August 25, 2026

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: 29/09/26 – 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

---

Arts Council unveils ‘simplified’ application process as funding set to last five years

Arts Council England (ACE) has revealed a “more straightforward” application process for its main grants programme, with funding now set to last for five years.

This month, ACE published details for its 2028-33 national portfolio funding programme, ahead of applications opening on 20th October.

Funding for successful applicants will last five years, instead of the initial three in the current round, giving organisations “greater stability and certainty to plan ahead”.

Read more here

 

Record £370m of dormant assets set aside for good causes after policy change

A record £370m was set aside for good causes recently through the government’s Dormant Assets Scheme due to a change in distribution policy, according to recently filed documents.

Reclaim Fund Ltd (RFL), which operates the scheme, reported this week that its board approved the £370m transfer to the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) on 8 July, which will take cumulative distributions since the scheme launched to more than £1.6bn.

It is the highest ever total set aside in a financial year in RFL’s 15-year history and is more than double the £143m pledged in the year to March 2025.

Read more here

 

NLCF responds after concerns raised about access to funding

The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) has responded to a letter sent by fundraising consultants urging the government to improve access to its programmes.

Joanna Jeffery and Sarah-Jane Pickering shared concerns in a letter last Friday from more than 100 sector organisations over 35 changes to the NLCF’s schemes since 2024.

In the letter to culture secretary Lisa Nandy and her department’s Lords spokesperson Baroness Twycross on Friday, the pair highlighted “unclear, late, [and] sporadic” communications to charities on changes to the application process.

Read more here

 

Funder closes online applications and says AI has ‘ruined the process’

A charitable trust managing a fund worth £16m has stopped accepting online grant applications and said that AI has “ruined the process”.

The GC Gibson Charitable Trust, established in 1968 by Cardiff shipping business owner George Gibson, said on its website recently that the technology had made it “too easy to find us and write a submission and we had far too many applicants last year”.

It said the online process had “only been a small part of our charitable giving”, with the funder now using its trustees’ networks and database of previous applicants to select new grant recipients.

Read more here

 

Locality UK chosen to deliver £11.6m covenant fund

National network Locality UK has been chosen to deliver a £11.6m government fund to strengthen partnerships between charities and local authorities.

The community organisation membership body has been selected by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to invest the Local Covenant Partnerships Fund.

Initially earmarked for delivery in April, the fund was awarded to Locality UK after an application process launched in January.

Read more here

 

Get your share of free funding!

Voluntary organisations and charities in our network have received a share of over £2m in unrestricted funding in August, raised for free from their supporter network shopping online 🛍️.

Register your organisation with trusted fundraising site easyfundraising today, and you can receive this free funding in the next payout in November.

Register here

---

Groundwork – One Stop Community Partnership Programme

Amount available: An initial grant of £1,000 is available to successful applicants to begin a partnership with their local One Stop store

Deadline: Tuesday 1st September and Wednesday 30th September

The One Stop Community Partnership programme is administered by Groundwork working in partnership with One Stop Stores Ltd.

The programme provides partnership as well as financial assistance. Alongside an initial grant, a long-term tailored programme of support is created for successful applicants by the One Stop Community Team and One Stop Store Team. Grant recipients then work in partnership with the One Stop Store Team at their local shop to deliver this programme.

The programme is designed to create a partnership of support to community groups, operating within two miles of a One Stop store, who are working to:

• Tackle food poverty
• Support the vulnerable
• Support the elderly
• Support low income families
• Running youth sports teams
• Reducing/recycling waste
• Improving the environment

Find out more about Groundwork – One Stop Community Partnership Programme here

 

Grocers’ Charity Grant

Amount available: usually up to £5,000

Deadline: Tuesday 1st September. There is a two-stage application process.

The Charity provides one-off grants for UK registered charities to support the following areas:

• Relief of hardship.
• Children and young people (from birth to 25 years old).
• The elderly.
• Disability and inclusion.
• Health.
• Military.
• Heritage.
• The arts.
• Environment and conservation.

Registered charities in the UK with a turnover below £500,000 (or medical charities with an income below £15 million) are eligible to apply.

Find out more about Grocers’ Charity Grant here

 

Local Ecosystems Fund

Amount available:

Development and training – Up to £40,000 per year for three years.
Community spaces and activities – Up to £30,000 per year for three years.
Pre-natal and antenatal support – Up to £45,000 per year for three years.

Deadline: 12pm, Tuesday 1st September

The Local Ecosystems Fund is a multi-year grant-making initiative, focused on improving outcomes for babies and young children. It will invest up to £1.2m over three years in Barrow-in-Furness to strengthen the local early childhood ecosystem so that it is more integrated, relational, and less reliant on short-term, restricted funding.

We have three open Expressions of Interest (EOI) across the priorities where there is not an obvious local partner, or where there are multiple potential local partners.

Those priorities are:

1. Development and training
2. Community spaces and activities
3. Pre – natal and antenatal support

We are open to collaborative Expressions of Interest submitted by multiple organisations and we are not limited by types of organisations (legal status) submitting Expressions of Interest.

Find out more about the Local Ecosystems Fund here and you can view an Expressions Of Interest pack here

 

Youth Endowment Fund – VAWG Prevention Programme – Objective 2

Amount available: A maximum funding cap for this funding round has not been set

Deadline: Wednesday 2nd September (9am).

Grants are available for organisations delivering targeted interventions in England that identify and respond to inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours around gender norms and relationships among children and young people aged 10–18.

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Prevention Programme is split into two schemes under two specific objectives:

• Objective 1: Promoting Healthy and Respectful Relationships in Secondary Schools.
• Objective 2: Responding to Inappropriate and Problematic Attitudes and Behaviours on Gender Norms and Relationships in Educational Settings.

The interventions must:

• Focus on targeted early support for inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours around gender norms and relationships.
• Support children and young people aged 10–18 (or up to 19 in SEND settings) and have a clear link to, and support for, educational settings.
• Aim to improve children and young people’s knowledge, attitudes or behaviour in ways that contribute to the long-term prevention of VAWG and harmful behaviours in relationships.
• Be sufficiently developed for a feasibility study or pilot evaluation (potentially following refinement), with a clear rationale and emerging Theory of Change.

Find out more about Youth Endowment Fund – VAWG Prevention Programme – Objective 2 here

 

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust – Peace and Security Programme

Amount available: No fixed limit

Deadline: Wednesday 2nd September

Funding for organisations performing national-level work in the UK – work that is legally charitable and focuses on systemic change.

JCRT will not fund large, established national charities or statutory bodies, nor will it fund business development projects.

Find out more here

 

Rewilding Britain – Rewilding Innovation Fund

Amount available: up to £15,000

Deadline: Sunday 6th September

This fund aims to foster new and ambitious community rewilding projects, and to remove barriers to rewilding projects within Britain, whether they’re at the early planning stages or want to move a project one step wilder. Funding will be awarded to projects with potential for the highest impact for people and nature.

To apply for funding, projects must be:

• Based in Britain
• Part of the Rewilding Network (includes community, private and public landowners, and managers of rewilding areas on the land and at sea).
• Rewilding at scale (more than 40 hectares) according to Rewilding Britain’s rewilding principles. This can be an individual landholding or a cluster of landholdings. It is recommended that applicants who are rewilding on a smaller scale form a group or network to apply.

Local groups and networks can also apply for any innovative projects that will help to upscale rewilding.

Funding is for works that could potentially unlock further funding or move a project in scale.

Examples of potential applications include:

• Business plans and strategies.
• Community engagement activities or co-design.
• Feasibility studies.
• Technological innovations.

Find out more about Rewilding Britain – Rewilding Innovation Fund here

 

Better Community Business Network (BCBN) Grant Initiative

Amount available: up to £3,000

Deadline: Monday 7th September

BCBN’s Grant Initiative aims to provide small third-sector grant awards to empower charities and local community projects. This initiative will distribute a one-off grant award per charity or to small but credible community projects, which are able to demonstrate their positive impact on the communities they aim to serve.

Find our more about Better Community Business Network (BCBN) Grant Initiative here

 

Baring Foundation – migration funds

Amount available: Up to £150,000 over three years, with options for £50,000 over 18 months. The funder expects to make six or seven grants.

Deadline: Monday 7th September

Funding for voluntary organisations – preferably charities – with a record of using legal tools for social change, an annual income of about £2m and a focus on migrant rights or corporate accountability.

Find out more about Baring Foundation – migration funds here

 

Leeds Building Society Foundation

Amount available: up to £2,500

Deadline:

• Monday 7th September for consideration at the Wednesday 7th October meeting
• Wednesday 11th November for consideration at the Wednesday 2nd December meeting.

The funding is intended to support projects to improve the health, wellbeing and financial literacy of people who are experiencing homelessness.

Small Grants – are flexible and can be used for core, project and/or capital costs. This is UK wide for organisations with a turnover of less than £500,000.

Projects must meet the Foundation’s purpose through one or more of its criteria themes. Examples of eligible projects include:

• Financial stress – projects that help with bills or debt stress
• Security and refuge – projects that support emergency accommodation
• Quality and suitability of housing
• Health and wellbeing support for those experiencing homelessness if it is part of wraparound support and the application also meets at least one of the other themes

Applications are welcome from those who take a Housing First and/or relationship-based approach. Applications should show evidence of:

• Strength-based practice
• Trauma-informed care
• Psychologically-informed environments

Find out more about Leeds Building Society Foundation grants here

 

Lloyds Bank Foundation – New Beginnings Fund

Amount available: There are between 40 and 50 grants available. There are two different types: a £100,000 grant, made up of four £25,000 annual payments, for organisations with an annual income of less than £100,000, and a £200,000 grant – made up of four £50,000 annual payments, for organisations with an annual income between £100,000 and £2m.

Deadline: Wednesday 9th September

Funding for community organisations across England and Wales that are supporting people at key turning points in their lives when the risk of homelessness is highest including people leaving the prison system, domestic abuse survivors, young adults leaving care and individuals leaving the asylum system on securing leave to remain in the UK.

Find out more about Lloyds Bank Foundation – New Beginnings Fund here

 

Good Place to Live: New Beginnings Fund

Amount available:

A £100,000 grant – made up of four £25,000 annual payments for organisations with an annual income less than £100,000.

A £200,000 grant – made up of four £50,000 annual payments for organisations with an annual income between £100,000 and £2 million

Deadline: 5pm on Wednesday 9th September

Lloyds Bank Foundation’s new Good Place to Live: New Beginnings Fund is now open and will award 40–50 unrestricted grants to charities across England, Wales and the Isle of Man.

The fund aims to support organisations working to prevent homelessness, particularly at key transition points in people’s lives where they may be at risk of losing their home. Importantly, this fund is not only for organisations that provide housing or accommodation. We are keen to hear from charities that help prevent homelessness upstream by addressing the issues that can lead to someone losing their home in the first place.

This means organisations working in areas such as advice, advocacy, welfare rights, debt and financial inclusion, mental health, domestic abuse, family support, prison resettlement and other early intervention services may be eligible, even if housing is not their primary focus.

We expect this to be a popular fund and anticipate receiving a high number of applications. However, organisations that believe they meet the eligibility criteria are strongly encouraged to apply. While applications are welcomed from across England, Wales and the Isle of Man, we would encourage eligible organisations in the North East and Cumbria to apply, as we are keen to ensure a good geographic spread of applications.

Potential applicants can also:

• Complete the eligibility quiz
• Watch a webinar recording on the Foundation’s YouTube channel
• Book a pre-application conversation with the grants team if they still have questions

Find out more about Good Place to Live: New Beginnings Fund here

 

Hospital Saturday Fund

Amount available: There are two levels of awards:

• Standard Grants of £2,000
• Larger Grants of up to £10,000

Deadline: The 2026 deadlines for:

• Standard grant applications are 8th October, and 5th January 2027
• Large grant applications are Thursday 10th September, and 2nd December

Provides grant funding to registered health charities such as hospitals, hospices and medical organisations for medical projects, care, research or support of medical training taking place in the United Kingdom.

Funding can assist with medical projects, capital projects, medical care or research, hospice/respite care, medical training and running costs.

Large Grants are awarded for specific projects, research or equipment rather than running costs.

Find out more about Hospital Saturday Fund here

 

Theatre Improvement Scheme

Amount available: £20,000

Deadline: Friday 11th September 2026 (12 noon)

The scheme supports charitable theatre operators in the UK to carry out capital projects to improve their theatre buildings. Projects must fall within a specific theme each year.

The current theme for the fund is Improving Environmental Sustainability as this is an urgent priority for the sector.

Find out more about Theatre Improvement Scheme here

 

Freelands Foundation – Learning Through Making Fund

Amount available: £25,000

Deadline: Friday 11th September (noon).

The funding is for UK-based visual art education projects that creatively engage audiences with the process of making and exploration of materials.

The aim is to support exploratory projects that embrace openness, collaboration and iteration, enabling organisations ‘to work in an expansive way with materials, unpicking and challenging preconceptions about making and material literacy, interrogating practice and working in an open and collaborative way’.

The funding can be used for the following project costs:

• Project staffing (salaries and freelance rates)
• Materials and equipment
• Room hire or spaces
• Transport
• Marketing associated with the project
• A contingency of up to 5% of the total budget.

Find out more about Freelands Foundation – Learning Through Making Fund here

 

Thomas Wall Trust – Grants for Registered Charities

Amount available: up to £5,000

Deadline:

• Stage 1, Friday 11th September (12noon) for the November meeting.
• Stage two is by invitation only and involves completing a more in-depth application form and to submit a Project Plan, budget, latest set of financial accounts and any relevant policies.

The funding is for registered charities that are working to develop communication skills for people from disadvantaged groups who want to improve their employment prospects. Beneficiaries must gain at least one officially recognised and regulated, accredited vocational qualification during or within two months of project completion.

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.

To be eligible, applicants must have an annual turnover of between £25,000 and £500,000.

Find out more about Thomas Wall Trust – Grants for Registered Charities here

 

W F Southall Trust

Amount available: £1,000 – £5,000

Deadline: Friday 11th September. However, this fund may close early if oversubscribed.

The scheme is intended to support registered charities in the UK that are undertaking charitable projects in:

• Quaker Work and Witness.
• Environmental Action and Sustainability.
• Peace and Reconciliation.
• Social Action.

Find out more about W F Southall Trust here

 

Food Cumberland Harvest Fest

Amount available: £150

Deadline: Sunday 13th September

Celebrate local food, eat sustainably, and bring your community together this autumn.

Every autumn, communities across the UK come together to mark the end of the growing season – enjoying local produce, the chance to gather, share food, and spend time with neighbours. It’s a great way to reconnect with the land and each other- whether that’s through cooking, growing, or simply sharing a meal.

Thanks to support from the Food Cumberland Partnership, community groups can now apply for funding to bring a Harvest Fest event to life in Autumn 2026 – with food-based fun that feeds both bellies and community spirit.

Find out more about Food Cumberland Harvest Fest here

 

The Matthew Good Foundation, Grants for Good

Amount available: £2,000 to £5,000

Deadline: apply any time, this round closes Tuesday 15th September

For UK community groups, charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and CICs, registered or not, with an annual income under £50,000, for any project with a positive impact on people, communities or the environment.

The funding is fully unrestricted, so it can cover core and running costs.

Find out more about The Matthew Good Foundation, Grants for Good here

 

The Charles Hayward Foundation

Amount available: Main grants of £15,000 to £25,000 a year support social and criminal justice work, helping people avoid or move on from the justice system. The Foundation also runs a rolling older people strand of up to £7,000 for smaller charities with income under £350,000.

Deadline: Friday 18th September for the main grant round; the older people strand is rolling.

Find out more about The Charles Hayward Foundation here

 

Barrow Helping Barrow Fund

Amount available: up to £10,000

Deadline: 12 noon, Monday 21st September

The Barrow Helping Barrow Fund is a resident-led fund that supports community groups and charities to deliver projects that respond to local priorities and make a positive difference in Barrow. The Fund aims to bring people together, strengthen communities, create opportunities for local residents, and support community-led ideas that deliver lasting benefits.

The Fund will support activities that:

• Bring people together by reducing isolation and creating opportunities for people of different ages and backgrounds to connect.
• Make better use of community spaces by increasing access to local venues, facilities and green spaces, and encouraging activities that strengthen community participation.
• Create opportunities for young people aged 14 to 18 through activities designed with young people that build skills, confidence, aspirations and connections.
• Build stronger communities through volunteering by creating opportunities for local people to contribute, develop new skills and support community life.
• Encourage new ideas and community-led solutions that respond to local needs, support emerging groups, and deliver sustainable, long-term benefits.
• Support older people through practical assistance, social opportunities and meaningful activities that complement existing services.

Meet the Fund events will be held at the dates and times below.

It is not necessary to attend before applying, although members of the panel will be available to answer any questions you may have and help you complete an application if required.

• Friday, 4th September 2026 from 1pm – 3pm, The Bridge Barrow
• Tuesday, 15th September 2026 from 6pm – 7pm, Online

Find out more about Barrow Helping Barrow Fund here

 

Asda Foundation – Foodbank Fundamentals Fund

Amount available: £1,000

Deadline: Tuesday 22nd September (10am)

The funding is for groups whose core focus is providing food aid to their service users, for example, food banks, community pantries, social supermarkets, soup kitchens, breakfast clubs. (Please note that any group that does not already offer a food provision as its core purpose may not apply for this grant.)

To be eligible, applicants must have an annual income below £250,000 (as the Foundation prioritises supporting grassroots organisations, the income limit ensures funding has the greatest local impact).

Find out more about Asda Foundation – Foodbank Fundamentals Fund here

 

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Free from Fear Programme

Amount available: £100,00 – £250,000 are available to support projects being delivered for two years.

Deadline: Wednesday 23rd September (12 noon).

Grants are available to UK registered charities and, local authorities and combined authorities for projects that address domestic abuse through preventative measures or providing support routes for survivors in Armed Forces communities.

The funding is for projects supporting serving personnel and their partners or children; veterans, reservists, and their families.

Projects must work to address one or more of the following main programme outcomes:

• Victim-survivors from armed forces communities have clear routes to access support, including the ability to recognise and report domestic abuse.
• Perpetrators of domestic abuse within armed forces communities recognise and are accountable for their harmful behaviour and engage with opportunities for meaningful change.
• Incidences of domestic abuse within armed forces communities are prevented through measures which address emerging and current challenges.
• Sustainable improvements and adaptations are made to service provision to meet the evolving support needs of victim-survivors from armed forces communities.

There are two additional, optional outcomes and proposals are welcome which address one or both of the following:

• People in the armed forces community facing additional barriers, stigma or marginalisation can access bespoke interventions which meet their needs and increase their safety and wellbeing.
• Organisations work collaboratively through formal partnerships, using shared or complementary expertise to improve project quality, reach, and effectiveness. Projects must support veterans who are at risk of experiencing homelessness, currently homeless, or are being supported by transitional housing services.

Find out more about Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Free from Fear Programme here

 

Social Investment Business – Better Futures Fund

Amount available: Up to £37m of government match funding towards the Better Futures Fund objectives

Deadline: Wednesday 23rd September (midnight)

Funding for organisations that are part of the impact economy with experience of participating in social outcomes partnerships (SOP), and existing SOP projects ready to deliver, with an England-based project linked to child, young person and/or family poverty outcomes. Applicants will be expected to be able to begin delivery within six months of receiving a decision.

Find out more about Social Investment Business – Better Futures Fund here

 

CharityJob – CharityGiving Annual Grant

Amount available: A £10,000 share of a £50,000 donation

Funding for UK-based charities (not a CIC) who have been registered for more than one year, with published accounts, with less than £1m income, less than £1m expenditure and 50 or fewer full-time staff. Funding must be spent on UK-based causes only.

Deadline: Friday 25th September (midnight)

Find out more about CharityJob – CharityGiving Annual Grant here

 

Electrical Safety Fund

Amount available: up to £10,000

Deadline: Sunday 27th September (midnight)

This fund aims to support projects that focus on tackling risks associated with electrical products, increasing the public’s awareness of electrical safety, and promoting changes in behaviour to keep people safe in their homes.

Charities, community interest companies (CICs), trusts, public bodies, and registered not-for-profit organisations that help those who are most vulnerable to electrical risk and injury can apply.

Priority will be given to organisations that meet the following criteria:

• There is a proven history of working to improve electrical safety within the organisation.
• The organisation can demonstrate a track record of delivering successful projects.
• A clear plan and budget are in place, demonstrating how funds will be spent effectively.
• There is clarity on how the project will directly benefit people in need and have a lasting impact.
• The organisation has an online presence and digital footprint, such as a website and social media accounts, so that we can clearly see the impact your organisation makes.

Find out more about Electrical Safety Fund here

 

Comic Relief Community Fund for England

Amount available: up to £5,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September (17:00)

The 2026/27 programme will focus on supporting the following thematic areas:

• Basic Needs – projects tackling homelessness, food and other essential goods, community hubs, welfare advice agencies and other cost of living-related issues.
• Early Childhood Development – supporting children up to the age of eight to grow, play and learn in safe environments with people who love and care for them.
• Safety – preventing violence against women and girls, forced migration or refugees/asylum seekers.

Organisations must be located in the same region where projects will be delivered.

Find out more about Comic Relief Community Fund for England here

 

The One Stop Community Partnership

Amount available: up to £500

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

Project type examples include:

• Tackling food poverty
• Supporting the vulnerable
• Supporting the elderly
• Supporting low-income families
• Running youth sports teams
• Reducing and/or recycling waste
• Improving the environment

Find out more about The One Stop Community Partnership here

 

Shoosmiths Foundation – Access to the Legal Profession Fund

Amount available: Up to £50,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September – the foundation may close applications early if enough suitable applications are received

Funding for UK-registered charities of all sizes running projects that widen access to legal and business services careers for underrepresented groups. These include organisations that improve access to higher education and careers in the profession, and reduce systemic barriers to legal careers.

Find out more about Shoosmiths Foundation – Access to the Legal Profession Fund here

 

The DWF Foundation

Amount available: The majority of their grants will fall under £5,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

The DWF Foundation supports registered charities with an impact in one or more of the following areas:

• Homelessness
• Health and wellbeing
• Employability
• Education
• Environment and Sustainability

Find out more about The DWF Foundation here

 

The Arts Society Grants

Amount available: up to £3,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September (23:59)

Grants are available for UK-based charities to deliver projects and activities that make the arts and heritage more accessible and support the communities that keep them thriving.

The theme of the current funding round is Community Engagement. Proposed projects should meet all of the following criteria:

• Focus on public arts or heritage events and festivals.
• Centre on community participation and cohesion.
• Bring the arts or heritage into shared public places.

UK-registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £1 million whose main activity is in the arts, crafts, and heritage sectors, can apply.

Find out more about The Arts Society Grants here

 

Arts Council England – Museum Transformation Programme

Amount available: £50,000 – £1million

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September 2026 (12:00)

Grants are available to support accredited regional and local museums in England working with local authorities to transform their operations and improve long-term financial and organisational sustainability.

It focuses on:

• Strengthening the financial and operational sustainability of museums.
• Supporting major organisational and business model transformation.
• Enabling museums to adapt to changing local authority and funding contexts.
• Improving long-term resilience and income generation.

Find out more about Arts Council England – Museum Transformation Programme here

 

Sunrise Medical Community Fund

Amount available: £5,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

Grants are available for community groups, sports clubs, disability organisations, and individuals across the UK to support projects and improvements that make community spaces and experiences more accessible and help to create more wheelchair-friendly and inclusive environments.

Proposed projects should encourage people to get active, connect with others, try something new, or make everyday life easier.

Find out more about Sunrise Medical Community Fund here

 

Riverhorse Trust

Amount available: £1,000–£5,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

The Riverhorse Trust provides grants to small charities with limited resources, helping them deliver vital services directly to the people who need them most.

They believe that lasting change begins locally. By supporting charities with an annual income under £100,000, they ensure our funding reaches groups working at the heart of their communities.

They fund organisations as well as specific projects, giving charities the flexibility to use the money where it is needed most — whether that’s running a support programme, keeping the doors open, or covering essential costs.

Find out mor about Riverhorse Trust here

 

Fat Beehive Foundation

Amount available: up to £2,500

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September 2026 for the October 2026 meeting.

The funding is intended to support the creation of websites or digital products that enable small charities to carry out their work in a more efficient and effective way, resulting in positive social benefit.

As only a limited number of projects can be supported based on the funding available for distribution, each year the Foundation determines priority areas for support and invites applications accordingly.

UK registered charities with an annual average income of less than £1 million may apply.

Successful applicants must agree to commence work on their project within three months of being awarded a grant.

Find out more about Fat Beehive Foundation here

 

Groundwork – Grassroots Grants

Amount available: £500 to £2,000

Deadline: Applications will close in September 2026

Grants are available for small, grassroots charities, community interest communities (CICs), and voluntary and community groups across England to deliver vital services that benefit their local communities.

Small, local, constituted voluntary and community organisations, including registered charities, with an annual income of less than £25,000 in the last financial year can apply.

Community interest companies (CICs) can apply if they have been in operating for two years with an asset lock (schedule one and two only).

Priority will be given to organisations that meet the following criteria:

• Funding is for work in communities that rank as being within the top 15% on the English Indices of Deprivation.
• Organisations that work with and support communities that are classed as marginalised or vulnerable.

Find out more about Groundwork – Grassroots Grants here

 

The CPF Trust

Amount available: £1,000 to £3,000

Deadline: Wednesday 30th September

Support for charities operating in the following areas: the arts, education, support for carers and older people, early intervention projects for disadvantaged children and young people, animal welfare and health and disability.

They will consider making grants towards revenue or capital costs and for project or core funding. Only one-year grants are made.

Find out more about The CPF Trust here

 

---

The Happiness Fund

Amount available: £10,000

Deadline: Friday 2nd October

Funding for grassroots, community-driven projects focused on mental health, wellbeing, inclusion, and skills development. If your initiative is non-profit, has a long-term impact, and helps people thrive, they want to hear from you.

Find out more about The Happiness Fund here

 

Places of Worship Renewal Fund

Amount available:

• Small grants of £10,000 to £50,000.
• Medium grants of £50,001 to £350,000.
• Large grants of £350,001 to £1 million.

The fund will not specifically rebate VAT. However, VAT on eligible works and costs will be eligible where it is not reclaimable.

Deadline: EOI Friday 2nd October (17:00)

The Fund is designed to support the repair of England’s treasured places of worship and targeted at places of most need. It is open to listed places of worship of all faiths and denominations in England. Applications will be assessed against the requirements of the fund, not faith or denomination.

The funding is intended for capital works that keep buildings safe, open and in public use. Priority will be given to projects in areas of England with the greatest need for investment, and those that bring most community benefit.

The fund’s objectives are to:

• Repair and safeguard historic places of worship in places most in need by undertaking the repairs that keep them in use
• Help places of worship stay active as community spaces
• Strengthen long-term resilience of the building and reduce future repair costs
• Target support in the most deprived areas of England where need is highest

Projects need to match one or more of Historic England’s priorities, which are to:

• Help more people to connect with, enjoy and benefit from the historic environment
• Use heritage to improve civic pride, prosperity, and wellbeing
• Achieve a positive change and sustainable future for historic places, including buildings, landscapes, archaeological sites, and marine assets
• Ensure heritage plays an important role in the fight to limit and manage the effects of climate change

Find out more about Places of Worship Renewal Fund here

 

Postcode Neighbourhood Trust – North of England

Amount available: up to £50,000 in total over a three-year period are available, depending on the organisation’s income.

The grant request must be no more than 75% of the applicant’s annual income listed on their most recent set of signed accounts.

Grant recipients will be asked how they want to split the award over the three years, with no more than 50% being taken in any one year.

Deadline: Thursday 4th October (12 noon)

The funding is intended to support organisations whose core purpose and everyday work align closely with one of the Trust’s current themes:

• Enabling participation in the arts.
• Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty.
• Supporting marginalized groups and/or tackling inequality.
• Improving mental health with a focus on organisations that are actively supporting specific mental health issues, rather than general mental wellbeing activities.

Find out more about Postcode Neighbourhood Trust – North of England here

 

Army Benevolent Fund – Grants to Organisations

Amount available: Grants to new partners are likely to be below £20,000

Deadline: Tuesday 6th October

The funding is intended to support charities and organisations with projects and activities that directly benefit the Army community in six key areas: independent living, elderly care, education and employability, mental fitness, families and housing.

All registered charitable organisations and community interest companies which support the Army community, which includes veterans, serving soldiers, their families and immediate dependants, may apply.

The Fund supports a broad range of charities, with a preference for charities and organisations which are members of the Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO) or Veterans Scotland.

The Charity prefers to support those organisations working directly with beneficiaries at a grassroots level.

Any charity that has not been supported by the Fund in the previous 24 months must contact the Fund before making a formal submission.

Charities or organisations providing mental health services to members of the Army family would normally be expected to be a member or at least signed up to the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services (QNVMHS) run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on behalf of the sector.

Find out more about Army Benevolent Fund – Grants to Organisations here

 

[NEW] Wembley Stadium Foundation – Targeted Fund

Amount available: up to £25,000 per year for up to two years

Deadline: There is a two-stage application process:

• Groups must first submit an expression of interest. The deadline to submit an expression of interest is Sunday 11th October
• Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to submit a full application. Decisions will be announced in December 2026.

This fund aims to support projects and activities that increase access to physical and performing arts activities for children and young people who face a particular barrier to participation as a result of who they are, where they live, or the circumstances they face, including but limited to disability, gender, race, or socio-economic disadvantage.

Funding will support organisations to strength or expand existing work, test new approaches, and create lasting opportunities for young people to play, move, create, and perform.

• Be a registered charity.
• Have an annual income of between £100,000 and £1 million in the most recent accounting year.
• Deliver projects engaging children and young people in England.

Find out more about Wembley Stadium Foundation – Targeted Fund here

 

Common Ground Award

Amount available:

• £20,000 and £50,000 for an individual organisation.
• £100,000 and £250,000 for a consortium.

Deadline: Monday 12th October

Capital grants are available for voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations based and operating in England whose services are bringing people together from different backgrounds to support the cost of constructing or renovating facilities, or the purchasing of equipment to deliver services.

The Common Ground Award aims to:

• Identify and reward good practice in building social connections across and between different communities and people from different backgrounds.
• Invest in the shared physical facilities, spaces and equipment that builds cohesion and resilience through enabling people from different backgrounds to come together.
• Build a community of practice, for knowledge sharing across the voluntary and community sector and with government.

To be eligible, organisations and consortiums must therefore directly work on at least one of the following core themes:

• Encouraging and enabling social mixing, promoting understanding and reducing divisions between different communities and people from different backgrounds
• Reducing prejudice, discrimination and hatred directed toward individuals and communities because of their background
• Resolving conflict and addressing tensions across and between communities.

Find out more about Common Ground Award here

 

Henry Smith Foundation – Maternity Equity Fund

Amount available: Grants totalling £185,000 are available and will be awarded as follows:

• £61,600 in year one and
• £61,700 in years two and three.

Groups must use at least £2,500 – £5,000 of the grant on staff wellbeing each year (depending on size of organisation).

Deadline: Wednesday 14th October, 5pm

All the relevant documents are available now on the Henry Smith Foundation website.

There is a two-stage application process:

• Expressions of Interest open at 9am on Thursday 3 September and close Wednesday 14th October (17:00).
• Applicants who are successful will be invited during the week beginning Monday 9th November to submit a full application.

The new Maternity Equity Fund is part of the Henry Smith Foundation Getting Started programme, which supports early intervention from conception up to and including birth, helping give babies and families the best start in life.

This Fund focuses on reducing avoidable harm and inequity during pregnancy and birth, from conception up to birth. Although the Foundation acknowledges that postnatal support is important, it is focusing this funding round on earlier, preventative support where community-based intervention may help improve access, experience and outcomes before harm escalates.

The Fund aims to reduce unfair and avoidable maternity inequities by:

• Improving access, experience and outcomes during pregnancy and birth.
• Strengthening trusted community-led organisations delivering preventative, trauma-informed and culturally-safe maternity support.
• Building and sharing learning about what works to improve maternity equity, influencing wider practice and systems over time.

Find out more about Henry Smith Foundation – Maternity Equity Fund here

 

The Triangle Trust – 1949 Fund

Amount available: Up to £100,000 for a duration of 18, 24, 30 or 36 months

Deadline: Expressions of interest will be accepted up until 2pm on Thursday 15th October

Funding for UK-based registered charities, non-profit social enterprises or community interest companies with a minimum annual income of £50,000 and maximum of £5m. The funds are for women and girls led organisations that work only with women and girls or work primarily in housing, employment or family support, and proposed projects must be solely for women aged 17-30 who have been in the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it.

Experience working with women in the criminal justice system, gender and trauma informed expertise, and a focus on lived experience are required for applicants.

Find out more about The Triangle Trust – 1949 Fund here

 

[NEW] Stop Loan Sharks Community Fund

Amount available: up to £5,000

Deadline: Friday 16th October

This fund aims to support creative community projects that help raise awareness of the dangers of loan sharks and illegal lending.

Funding is for projects that meet the following criteria:

• Contributing to raising awareness of the dangers of using loan sharks.
• Preventing crime and disorder and publicising the Stop Loan Sharks message.
• Promoting the work of the Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) in communities.
• Encouraging reporting of loan sharks.

Find out more about Stop Loan Sharks Community Fund here

 

Gardens Trust – community grant

Amount available: Up to £10,000 to seed fund volunteer-led projects which support historic designed landscapes

Deadline: Friday 16th October

Funding for UK volunteer groups – they do not need to be a registered charity, but must be able to show they are active and have a clear plan. The funds are intended towards sustainable research projects and volunteer training schemes, among other areas.

This fund aims to help seed-fund volunteer projects that will deliver projects and activities that improve, enhance, and support historic designed landscapes.

Find out more about Gardens Trust – community grant here

 

Green Community Grants Programme

Amount available: up to £25,000

Deadline: opens Wednesday 30th September and closes Wednesday 21 October.

The funding is for organisations whose main aims and objectives fit with one of the following Fund’s themes:

• Contributing to nature recovery and responding to the climate emergency.
• Improving nature-rich spaces and access to them.

The grants can be used for a wider range of sustainable activities, including recycling, litter picking, beach cleans or sustainable transport.

As funding is generally oversubscribed, priority will be given to organisations:

• With an income between £10,000 and £250,000.
• That work in communities located in the top 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
• Whose main activities are focused on supporting marginalised groups. This could include, but is not limited to, disabled people, communities experiencing racial inequity, and LGBT+ people.
• Organisations whose objects or purpose within its governing document relate to habitat or species restoration/protection.

Groups can apply for no more than 25% of their annual income listed on their most recent set of signed accounts.

Find out more about Green Community Grants Programme here

 

The Linnean Society – Our Local Nature Grants

Amount available: £1,000

Deadline: Sunday 25th October

The scheme provides grants to support innovative projects, designed and led by young people in the UK, which aim to increase access to local natural spaces and improve understanding of local biodiversity.

Find out more about The Linnean Society – Our Local Nature Grants here

 

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Reveal and Respond Programme Grants

Amount available:

Strand 1: Test and Develop Grants of £20,000 to £40,000 for two-year projects.
Strand 2: Scale and Strengthen Grants of £150,000 to £300,000 for projects lasting two to three years.

Deadline: Wednesday 28th October (12:00 pm)

Grants are available for UK registered charities, CICs and local authorities to support the mental health and wellbeing of specific underrepresented groups within the armed forces community within the UK.

This is a collaborative programme which requires that projects involve partnership between armed forces organisations and specialist non-armed forces organisations.

The programme is focused on improving access to appropriate mental health and wellbeing support for underrepresented groups within the armed forces community through tailored interventions that respond to identified barriers, needs and experiences. The funder is seeking projects that understand the barriers people face and have designed their support around those barriers, needs and experiences.

There is particular interest in projects supporting specific cohorts within the following groups:

• Female personnel
• Neurodivergent personnel
• LGBTQ+ personnel
• Ethnic minority and non-UK personnel
• Service children with SEND and their parents
• Serving and ex-serving personnel (or their partners) with caring responsibilities
• Bereaved service families
• Early service leavers and those experiencing unexpected or abrupt transition.

Projects must contribute to the following two outcomes in a way that is proportionate to the strand being applied to:

• Underrepresented groups in the armed forces community are more able to access mental health and wellbeing support, because the project has removed or responded to previously unmet need.
• Learning and understanding of the barriers, needs and experiences of underrepresented groups within the armed forces community is increased, shared and applied to improve support, practice and collaboration.

There are two strands:

• Strand 1: Test and Develop Grants are for organisations that want to test, develop or refine ways to improve access to mental health and wellbeing support for a specific underrepresented group or cohort within the armed forces community. This route is for projects that need space to understand what is getting in the way, test ideas and learn from delivery. Strand 1 projects must clearly address Outcome 1.
• Strand 2: Scale and Strengthen Grants are for larger projects that are ready to grow, improve or strengthen an approach that has already been tested or developed. This is suited to projects that already have learning, evidence or delivery experience behind it. Strand 2 projects must address both programme outcomes.

Find out more about Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Reveal and Respond Programme Grants here

 

Shackleton Award

Amount available: up to £15,000

Deadline: Monday 2nd November, 5pm.

Thanks to the generous support of the Francis Scott Trust, we are running our first ever Cumbria-only round of the Shackleton Award, looking for an outstanding individual whose new venture will make a real difference to the lives of children and young people in the county.

We are offering up to £15,000 as an unrestricted grant, membership of the Shackleton Leader network – 75 social entrepreneurs across the UK who connect through events, peer support and an active WhatsApp group plus a Leader Partner (a one-to-one pairing with an experienced Shackleton Leader).

We are looking for an individual with a fresh, ambitious idea that:

• Solely benefits young people (aged 0-25) facing barriers to reaching their full potential in Cumbria
• Is in its first 12 months of operation
• Is a registered charity, Community Interest Company (CIC) or Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Addresses a clear need
• Has the potential to grow and become sustainable.

Find out more about Shackleton Award here

 

Worshipful Company of Information Technologists Charity

Amount available: £5,000 – £15,000

Deadline: The number of applications is capped to 50 each quarter.

The next application window closes on Tuesday 3rd November (or when a cap of 50 applications is reached). It will reopen again every three months thereafter.

The funding is for projects that use technology in a meaningful way and support one or more of the charity’s priority areas:

• Education
• Inclusion
• Tech for charities
• Public understanding of technology.

There is particular interest in innovative projects involving areas such as AI, data and analytics, robotics, digital skills or accessibility technologies.

Projects are more likely to be successful if they:

• Have potential for lasting impact and wider adoption
• Demonstrate strong value for money and social impact
• Benefit at least 25 people in the UK
• Are innovative and not simply a business-as-usual activity
• Deliver clear and measurable outcomes

UK registered charities that have been established for at least one year and that have both an annual income and unrestricted reserves below £1 million may apply.

Find out more about Worshipful Company of Information Technologists Charity here

 

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Family Focus Programme

Amount available: £100,000 – £200,000 for projects being delivered for two to three years

Deadline: Wednesday 4th November (12 noon)

Grants are available for registered charities, Community Interest Companies, local authorities and NHS organisations for projects that help armed forces families with care needs to access support, improve wellbeing and resilience, and prepare for the future, either during service or transition and civilian life.

There are two project pathways, and applicants should offer support along one of the pathways:

• In-service support – for projects providing support to currently serving personnel and their family members where care needs significantly affect daily family life. Beneficiaries under this pathway will wish to keep serving in the armed forces and support will be tailored to enable them to do so.
• Moving on from service life – for projects providing support for families who are either transitioning out of the armed forces or within two years of leaving service and which will enable them to adjust to changing circumstances. Support may also be available for families affected by service-related ill-health that emerges later in civilian life and causes disruption to family functioning.

All projects must meet at least one of the following outcomes:

• Armed forces families with care needs report increased knowledge of, and confidence in accessing, information, advice, guidance and services relevant to their circumstances.
• Armed forces families with care needs report reduced loneliness and isolation, improved emotional wellbeing and increased resilience.
• Armed forces family members in a caregiving role develop skills, knowledge or confidence that improves their readiness to pursue volunteering, training or employment when the time is right for them.

Find out more about Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Family Focus Programme here

 

The LGBT+ Fund: Get Active Fund

Amount available: £5,000 to 25,000 per year are available for projects lasting one or two years. Applicants can request:

• One-year grants: £5,000 to £25,000 in total.
• Two-year grants: £10,000 to £50,000 in total.

Deadline: Wednesday 4th November (12:00)

The LGBT+ Fund: Get Active Fund provides support for community-based LGBT+ sports and physical activity organisations and projects across the UK. The fund aims to increase resources available to groups that are under-recognised by funding initiatives and improve access to physical activity for LGBT+ communities.

The fund will prioritise grassroots organisations supporting LGBT+ people who face additional barriers to participation. It recognises that LGBT+ individuals can experience social and systemic barriers that may reduce participation in physical activities, including within settings intended to be inclusive.

For the purposes of the fund, physical activity is defined as activity that intentionally and explicitly facilitates increased physical movement and wellbeing. Eligible activities may include hiking, skateboarding, football, ballroom and vogue, gardening, frisbee, dance and circus skills.

Find out more about The LGBT+ Fund: Get Active Fund here

 

easyfundraising unrestricted grant

Amount available: £1,000

Deadline: Sunday 8th November

The easyfundraising Impact Fund is back for a second round, but this time there are unrestricted grants of £1,000 available for community organisations to apply for – double the amount awarded in the spring. If you applied previously, you CAN apply again, whether you were successful or not.

The fund is open to UK based:

• Registered charities
• Other not-for-profit organisations
• Sports clubs and teams
• Schools and education settings
• Social enterprises and CICs
• After-school and youth groups
• Churches and religious organisations

How it’s awarded: The application form is straightforward. Grants will be awarded to organisations that best explain how they would use the £1000.
These grants are unrestricted, so can be used wherever it’s needed most, helping your organisation continue the amazing work you do.

Find out more about the easyfundraising unrestricted grant here

 

Screwfix Foundation

Amount available: in the region of £5,000

Deadline: Tuesday 10th November

The funding is intended for both national and local charities across the UK so that they can fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities specifically for those in need (by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability or other disadvantage or distress) in the UK.

Due to the very high number of applications received each quarter, Screwfix will give priority to the following projects:

• Where Screwfix is funding the project in full.
• Where the project will directly benefit people in need and will have a lasting impact.

Find out more about Screwfix Foundation here

 

School for Social Entrepreneurs – DPS Social Commitment Programme

Amount available: Up to £7,000

Deadline: Noon, Monday 16th November

Funding for early-stage organisations based in England or Wales with piloted business models, a plan to grow and annual income under £100,000. The funding is intended for organisations whose work helps people access or sustain a home, or reduces homelessness and rough sleeping.

Find out more about School for Social Entrepreneurs – DPS Social Commitment Programme here

 

Nuffield Foundation – Essential Employment Skills Fund

Amount available: up to £500,000

Deadline: Stage 1 Thursday 10th December

The primary aim of the programme is to improve the evidence on effective support for young people aged 16-24 facing significant barriers to work to develop essential employment skills and ultimately access good jobs.

The funding is to initiate or develop partnerships between stakeholders, which may include employers, educators, third sector providers, and local and regional government, to sustain support for young people. In addition, there is also interest in funding projects that aim to improve mechanisms for sharing learning or to advance approaches to measuring essential employment skills.

The fund is for programmes that support young people aged 16-24 or a narrower age group within that range, such as 16-19 year olds, living in the UK.
There needs to be a clear focus on young people facing significant barriers to work which may include focusing on young people with one or more of the following risk factors for being NEET:

• Low or no academic qualifications
• Persistent school absence or exclusion
• SEND, especially having an Education, Health and Care Plan
• Mental health difficulties
• Experience of the care system
• Young parenthood
• Being a young carer
• Belonging to a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller community
• Living in geographic areas with higher rates of youth unemployment.

Find out more about Nuffield Foundation – Essential Employment Skills Fund here

 

[NEW] Together for Service Families Open Programme

Amount available: £5,000 and £75,000 are available for projects of between 12 months and three years

Deadline: Wednesday 16th December (12 noon)

The funding supports projects that improve quality of life for serving armed forces families and respond to the challenges linked to mobility, separation and isolation. The funding will support pilot projects, or continuation or extension of existing work.

Projects should focus on service-related separation, relocation, or both, and they could help families:

• Manage the impact of time apart on mental health, wellbeing, resilience and relationships
• Find and access support following a move
• Build social connections and reduce isolation
• Settle successfully into a new community
• Improve understanding of what can prevent, reduce or lessen the impact of separation or relocation, and share that learning with other organisations.

Projects can take place in the UK or overseas and they need to respond to a clear need and be shaped by the lived experience of serving families. They should link to or add value to existing support, rather than duplicate it.

The direct and primary beneficiaries must be the families of current serving armed forces personnel, reservists and other personnel recognised under the Covenant.

Find out more about Together for Service Families Open Programme here

 

National Deaf Children’s Society – Community Grants

Amount available: £1,000 to £10,000

Deadline: None

This fund aims to support projects and activities that help to build communities that unite families of deaf children.

In this funding cycle, focus will be given to supporting deaf children in the early years (aged 0 to 5). This can be directly or indirectly, and can also involve older deaf children, deaf young people, families, and professionals.

Proposed projects should achieve one or more of the following aims:

• Parents and young people receive relevant localised support that’s unique to the area they live in.
• Families have access to peer support and advice, either from those in their situation or those who have been in their situation.
• Families are supported to build confidence and skills to aid their deaf child’s development. This includes providing knowledge and support specific to the child’s needs.
• Families have access to deaf mentors and role models, and to greater visibility of deaf adults. This could include empowering deaf young people to develop skills and confidence to become deaf role models and volunteers.
• Deaf children and young people have opportunities to make friends with one another, explore their deaf identity, and feel part of a community.
• Deaf children develop their communication through regular and consistent language exposure, interaction, and development.
• Professionals working with deaf children, including in education and care, have the information they need to support deaf children and have high aspirations for them.

Find out more about National Deaf Children’s Society – Community Grants here

 

Vinehill Trust

Amount available: £10,000 – £100,000

Deadline: at any time

The funding is intended for charitable, educational and ecclesiastical organisations across the UK in the following three areas of special interest:

Heritage

• to support historic building restoration projects that provide employment and training in traditional building crafts, including niche crafts such as carving, marbling, graining, stucco and scagliola work, mural and fresco work, leadwork, thatching, gilding, stained glass conservation and encaustic tiling and tile restoration. The term ‘historic building’ includes twentieth century buildings of architectural interest.
• to restore historic fixtures and fittings, curtilage structures and structures in designed landscapes, especially where opportunities for heritage skills training are provided.
• there is particular interest in projects in less affluent areas that can act as a catalyst for socio-economic improvement.

Music

• to support and build the UK’s choral and organ traditions whether in the context of school, church, cathedral or the wider community.
• to support the repair and restoration of historically or musically valuable organs in churches, cathedrals, civic buildings, or concert venues.
• to help children and young people to experience music-making, especially those who might otherwise not have this opportunity or who can benefit from an enriched opportunity.

Health

• to support projects that directly benefit UK residents and are focused on healthcare delivery (rather than general wellbeing).
• Permanent focus areas – applications are accepted at any time for projects that address acute conditions such as per-hospital care, life-saving equipment/training/intervention, and suicide prevention services.

In addition, there are temporary focus areas, covering both physical and mental health, that change each calendar year:

2027 cycle (for applications between 1 August 2026 and 30 June 2027)

• rehabilitation or aftercare for physical trauma or surgery.
• promotion of wellbeing through the creation or enhancement of green spaces, including the creation or preservation of urban wildlife habitats and the environmental improvement of leftover space
• oral and dental health outreach in particular provision of dental services for homeless and other vulnerable people and in rural areas

Find out more about Vinehill Trust here

 

Morrisons Foundation – Connecting Communities

Amount available: Grants up to £20,000 are available for up to nine months

Deadline: applications can be made at any time

Grants are available to registered charities for placed-based services to benefit local communities.

The Connecting Communities fund is for capital projects that make a difference to people’s lives, by improving infrastructure development and shared spaces. Projects should:

• Breathe new life into local spaces.
• Bring people together.
• Secure the future.

Find out more about Morrisons Foundation – Connecting Communities here

 

Wolfson Foundation – funding for charities working in mental health

Amount available: Typically between £40,000 and £75,000 (£25,000 the minimum grant amount)

Deadline: Rolling and staged programme with periodic cut-offs (stage one deadlines fall in January, ahead of a later stage two deadline around June).

Funding for UK-registered charities, exempt charities and local authorities which work in mental health. The funding is for capital projects (new buildings, refurbishment, or equipment) with a focus on training, employment and supported housing.

Find out more about Wolfson Foundation – funding for charities working in mental health here

---

Green Community Grants Programme – The Wildlife Trusts

Amount available: up to £25,000.

Deadline: Applications for 2026 will be accepted in the following windows:

Round Three: Wednesday 30th September to Thursday 1st October.

The funding is for organisations whose main aims and objectives fit with one of the following Fund’s themes:

• Contributing to nature recovery and responding to the climate emergency.
• Improving nature-rich spaces and access to them.

The grants can be used for a wider range of sustainable activities, including recycling, litter picking, beach cleans or sustainable transport.

To be eligible, applicants must have an annual income between £10,000 and £1 million in the most recent financial year.

As funding is generally oversubscribed, priority will be given to organisations:

• With an income of £250,000 or below.
• That work in communities located in the top 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
• Whose main activities are focused on supporting marginalised groups. This could include, but is not limited to, disabled people, communities experiencing racial inequity, and LGBT+ people.
• Organisations whose objects or purpose within its governing document relate to habitat or species restoration/protection.

Groups can apply for no more than 25% of their annual income listed on their most recent set of signed accounts.

Find out more about Green Community Grants Programme – The Wildlife Trusts here

 

Veolia Trust – Community Grant Scheme

Amount available: between £10,000 and £75,000

Deadline: Thursday 1st October (noon)

Reopens 20th August. Community Grant Scheme is available to constituted not-for-profit organisations, local authorities, and Environmental Bodies (EBs).

Grants  are available to create or improve buildings or outside spaces for the benefit of the community.

Funding priorities:

• Promotes community action and wellbeing
• Is inclusive and accessible to everyone and anyone to use
• Inspires the creation of a sustainable carbon neutral community space
• Protects and enhances biodiversity and natural habitats

Find out more about Veolia Trust – Community Grant Scheme here

 

Nuffield Foundation – Racial Diversity UK Fund

Amount available: Up to £500,000 for research projects examining racial diversity, inequality and inclusion in the UK. Grants can run from six months to three years.

Deadline: Monday 5th October. A second round will open in autumn 2027 on a different theme.

Funding for researchers, academics, charities and other organisations working on racial diversity, inequality and inclusion.

Find out more about Nuffield Foundation – Racial Diversity UK Fund

 

Aviva Foundation – Financial Futures Fund

Amount available: Not specified. Up to £3m in total awarded annually across two application rounds.

Deadline: Wednesday 7th October

Funding for UK-registered organisations with an annual income of £1m or more that deliver projects that build financial resilience, confidence and improve access to financial services, among other areas.

Find out more about Aviva Foundation – Financial Futures Fund here

 

Triangle Trust 1949 Fund

Amount available: £50,000 and £100,000 for a duration of 18 months to three years. A maximum of £50,000 per year can be requested.

Deadline: The Autumn 2026 Application Window for expression of interest forms opens Monday 7th September and closes Thursday 15th October (‘Young Women Aged 17-30’).

The Trust holds two grants rounds per year, Spring and Autumn. For the 2026 rounds, the funding priorities are:

• Spring round – helping young women and girls (aged 11-18): involved in county lines and gangs; those who are care experienced; and those who are either outside of education or at risk of school exclusion.
• Autumn round – supporting young women (aged 17-30): those already in contact with the criminal justice system who need holistic support to help them move away from offending; pre-release and through the gate support for young women to meet their immediate needs; and support for mothers prior to and after serving a custodial sentence.

The Trust is looking for proposals that target the most high risk young women and girls and applications will need to demonstrate that they are linked to schemes such as Out of Court Disposals and Point of Arrest Diversion initiatives as well as services working with those known to be at risk, such as girls who are looked after and those who are outside of education or on the edge of being excluded.

Applicant organisations will also need to show that they have strong links with Youth Offending Teams, probation, PRUs, schools and other relevant local partners who come into contact with this group of vulnerable young women and girls.

There is particular interest in projects working with young women and girls who are either care-experienced, come from Black or minoritized/racialised communities, are neurodiverse, excluded from school or vulnerable to being so, are involved with gangs and county lines, and work that is led by people with lived experience.

There is a two-stage application process.

• Stage one is to complete the online application form on the Triangle Trust website.
• Stage two will involve a visit from the Trust’s Director to the shortlisted applicants (usually between six and eight organisations).

Find out more about Triangle Trust 1949 Fund here

 

Heritage Crafts Association – Endangered Crafts Fund

Amount available: £2,000

Deadline: Friday 16th October (17:00)

The funding is intended to support projects focusing on crafts listed as endangered or critically endangered on the Red List of Endangered Crafts. It provides opportunities for makers and trainees to develop or share their skills in these high-risk crafts.

Applications will be accepted from individuals and voluntary and community organisations that can demonstrate that they are working the skills and knowledge that are listed on the Red List of Endangered Crafts.

In addition to the funding, successful applicants will receive support from the Grants and Awards Officer and the Heritage Crafts team. This will be unique to their project, but may include mentoring support, business support or signposting to other opportunities.

Find out more about Heritage Crafts Association – Endangered Crafts Fund here

 

Gardens Trust Community Grants

Amount available: up to £10,000

Deadline: Friday 16th October

Grants are available for charities and other voluntary organisations across the UK to deliver projects and activities that improve, enhance, and support historic designed landscapes.

Priority will be given to seed-funding/pump-priming for a sustainable activity, such as a restoration plan, Friends group set-up costs, research projects, or volunteer training schemes.

Projects that reflect the Gardens Trust’s priorities in conservation, knowledge sharing, and the encouragement of inclusive participation and enjoyment of historic designed landscapes are particularly welcomed.

Preference will be given to projects that will be completed within 18 months of the application.

Funding can be used to cover both capital and revenue projects.

Find out more about Gardens Trust Community Grants here

 

National Churches Trust – Large Grants Programme

Amount available: Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 are available. The current average is about £21,000.

Deadline:

• Stage 1 is a simple form to check the project is suitable for this programme. The next deadline is Tuesday 3rd November.
• Stage 2 applications are by invitation only to those applicants who were successful at Stage 1.

The Large Grants programme (formerly Cornerstone Grants) supports structural repairs and maintenance issues costing more than £100,000 or the installation of kitchen and toilets costing over £30,000.

Places of worship of any Christian denomination and age can apply.

Applications will be considered from listed and unlisted Christian places of worship across the UK.

To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that:

• The building must be a Christian place of worship (but not a cathedral) located within the UK, and originally built as a place of worship no less than 30 years ago.
• Works must be to the main church building. If applying for new facilities, the proposed works must be to the place of worship, or an extension thereof. The National Churches Trust will not fund new build or stand-alone structures. Exceptions may only be made upon request if the place of worship is Grade I / A listed, and the decision is endorsed by one of the UK Home Countries Heritage Bodies.
• Applicants must be the owners or have the right to carry out the work. If the church is not part of a main denomination, or registered with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, they must be a registered charity. Any place of worship whose annual income exceeds £100,000 must be registered with the Charity Commission.
• Buildings must be open for regular public worship for a minimum of 6 services per year. Buildings that have been closed to the public must have plans to reopen for regular worship and public access, and a congregation waiting to use the building on completion.
• Buildings must be open to the public for at least 100 days per year in addition to worship within a year of project completion. Applicants should tell the Trust if they will need to have special arrangements, such as keyholder details on display, in order to meet this requirement.
• Projects must be led, overseen and supervised by a suitably qualified professional, usually a professionally qualified architect (listed on the Register of Architects) or a chartered building surveyor (MRICS or FRICS). Where the building is listed, the professional must have conservation accreditation from one of the following conservation accreditation schemes at the stated level:
  • The Register of Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC). Architects should be listed at category ‘A’.
  • Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Architects should be listed as ‘Specialist Conservation Architect’.
  • The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). Architects should be listed as ‘Advanced’.
  • Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
  • Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT). Listed at ‘Accredited Conservationist’ level.
• Work must not have started before the online application is submitted.
• All necessary permissions (from the governing body i.e. Faculty signed off by the Chancellor, and if required, the local planning authority consent) must be approved, valid and in place at the point of application.

Find out more about National Churches Trust – Large Grants Programme here

 

Barclays Community Sport Fund 2025 to 2027

Amount available: Level 1 coaching grants: Football – £160 grant; Tennis – £200 grant; Cricket – £200 grant.

Deadline: Wednesday 4th November (09:00)

The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived and/or rural 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.

Female Coaches for Girls Grant 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.

Find out more about Barclays Community Sport Fund 2025 to 2027 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 12th November 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.

Find out more here

 

National Archives – Project Grants

Amount available: up to £30,000.

Deadline: Opening on 1st September with a deadline on Friday 13th November.

Grants are available to support substantial, collaborative initiatives between at least one GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) or heritage organisation and one community group within the UK.

This initiative aims to respond to a long-standing challenge in the UK’s GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) and heritage sectors: how to make innovation and learning from community-facing projects more sustainable, transferable, and accessible across the sector. Through a supportive funding structure, it aims to help communities and organisations share their work more widely and contribute to a growing body of knowledge that others can learn from and build upon.

The grants are intended to support in-depth research, skills development, and the creation of lasting resources that reflect diverse voices and experiences.

Projects should be co-designed and community-led, with a focus on inclusion, sustainability, and impact. Whether building upon a Seed Corn project or starting fresh, Project Grants are intended to create meaningful change and long-term value for both communities and institutions.

Projects should be inclusive, sustainable, and impactful, with a strong emphasis on shared ownership and mutual benefit. The funding is intended to support practical, creative, and developmental work that strengthens relationships between GLAM organisations and the communities they serve.

Applicants must not have received a Community Hub Project Grant before.

Find out more about National Archives – Project Grants here

 

Henry Smith Foundation – Holiday Grants for Children

Amount available: £500 – £3,500

Deadline: Applications for trips between Thursday 1st October and Thursday 31st December 2026 are open to Thursday 19th November.

The funding helps to provide opportunities for children aged 13 years or younger who face financial hardship, systemic inequity or disability to go on a short recreational holiday or outing they would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. Priority is given to fun and new experiences, such as camping, adventure activities, or visits to the seaside.

Youth groups and UK based non-profits with an organisational income below £2 million and schools in the UK are eligible to apply.

Priority will be given to projects that will benefit disadvantaged and disabled children in the most deprived areas in the UK. This means areas that fall within the bottom 20% according to the National Indices of Deprivation. For groups of children with disabilities, more flexibility will be given regarding the level of deprivation.

Grants are made on a first come, first served basis until the available funding for that round has been fully allocated. All applications should be received at least six weeks before the date of the trip to allow for administrative processing and decision making.

Find out more about Henry Smith Foundation – Holiday Grants for Children here

 

International Tree Foundation – UK Community Tree Planting Programme

Amount available: Grants are available for community woodlands/hedging projects that range from 100 – 10,000 trees planted per year, with a maximum price equivalent to £2.15 per tree (inclusive of tree protection and mulch).

In addition, these projects also receive two maintenance grants equivalent to £0.10 per tree, disbursed in the first and second summers after planting.

Deadline: Friday 11th December

The UK Community Tree Planting Programme supports projects run by community groups and voluntary organisations that engage communities in planting and caring for native species of trees.

The Programme supports community projects that will:

• Conserve, restore and protect indigenous trees and woodlands, forests, habitats and associated biodiversity.
• Support community engagement in tree planting to promote reforestation and to increase awareness of the importance of trees and forests to environmental and human well-being.
• Encourage social cohesion and inclusion.

Community-based organisations, such as a school, community group, social enterprise, non-governmental organisation, or parish council, can apply.

Find out more about International Tree Foundation – UK Community Tree Planting Programme here

 

National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment

Amount available: £300 to £20,000

Deadline: Not specified

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.

We fund projects that meet one of the following priorities:

• help people connect with and care for nature in their area
• make a positive difference to the environment

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

You cannot apply if you already have an Awards for All grant.

Find out more about National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment here

 

The Swan Mountain Trust

Amount available: £2,000 -£4,000

Deadline: none

The Swan Mountain Trust is a small grant-making trust. For the next three years, they will focus on organisations concerned with refugees and asylum seekers, with particular emphasis on the mental health of young people in these categories.

The Trustees meet three times a year in February, June and October. Applications can be submitted at any time, and an email enquiry in the first instance is appropriate. They generally focus on small organisations (under £500k income). They aim to support particular needs within target organisations.

Find out more about The Swan Mountain Trust here

 

The Schroder Charity Trust

Amount available: Up to £5,000

Deadline: Rolling, no fixed deadlines, applications assessed throughout the year

For UK registered charities across all four nations with an annual income between £50,000 and £2 million, working in any of five broad areas: arts, culture and heritage; education, training and employment; strengthening communities; environment and conservation; and health and wellbeing.

Grants can go towards core or project costs.

Find out more about The Schroder Charity Trust here

 

Access Foundation – Digital Divide Grants

Amount available: £20,000 – £50,000 for projects lasting up to one year

Deadline: There are no deadlines for applications. The Foundation aims to notify applicants a decision within 16 weeks of receipt of application, though ‘it could be much sooner’.

Grants are available for charities and not-for-profit organisations in the UK for projects that benefit disadvantaged people, including those left behind – or at risk of being left behind – by making computing facilities, support and learning available to disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

Find out more about Access Foundation – Digital Divide Grants here

 

Grants for Good – Funding for small charitable organisations

Amount available: up to £5,000

Deadline: Rolling

Grants for Good is funded by the John Good Group and is designed to direct funding only to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that are making a big impact on communities, people or the environment. To be eligible for our small charity funding, applicants must:

• Be a UK-based local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise
• Have an annual income of less than £50,000.
• Have a bank account in the organisation’s name.

They are most likely to fund projects that:

• Bring fresh, innovative ideas to life
• Create lasting, meaningful impact
• Focus on people, planet, or both
• Show strong leadership – through lived experience, knowledge, or commitment

Find out more about Grants for Good – Funding for small charitable organisations here

 

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme

Amount available: not stipulated

Deadline: none

The Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances. This Fund is administered by Family Fund Business Services.

This programme provides items for the most basic needs of vulnerable children and young people who may be:

• Living in severe poverty and suffering deprivation as a result.
• Affected by additional social issues such as domestic abuse, substance misuse, estrangement, disability or serious illness, mental health or behavioural difficulties, abuse or neglect.

Where possible, items will be provided directly rather than awarding a cash grant.

Applications will only be accepted from:

• Registered referrers.
• Support workers on behalf of the family.
• Professionals such as a teacher, GP, nurse, charity representative, housing or tenancy support worker.

The support is for the following:

• Children aged under 18 years who are experiencing a crisis or emergency.
• UK or EU citizens who are normally resident in the UK.
• Where the child or young person’s family do not have access to support and have insufficient resources to meet their needs.
• Where a child or young person’s family are experiencing poverty or destitution or are in receipt of a means tested benefits.
• Where vulnerable low income families have been affected by the recent severe floods.

Consideration may be given where a child or young person, or their family, have an asylum application under assessment or in circumstances where residency criteria is not consistent across the family unit.

Due to the high demand for BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials grants, only one application per household within a 12 month period will be accepted.
The application for each household will take into account the needs of all children under the one application, it does not mean only one child per household can be supported.

Find out more about BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme here

 

BBC Children in Need – Core Grants Programme

Amount available: Grants for up to three years. Up to £120,000 in total (or £40,000 per year), with most grants much less than this.

Deadline: Ongoing, no application deadline

Funding for small, local not-for-profit organisations working with young people aged 18 and under and based in the UK, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands.

Find out more about BBC Children in Need – Core Grants Programme here

 

DWF Foundation

Amount available: £100–£5,000

Deadline: Rolling

Provides small grants  to charities tackling community issues (e.g. homelessness, health and wellbeing, employability, education, environment and sustainability). Applications are rolling, with periodic committee deadlines. One-off funding only.

Find out more about DWF Foundation  here

 

True Colours Trust – UK Small Grants

Amount available: up to £10,000 are available, although many grants are smaller than this.

Deadline: Applications can be made at any time. The Trust aims to respond to applications with a final decision within 12 weeks.

Small grants are available to UK registered charities and community interest companies that are working to improve the lives of disabled children and young people up to the age of 25, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.

Applications are accepted from UK registered charitable organisations and community interest companies that:

• Have an annual income of less than £350,000
• Are delivering projects in the UK.
• Are working with children and young people aged from 0-25 years.
• Are open to children and families of all faiths, backgrounds and cultures.

The Trust is particularly keen to receive applications from organisations which operate in areas of high deprivation.

Find out more about True Colours Trust – UK Small Grants here

 

Arnold Clark Community Fund

Amount available: £2,500 (Cost of Living Support)

Deadline: No deadline, but applications might be paused.

The Arnold Clark Community Fund offers the following support at different times of the year:

• Cost of Living Support – funding to registered charities and community group that are within a 50-mile radius of an Arnold Clark branch and whose work directly supports those most affected by the cost-of-living crisis, such as foodbanks, accommodation, poverty relief and where people/communities in the UK are the primary and immediate focus of investment. This is currently open to support food banks, toy banks, homelessness and poverty relief.
• Communities Support – 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. This is expected to reopen in August 2026 with a focus on arts and culture and animal welfare.
• Gear Up for Sport – 150 sports kits given to support youth sports teams across the UK. Any youth team with up to 30 members aged 4 to 15 years can apply. This strand is expected to reopen in July 2026 for training equipment support.

Find out more about Arnold Clark Community Fund here

 

Tesco Fruit and Veg Grants

Amount available: Customers in Tesco stores throughout the UK vote on which of three local projects they wish to support.

The customer vote determines the amount of money a project receives:

• Grants of up to £1,500 for the project with the most votes.
• Grants of up to £1,000 for the second most votes.
• Grants of up to £500 for the third most votes.

Projects will be shortlisted every four months.

Deadline: There are no deadlines. This is a rolling programme, and applications can be made at any time.

Please note it can take between 12 to 18 months for groups to hear whether their project has been shortlisted to go to the public vote.

Applications are open to all local good causes that support children and young people, with a particular focus on projects that incorporate provision of healthy food including fruit and veg, such as breakfast clubs, providing holiday club lunches or healthy snacks.

The focus of the fund is getting schools who lack funds and resources to apply for extra financial help they might need to provide healthy food and activities that boost young people’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Priority is given to projects working in schools and organisations nominated by Tesco staff.

Find out more about Tesco Fruit and Veg Grants here

 

Cash For Kids – Holiday Hunger Grants

Amount available: usually between £1,000 to £3,000.

Deadline: No deadline, but the fund may close early if funds are depleted.

The aim of the Holiday Hunger Grants is to support organisations and service providers to give disadvantaged children and young people (up to and including 18 years old) access to food and activities during the school holidays. Projects must encourage children to eat more healthily and be more active during the school holidays.

Applications are accepted from the following organisations:

• Registered charity (with an annual turnover less than £1 million).
• School.
• Community group, voluntary group, youth group or sports group with a formal governance document (e.g. constitution, articles of association, club rules and regulations).

Projects must focus on outcomes that encourage children to eat more healthily and be more active during the school holidays.

Find out more about Cash For Kids – Holiday Hunger Grants here

 

Cash For Kids – Impact Grant

Amount available: usually between £1,000 to £3,000.

Deadline: No deadline, but the fund may close early if funds are depleted.

Grants to support disadvantaged children and young people (up to and including 18 years old) in the UK who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect or have additional support needs.

The Impact Grant (formerly General Grant) addresses the following themes:

• Poverty.
• Mental health and well-being.
• Sport and physical well-being.
• Disability or life-limiting illness.
• Education and essential skills.
• Diversity and inclusion.

Impact Grants for individuals are also available.

Applications are accepted from registered charities (with an annual turnover less than £1 million), schools, community organisations and other grassroots groups

Find out more about Cash For Kids – Impact Grant here

 

Heritage Revival Fund

Amount available:

• Project Viability Grants up to £20,000 to support early-stage work for up to one year. Match-funding is preferred, but not essential.
• Project Development Grants up to £100,000 to support development work for up to one year. At least 10% match funding is required.
• Capital Works Grants up to £500,000 to support repair, restoration and conservation work for up to 18 months. At least 20% match funding is required.

Deadline: various deadlines

The funding is intended to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings.

The programme will focus on regenerating historic buildings in town centre locations by supporting community organisations to take ownership of, adapt and reuse the local heritage assets that matter to them, transforming them into thriving spaces that meet their needs.

The Heritage Revival Fund aims to:

• Maximise the regeneration benefits of community ownership and control of heritage assets, assisting in making communities fit for the future.
• Protect, enhance and safeguard historic buildings across England, offering viable new uses for disused and underutilised properties.
• Build capacity within local community groups, social enterprise, and charities.
• Maximise the positive social and economic impacts around restoring historic buildings.

Priority will be given to:

• Historic building projects that can help regenerate town centres and deliver clear economic and social impacts for communities.
• Historic buildings in deprived areas, including in the top 30% most deprived areas according to the Indices of Deprivation.
• Projects that will bring historic buildings into community ownership.
• Projects that aim to restore and re-use vacant or at-risk buildings.

Find out more about Heritage Revival Fund here

 

Cellnex Community Fund

Amount available: up to £5,000

Deadline: can be submitted at any time

Grants are available for charities, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), and other not-for-profit organisations across the UK to deliver projects and activities that help to strengthen communities, build digital confidence, improve the environment, and help people access skills for the future.

Funding is for projects and activities that fall within one or more of the following themes:

• Digital Inclusion and Skills – Helping people to get online, build digital skills, or use technology with confidence.
• Circular Economy – Reducing waste, encouraging repair and reuse, or supporting sustainable use of materials.
• Biodiversity and Conservation – Improving local nature, protecting wildlife habitats, or supporting community environmental action.
• AI and Education – Building awareness of artificial intelligence, responsible use of technology, and STEM learning.

Find out more about Cellnex Community Fund here

 

Social Investment Business – Reach Fund

Amount available: Flexible grants from £5,000-£15,000 for charities, social enterprises and organisations to unlock the last requirements for investment.

Deadline: Not specified

Funding for charities and social enterprises in England that are close to raising social investment and need support to provide the final information an investor needs. To apply, organisations must work with an Access Point – a social investor approved by the Reach Fund who can refer organisations to apply for funding.

Find out more about Social Investment Business – Reach Fund here

 

Postcode Lottery – Dream Fund

Amount available: One £5m award for a collaborative project

Deadline: Applications are open but no fixed closing date has been announced

Funding for charities and not-for-profits in Britain with collaborative proposals. These initiatives should tackle major social and environmental challenges in British communities and demonstrate long-term impact. Project partners can also be universities, companies, councils or research institutes.

Find out more about Postcode Lottery – Dream Fund here

 

VocTech Together Programme

Amount available: in 2027, the VocTech Together Grant Fund will offer grants of between £20,000 and £40,000.

Deadline: details not provided. Applicants should complete the short form on the Ufi VocTech Trust website to receive further information and opportunities to get involved in the programme.

This programme aims to address systemic barriers in adult education and skills development through digital technology, focusing on challenges faced by underserved learners and supporting scalable solutions through collaboration and funding. Its objectives are to improve access to skills and employment pathways, strengthen workforce development, drive sustainable change in the UK skills system, and support collaboration to test and scale innovative VocTech solutions.

Rather than offering a single pathway or solution, VocTech Together engages organisations at different stages of adopting vocational technology, from early exploration to large-scale implementation across places, sectors or learner communities. The programme includes:

• A support programme to help smaller organisations adopt VocTech and improve learning outcomes.
• A grant fund to support embedding technology into practice and workforce development.
• Impact Partnerships to scale VocTech across places or sectors.
• A programme of evidence and impact to inform practice and policy.

Find out more about VocTech Together Programme here

 

The Morrisons Foundation

Amount available: up to £10,000

Deadline: Rolling

The Morrisons Foundation awards grants to registered charities to fully fund projects which make a positive difference in local communities in England, Scotland and Wales.

Applications should deliver on (at least) one of three objectives to be considered for support, these are:

1. Tackling poverty and social deprivation
2. Enhancing community spaces, facilities and services
3. Improving health and wellbeing

Find out more about The Morrisons Foundation here

 

Benefact Trust – Community Impact Grants

Amount available: Funding is awarded at the discretion of the trustees. Multi-year grants of up to three years are available. Groups are expected to have secured at least 30% of their total project costs before applying.

Deadline: Applications can be submitted at any time

Grants are available for churches, cathedrals, denominational bodies, Christian charities, schools, and theological institutions across the UK to deliver projects and activities that have a positive impact on communities.

This fund aims to support Christian organisations to deliver projects that will make a positive and transformative impact on lives and communities and contribute to the following objectives:

• Growing congregations and Christian communities.
• Addressing social challenges facing communities.
• Enabling wider community use of church buildings.
• Empowering Christian education.

Find out more about Benefact Trust – Community Impact Grants here

 

Homeless Link – Energy Resilience Fund

Amount available: A share from a pot totalling £15m. The fund offers a package of energy audit support and blended funding (60% loan and 40% grant). Eligible organisations can apply for blended funding of between £25,000 and £250,000.

Deadline: Not specified

Funding for charities working with people who are homeless, who need funding for a range of energy saving or generation projects.

These can include: energy efficient or saving lighting systems, glazing upgrades, solar PV panels, battery storage, heat pumps, insulation, electric vehicles or energy efficient equipment.

Find out more about Homeless Link – Energy Resilience Fund here

 

Quilter Foundation – New Financial Futures Fund

Amount available: The grants will be worth up to £1m over five years

Deadline: Not specified

The grants will support financial education programmes in partnership with specialist charities.

The grants will back large-scale UK programmes that deliver financial education to various priority groups at key life moments, from entering the workforce, to periods of financial hardship and retirement planning.

Find out more about Quilter Foundation – New Financial Futures Fund here

 

Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants Programme

Amount available: £500 and £3,000

Deadline: It is a rolling programme and applications will be accepted until all of the funding has been allocated.

The funding supports physical activity projects for people living with Parkinson’s across the UK, with a particular focus on encouraging those who are currently inactive to get involved and connect with local opportunities that help them move more creatively.

The priorities for this year’s grants programme are:

• Supporting people with Parkinson’s to participate in movement based activities that build confidence and foster a lasting interest in being physically active.
• Engaging people with Parkinson’s who are currently inactive to begin physical activity and maintain ongoing participation.

This year, in recognition that some people face additional barriers to engaging in physical activity, the programme has broadened its scope to include ‘Gateway Activities. These activities help people with Parkinson’s build confidence and develop an interest in movement-based activity. Examples include arts-based activities such as theatre, musical and circus skills, singing and movement, playing large instruments that require significant movement (such as samba drumming), and gardening or horticulture projects.

Find out more about Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants Programme here

 

Aviva Foundation – Financial Futures Fund and Communities Fund

Amount available: 1) Financial Futures Fund: multi-year grant funding for large organisations with incomes of more than £1m. 2) Communities Fund: Match-funding through a crowdfunding platform for small charities and not-for-profits with incomes of less than £1m.

Deadline: Unspecified

Funding for UK-based organisations which help people build financial resilience and support community-led climate action.

Find out more about Aviva Foundation – Financial Futures Fund and Communities Fund here

 

Greggs Foundation – Community Action Fund

Amount available: £20,000 per year for up to three years of core funding

Deadline: Currently no fixed deadline – there are four funding rounds per year

Funding for not-for-profits with annual incomes between £25,000 and £1m. Those that have at least one full year of delivered services and a set of annual accounts, a board of at least three unrelated trustees or directors and a strong presence in one of Greggs’ areas of focus, ie near an outlet or in areas of social deprivation.

Find out more about Greggs Foundation – Community Action Fund here

 

St Martin in the Fields – Homelessness Support

Amount available: Up to £500

Deadline: None

VRF awards fast emergency grants of up to £500 to help people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. These crisis grants can be used to remove immediate barriers such as rent in advance, deposits, ID, and removal costs.

You can register for a VRF account today using your direct work email address and once approved, you can start an application via our Application Portal.

Fid out more about the fund and process here

If you would like more information, please register to join one our Teams webinar where we can discuss our grant offer and answer any questions you might have. Once registered, you’ll be emailed a link to join the webinar at the scheduled time:

Tuesday 10th February 14:00 – 15:15. Please register for the event using your work email address via this link

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more 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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation

Amount available: Over £5,000. Although not a fixed rule, applicants are advised to consider requesting no more than 50% of the total project cost.

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.

AGCF provides grants for:

• The British Church Fund, for Roman Catholic charities.
• The General Fund, for various projects related to one or more of the Foundation’s funding priorities.

The funding is for charitable work that meets one or more of the Foundation’s current priorities:

• • 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.

To be eligible, applicants must have reserves of between 3 and 12 months’ worth of annual expenditure. The Foundation follows this formula: unrestricted funds – fixed assets = free reserves. All eligible projects must be run by registered charities or associated with Roman Catholic Diocesan charities.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more and apply here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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.

Find out more here

 

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

---

Writing a Successful Funding Application

Wednesday 16th September, Online. This 3 hour course provides a beginner’s guide to how to write a successful funding application, using the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards For All online application form as an example.

This course is suited to people who haven’t written a funding application before, or want a refresher on the fundamentals of writing a successful application in a competitive funding landscape.

Find out more and book here

 

South Lakes Funding Fair

Tuesday 22nd September, Kendal. This event provides a fantastic opportunity for local groups in South Cumbria to directly engage in person with local and national funders and support groups regarding projects/funding requirements as well as networking with other organisations.

Tickets are free, and attendees can choose to book a morning (10am – noon) or afternoon (1pm – 3pm) slot.

Find out more and book here

 

Trusts & Foundations Funding: Expert Advice from a Grant Assessor, Funder and The List Author

Tuesday 29th September, online. Join Fundraising Everywhere where they’ll share a practical and insight-packed 90-minute webinar bringing together leading voices from across the fundraising and grant-making landscape.

Whether you’re new to trust fundraising or an experienced practitioner looking to increase your success rate, this session will provide practical tips, insider knowledge and actionable advice you can apply immediately.

Find out more and book here

 

Winning Grants From Trusts & Foundations

Tuesday 29th & Wednesday 30th September, online. Trusts and foundations make over £4 billion in grants each year, but competition is high. This practical two day online course will equip you with the tools and confidence to secure more funding and stand out from the crowd in a very competitive funding landscape.

This course is for: People who already have some experience of trusts fundraising but would like to add more quality and strategy to their approach, maintain success in a tough funding landscape, and gain more insight into the mindset of funders.

Find out more and book here

 

Get Grants FREE Virtual Conference

Tuesday 6th & Wednesday 7th October, online. Join Get Grants for two days of expert fundraising advice, top tips, Q&As, networking, peer-support, and lots of chat!

The Conference is a celebration of fundraisers, with a programme designed around the topics you want to talk about.

Bringing together thousands of fundraisers from across the UK every year, this fun and heart-warming event with lots of practical advice is not your typical fundraising conference!

Find out more and book here

 

Carlisle Funding Fair

Wednesday 21st October, Carlisle. This event provides a fantastic opportunity for local groups in Carlisle to directly engage in person with local and national funders and support groups regarding projects/funding requirements as well as networking with other organisations.

Tickets are free, and attendees can choose to book a morning (10am – noon) or afternoon (1pm – 3pm) slot.

Find out more and book here