvantage or reduced access to services.
- People who are less engaged with others in their local community.
- People who face barriers to connecting with nature.
- Disabled people.
Find out more about Grow Wild Community Programme funding here
Weaver’s Company Benevolent Fund
Amount available: Small grants of up to £5,000. Main Grants have no maximum amount.
Deadline: midday on:
- Thursday 12 March 2026 to be considered in June 2026.
- Thursday 2 July 2026 to be considered in October 2026.
- Thursday 12 November 2026 to be considered in February 2027.
Grants are available for UK registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations that can demonstrate impact with ex-offenders, young offenders or young people at risk of offending, either within a local area or nationally.
The funding is intended for registered charities working in the current priority areas:
- Supporting offenders and ex-offenders into work, specifically for those looking to build skills and capability to get into sustainable work.
- Helping specific groups within the criminal justice sector that are less popular with funders than others.
The secondary funding area is focused on projects that work specifically with young people (aged 16 to 25 years) involved with the Criminal Justice System to ensure they are given every possible chance to realise their full potential and to participate fully in society, rather than general youth development projects.
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust
Amount available: £1,000-£10,000
Deadline: Wednesday 1st April 2026 (for the Summer meeting)
Grants are available to animal welfare charities for projects or activities in the UK that benefit and protect animals, relieve the suffering of animals, address the conservation of wildlife or encourage a greater understanding of animals.
Applications are accepted from UK registered charities working in the UK or abroad. (Charities with an annual income under £5,000 do not need to be registered to be eligible.)
Find out more about Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust grants here
Village Halls Small Grants Fund
Amount available: Grant awards of between £2,000 to £5,000 are available where match funding of 80% is in place.
Deadline: There is no deadline but the fund will be closed when all funds are allocated.
Managed by Action with Rural Communities in England (ACRE), the fund provides support for the modernisation and improvement of village halls in England.
It helps organisations to undertake smaller projects such as disability access, boiler replacement, toilet upgrades and new kitchens. Project expenditure must take place before 31 March 2026.
Find out more about the Village Halls Small Grants Fund here
Wooden Spoon – Pass the Plate Appeal
Amount available: A minimum of £2,000.
Deadline: Applications taken on a rolling basis.
For organisations with pre-existing initiatives in tackling child hunger. Project beneficiaries must be a group.
They must be UK-based and support the lives of children and young people disadvantaged physically, mentally and socially.
Yusen Logistics and Baltic Apprenticeships – apprenticeships levy transfer
Amount available: £210,000 in total levy funding.
Deadline: On a rolling basis over the next six months.
For charities, not-for-profits and NHS bodies. Eligible organisations will be able to claim funding for apprenticeship programmes in areas such as IT support, data analysis and digital marketing, all at no cost.
BlueSpark Foundation
Amount available: up to £5,000
Deadline: Rolling
Grants are available for schools, community groups, clubs, societies or other organisations in England to improve the education and development of children and young people through educational, cultural, sporting and other activities.
The funding is for relatively small-scale projects, which might not happen at all or would only happen on a lesser scale without the support of BlueSpark.
The Foundation aims to help children and young people reach their full potential by supporting projects that have the following objectives:
- Encouraging independence.
- Developing team working skills.
- Developing self-confidence.
- Promoting creativity and individuality.
- Encouraging aspiration.
- Enhancing educational achievement.
- Widening educational horizons.
Weston Charity Awards
Amount available: Support packages worth over £22,000 each
Deadline: 5pm 9th January 2026.
The Awards aim to celebrate and support charities working in the fields of youth, welfare, community, and the environment, and to enable charities to develop, raise their profiles, become more sustainable and face the future with greater confidence.
The Awards offer a package of support, worth over £22,000, intended to deliver long-term benefit to the charity, including a fully funded year of support from Pilotlight and an unrestricted cash contribution of £6,500.
The 22 Award Finalists will receive:
- A fully funded year of support from Pilotlight.
- An unrestricted cash contribution of £6,500 to support the work with Pilotlight, this includes travel expenses to meetings.
- Access to a network of local charities working with Pilotlight.
- Two peer-to-peer sessions with other Award Winners across the year.
CABWI Lifelong Learning and Development Fund
Amount available: Between £266,666 and £1 million can apply for grants of up to £40,000. Up to £266,666 may apply for a maximum of 15% of their previous year’s turnover.
Deadline: Stage One – Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest. Expressions of Interest will open on Monday 5th January 2026 and close on Monday 26th January 2026.
The fund supports small charities with projects that promote lifelong learning and development, address barriers to entering the labour market and allow people to gain additional skills to advance their careers.
Funding priorities are:
- Working with individuals with complex barriers to employment, enabling them to move closer or into employment, including but not restricted to ex-service personnel and ex-offenders.
- Working directly with young people and adults who are either not in employment, education, or training (NEET), or with young people who are at risk of becoming NEET, to improve their access to employment and the labour market.
- Increasing the life skills of people so that they may further develop their careers, with a particular focus on the water, utilities, and construction industries.
In this round, there is a particular interest in supporting innovative approaches that highlight new ideas/ways of tackling barriers to training and employment.
Radcliffe Trust
Amount available: Grants are generally in the region of £2,500 to £7,500
Deadline: Saturday 31st January 2026
Funding is available for UK charities, not-for-profit and Exempt organisations working in the areas of music, especially chamber music, composition and music education, or in heritage and crafts.
WCIT – IT4Good Grant Programme
Amount available: up to £15,000
Deadline: Friday 6th February 2026
This fund aims to support IT projects and activities that relate to one or more of the following priority areas:
- Education
- Inclusion
- Tech for charities
- Public understanding of Technology
Registered charities and organisations with a formal not-for-profit constitution, such as community interest companies (CICs), can apply.
Joyce Wilkinson Charitable Trust Fund
Amount available: There is no minimum or maximum grant award
Deadline: n/a
Grants for voluntary and community groups operating or providing charitable activities in or close to the parishes of Rosley and Westward, Wigton, and Aspatria.
The Leathersellers – small grants programme
Amount available: One-off grants of up to £5,000.
Deadline: Rolling
Charities and CIOs must meet the following criteria:
- Deliver activities to meet an identified need for vulnerable members of the community
- Provide evidence of effective impact/ difference made e.g. testimonials gathered from feedback and questionnaires
- Have a planned expenditure of under £200,000 during the financial year in which you are applying for funding.
- Demonstrate financial need. Due to overwhelming demand from charities with high financial need, we are unlikely to be able to prioritise applications from organisations holding more than 6 months’ free/unrestricted reserves.
- Have a publicly accessible website clearly showing who you are and what you do.
- Have a minimum of one year’s published accounts available via the Charity Commission. We do not accept management accounts.
Travel Actively Fund
Amount available: No limit
Deadline: n/a
The Travel Actively Fund (TAF) is open for applications from organisations in Barrow or Carlisle.
If your organisation has an activity or idea that will encourage and enable people from the fund’s targeted audiences to be more active by cycling, walking and wheeling (using scooters, wheelchairs) for everyday journeys you may be eligible to apply.
David Riddell Memorial CIO
Amount available: Between £5,000 and £25,000
Deadline: Applications taken on a rolling basis
Funding for charities running suicide awareness and prevention programmes for charitable purposes.
National Deaf Children’s Society – Community Grants
Amount available: £1,000 – £10,000
Deadline: Any time
The aim of the grants programme is to build communities that unite families of deaf children. For parents with a deaf child, having a strong community is vital, particularly during those first few years when families are still finding out what their child needs.
The early years are a crucial time for all children. For deaf children, this is even more true. Without adjustments, accommodations and the right support, young deaf children can find it more difficult to develop their language, communication and social skills.
This funding cycle is focused on projects that support deaf children in the early years (aged 0-5). This can be directly or indirectly, and projects can also involve older deaf children, deaf young people, families and professionals.
Wolfson Foundation
Amount available: To be agreed
Deadline: Two funding rounds per year
Applications are currently considered under four strands: the needs of older people; mental health needs; independent living for people with disabilities; palliative care and hospices.
The Foundation is also committed to funding projects that build, strengthen and sustain an organisation’s infrastructure for the longer term. Our grants will be for new build, refurbishment and equipment projects.
The Masonic Charitable Foundation
Amount available: Small grants range from £1,000 – £5,000, Large grants usually range from £10,000 to £60,000.
Deadline: n/a
The Masonic Charitable Foundation is dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people, as well as vulnerable older people, in England and Wales.
Priority areas:
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities.
- Children affected by domestic abuse.
- Early years (ages 0-5) with a focus on poverty and neglect.
COSARAF – Hardship Grants
Amount available: £2,000
Deadline: at any time
Grants are available for third party social organisations to support individuals and families across the UK who are in financial need and have exhausted all other sources of funding.
Applications will only be accepted from recognised third party social organisation, such as charities, housing associations, schools and social services who are acting on behalf of a family or individual in need.
Priority will be given to:
- The most financially excluded people.
- Families over individuals.
- Those with caring responsibilities.
- Items that will make the most difference to the individual/family’s long-term future.
Organisations can only apply once in a single year.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are taking advantage of all support offered by local services, including the referring social organisation.
Football Foundation – Lionesses HERe to Play Fund
Deadline: Any time
Amount available: up to £25,000 for up to 75% of total project costs.
The fund aims to elevate the experience of women and girls in football by creating inclusive, welcoming, and high-quality environments that support female participation at every level.
Projects include:
- Signage.
- External lighting/CCTV.
- Toilets.
- Shower improvements.
- Baby change and breastfeeding facilities.
- Female officials’ and player privacy changing spaces.
- Changing room improvements.
- Clubhouse improvements.
- External covered spaces.
The Football Foundation requires a minimum of five years security of tenure for all applications, to be evidenced in the application.
Affiliated clubs need to have completed, signed up for or be on the waiting list for The FA’s Equal Game workshop.
Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation
Amount available: Previous grants have ranged from £5,000 to £2.25 million.
Deadline: The first step in the application process is to complete the online ‘eligibility test’ on the Foundation’s website. If the proposed project is eligible for funding, applicants will be sent a link to the Salesforce digital application form and given a deadline for submission for the next Grants Meeting.
The funding is for charitable work that meets one or more of the Foundation’s current priorities:
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- Victims of modern slavery: to provide facilities for and support to victims on their journey back to independent living, better mental health and employment.
- Victims of domestic abuse: to provide emergency safety and to support victims through associated poverty and mental health issues.
- Ex-offenders and their families: to support the ex-offenders back to work and contributing positively to society and to support their families whose lives can be severely impacted.
- Homelessness: to provide facilities for and support people, especially young people, on their journey back to independent living, better mental health and employment.
- Medical research: to support research that could lead to preventing or slowing the onset of a condition or to lessen the symptoms.
- Support for people with terminal illnesses / life limiting conditions and their carers: to provide hospice care to support individuals and give respite to their carers to assist them with their mental health and other ambitions.
- Drug and substance misuse: to support rehabilitation and the journey back to independent living and work.
- Support for people with intellectual disability: to provide support with personal care, job skills and supported living.
- Care leavers: to give them a chance to succeed on a par with other young people.
- Worship and associated community outreach: to ensure places of worship are energy efficient and watertight with an emphasis on wider community use of church halls or Church buildings where those buildings are redundant or too large and where the parish has a focus on non-conditional outward facing work.
- Amateur sport: to improve physical and mental health with a focus on sport provision for people with disabilities.
- Care for the elderly: to allow quality care for those who cannot afford private care or continue living at home.
Please note: this list is subject to quarterly review and may change.
Applications to the Foundation’s General Fund will be considered from registered charities with an annual expenditure of less than £10 million who are working to support communities in need.
Arnold Clark Community Fund – Community Support
Deadline: It is recommended that groups apply as early as they can as applications could be paused due to high demand
Amount available: up to £1,000
Funding to projects embedded in the communities in which Arnold Clark operates and is available to organisations who provide services widely accessible to those within Arnold Clark local communities, addressing the needs of those living within them. Organisations must be based/operate solely in the UK and located within 50 miles of an Arnold Clark branch.
Particularly welcome applications from smaller voluntary and community organisations who are working within Arnold Clark local communities.
Historic Houses Foundation
Deadline: Any time
Amount available: 1,000 to £250,000. Most grants are for less than £50,000.
This fund aims to support the repair and conservation of rural historic buildings and structures in England and Wales, including their gardens, grounds and outbuildings. Grants for the restoration and conservation of works of art in historic house collections open to the public will also be considered.
Funding is intended to support projects which are ready to proceed (i.e. can be started within 1-2 years) but which either do not qualify for funding from any of the mainstream sources or have been awarded only partial funding and require significant further funds to complete the resource package.
National Deaf Children’s Society Community Grants Programme
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: Between £1,000 and £10,000
Funding is available for projects that support deaf children in the early years (aged 0-5). This can be directly or indirectly, and projects can also involve older deaf children, deaf young people, families and professionals.
B&Q Foundation
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: £5,000/£10,000
The B&Q Foundation provides grants for a wide range of community organisations who are seeking funding to improve or develop spaces that benefit their community. Typically, the foundation provides up to £10,000 for building and indoor projects or £5,000 for garden projects. Using Neighbourly, the B&Q Foundation asks charities to complete a simple three step application process. Currently, its focus is on charities supporting people who are at risk of homelessness.
The Movement Fund
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: between £300 and £15,000
Sport England has reserved up to £16 million from its £160 million Movement Fund to help the sector respond to the impact of climate change. Sports clubs and physical activity groups are being encouraged to apply for grants which can be used to fund projects that will improve sustainability by addressing at least one of six Every Move priorities:
- Just transition: inequalities, inclusion and participation
- Energy and resources: carbon emissions, travel and facilities
- Energy and resources: circular economy – supply chains, products and waste
- Nature: blue-green environment quality and use
- Nature: biodiversity
- Resilience: adapting to climate change and extreme weather events.
To be eligible, projects should also demonstrably improve physical activity in the community and have a clear, feasible and reasonable delivery plan. Projects in an area of high need will be prioritised.
Priority will also be given to work that benefits: people living on low incomes, disabled people or those with long-term health conditions, older people, people from culturally diverse communities, pregnant women and parents with very young children, girls aged 5-16, LGBTQ+ people and people in foster care.
The Anchor Foundation
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: £500 – £12,000
Grants are on offer for Christian charities working to tackle social exclusion. The foundation has a particularly interest in charities working within “healing and the arts.”
Grants are only offered to registered charities. Applications for building work are rarely supported and charities are asked to apply for funds towards a specific project.
Walney Extension Community Fund
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: Discretionary
Due to the extension of Walney Wind Farm, areas of Cumbria are eligible for funding from Orsted. The renewable energy giant has two funds available to charitable initiatives: The Walney Extension Community Fund and the Walney Extension Skills Fund.
Orsted’s Community Fund has two funding rounds each year, with its next deadline in January and is open to organisations in parts of Copeland, Barrow-in-Furness, the Walney islands and South Lakeland.
Calisen Impact Charitable Trust
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: Discretionary
Grants are available for charitable initiatives in the UK that “champion sustainable energy solutions and foster inclusive, safe and diverse educational and work environments within the UK.” The funding is administered by Calisen, a British energy firm.
UK registered charities can apply for the funding to cover project costs. The fund’s objectives include achieving net zero and promoting inclusive workplaces.
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust
Deadline: Rolling
Amount available: £1,000 – £10,000
Animal welfare charities in the UK can apply for funding to cover projects that benefit and protect animals; relieve the suffering of animals, address the conservation of wildlife and encourage a greater understanding of animals.
The funding is available from the Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust and can be used for: general running costs associated with the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of animals, donations towards capital purchases and assistance with vets fees.
Motability Foundation: organisation grants
Amount available: £50,000 to £150,000 for small grants; £150,000 to £1m for large grants.
Deadline: Not specified.
Charities and organisations can apply for grants to enhance existing services or launch new initiatives that improve transport access for disabled people. Funding can be used for staffing, vehicles, operational costs, and infrastructure. The foundation is welcoming applications from organisations that have been active for least three years and have a turnover of £50,000 or more.
Worshipful Company of Innholders: charity grants
Amount available: One-off awards of between £500 and £5,000
Deadline: Rolling basis
Who is the funding for? Smaller charities in England and Wales, with a preference for London, for work with the young, the elderly, and the hospitality industry. The funding committee meets in March, June and December of each year.
CiFR Community Flood Resilience Fund
Deadline: n/a
Amount available: up to £12,500
Grants for groups across Cumbria supporting communities to build resilience to future flooding.
The purpose of the fund is to (1) provide support, resources, and equipment to specified communities at risk of flooding; (2) to enable those communities to test and trial ways to become better prepared for flooding; and (3) be better able to respond to and recover from flooding, by building assets within their community.
Funds managed by Cumbria Community Foundation
Our funds have been created by our donors and each have their own criteria or area of interest. Most support locally based community and voluntary groups and some also support individuals.
To apply for a grant, you will need to complete an application form and send it to us with the supporting documents indicated. We encourage you to read the guidance of our funds before applying, but if you’re unsure about the eligibility of your application, give our grants team a call on 01900 825760.
Find out more about the funds available here
Using Data to Increase Your Fundraising Success
Thursday 4th and Thursday 11th December, online. The course will help you to incorporate freely available data into your funding applications to help you evidence and demonstrate the need for your work to funders.
It will also help you to use data to describe the changes that your work makes to your target beneficiaries through monitoring and evaluation reports.
During this online training course, you will:
- learn how to identify and explain the need for your project
- describe your activities and the change they will make
- learn how you will evaluate your project and measure your impact
- utilise data collected on current/completed projects to evidence need for your next project
- learn about using data effectively within your application writing and general
Get Grants Christmas Party! Free Virtual Fundraisers Networking
Tuesday 16th December, online. An opportunity to meet fellow Fundraisers and discuss the challenges and new opportunities arising in our sector.
Join us for the Get Grants Christmas Party edition of our monthly FREE Virtual Fundraisers Networking!
In our last event of December, come together with our community of fundraisers to celebrate everything you’ve achieved, and round off the year before we all take a well deserved break. Don your Christmas hats & jumpers and grab a mince pie. Expect some Christmas fun and plenty of FREE giveaways!
Launching Legacy Fundraising Masterclass
Tuesday 13th January 2026, online. Demystifying how to launch a successful legacy fundraising campaign for your organisation, explore practical tips to increase your legacy income with confidence, and understand how this could fit within your existing fundraising, maximising whatever resources you may have.
From Idea to Application: A Practical Workshop for New Fundraisers
Tuesday 27th January 2026, online. This 2.5-hour online workshop is designed for small organisations and community groups who are new to bid writing.
This workshop will support you in shaping and clarifying your project idea, exploring it with others, and gaining confidence in presenting it to funders. You’ll work through a simple, structured template in a supportive and interactive environment that helps you organise your thinking and refine your approach.
The session also offers a valuable chance to network, ask questions, and receive feedback ahead of the funding fair—so you can make the most of your time with funders and be better prepared to apply for funding. It’s especially helpful for early-stage project development.
Masterclass: How to master bid-writing
Wednesday 28th January 2026, online. A one-hour session to master bid-writing. For just £20, you’ll learn how to craft successful bids from one of the charity sector’s experts.
Grant expert and Director of Get Grants, John Ellery, will explore the process of grant funding, focussing on the core challenges faced by charities. John will cover, many among other things, the importance of ‘being fundable’, the right funders for you to approach, how to make an application stand out, and tips to increase your chance of success.
Barrow Funding Fair
Wednesday 4th February 2026, Barrow Town Hall.
An opportunity for small local voluntary and community groups to speak directly to Funders about their project to obtain funding.
Find out more and book your morning or afternoon slot here
Core Costs Applications Masterclass
Tuesday 3rd February 2026, online. This masterclass will explore how you could develop successful core costs grant applications, understand how to make your application stand out in a competitive funding landscape, and give you practical tips and information to build your confidence to ultimately maximise your fundraising success rate.
Donor Journey Mastery Masterclass
Monday 16th February 2026, online. In a competitive fundraising landscape, getting beyond the first donation is challenging and for many charities the relationship with a donor often ends after the first donation. We will look at the process of donor engagement from first donation to legacy gift, so you will leave with more confidence to develop lasting, long-term donor relationships.
