Welcome to October’s funding update.
This update is split into two parts. Section A features funders with a local or regional focus. Section B features funders who work across England. In both sections, funders are listed in order of deadline date, soonest first. Funders without a deadline date appear after this.
This update can only provide a snapshot of these funders so we recommend visiting the funders’ websites for full details before you apply. Most funders in this list have a website, which you can access by clicking on the name of the funder. Full contact details have been provided for funders that do not have a website.
A. Funders with a local / regional interest
Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust
Deadline: 15th November 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities that have been operating for at least three years
Size of grant available: Grants are usually £1,000-£5,000
Priorities: Projects must be based in Birmingham, the Black Country or Worcestershire and relate to at least one of the Trust’s priorities:
- Children and young people
- Disability and health
- Environment & heritage
- The arts
- Work in the community
- Social support
- Hospices
Grants can cover project, capital expenditure or core costs
How to apply: Full guidelines and an online application form are available on The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust website. Successful applicants are usually notified of a decision within two weeks of the meeting, which is on 6th December.
Sheldon Trust
Deadline: 21st November 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities with annual income of less than £1 million and free unrestricted reserves of less than six months of annual expenditure
Size of grant available: Up to £10,000
Priorities: There is a strong preference for West Midlands organisations. Applicants should be seeking funding to support one of the following areas:
- Community projects within the West Midlands that address identified local needs of a community nature
- Special needs groups within the West Midlands which assist groups that are at a disadvantage in society due to age, health or learning issues
- Youth development (nationally) which address the needs of 16-25 year olds, especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET). Applications are encouraged from programmes which encourage individual young people to expand their experiences and challenge their capacities
How to apply: Online applications only, through the trust’s website. Deadlines are subject to change without notice. The online application process will close as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. Applicants are urged to check the website for updates.
Enovert Community Trust
Deadline: 30th November 2024
Who can apply: Not-for-profit organisations such as charities, CICs, constituted community organisations located within 10 miles of the landfill site operated by Enovert Limited in Kingswinford
Size of grant available: There is no fixed maximum grant value, however the Trust give a figure of £50,000 as a guide. The Trust requires all applicants to secure 10% independent third party funding (e.g. for a grant of £20,000 a third party must be found who will be willing to contribute £2,000 to Enovert Management Ltd to reimburse it for the tax credit)
Priorities: Funding for capital and environmental projects in community spaces. This includes improving community halls, the creation of new play areas and skate parks, and restoring green spaces. Before applying, applicants must:
- Have secured all permissions and consents required for the project before submitting their application
- Be able to deliver their project within six months of receiving a grant
How to Apply: Application forms and guidelines can be found on the Enovert Trust website.
FCC Community Action Fund – England
Deadline: 4th December 2024
Who can apply: Applications will be accepted from the following types of organisations:
- Registered charities which operate a community facility
- Churches or parochial church councils
- Local authorities
- Community amateur sports clubs (CASCs)
Applicants are advised to discuss their eligibility before applying. The project site must be owned, leased or under long term formal management agreement by the applying organisation. Any lease or management agreement must be in place before any application is made and have at least five years left to run. Projects must be based within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility. Applicants should use the calculator to determine if their project is located within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility site
Size of grant available: Grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 are available for projects with a maximum total project cost of £500,000 (including VAT if relevant). All grant recipients are required to secure a ‘Contributing Third Party’ (CTP) payment. This is a very specific payment required to be paid to the landfill operator and it is not the same as match funding. Full details can be found in the guidance notes
Priorities: The funding is intended to support not-for-profit organisations with the costs of making physical improvements to single amenity sites that are open and accessible to the general public. The facility should be somewhere the general public can go, join, or use, for leisure or entertainment purposes without any limit or restriction of use
How to apply: Round 4 opened 18th September 2024 and closes 4th December 2024 (5pm). The guidance notes and online application system can be found on the FCC Communities Foundation website.
Millennium Point Trust – STEM Grants
Deadline: 6th December 2024
Who can apply: Any type of constituted not-for-profit organisation, such as registered charities, community groups and CICs
Size of grant available: £1,000-£20,000
Priorities: Grants are available to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) projects. Funding is intended for projects that fulfil one or more of the following:
- Introduce exciting and innovative STEM projects or activities into the classroom which in turn engage pupils of all ages from nursery up to school leavers
- Inspire an interest in STEM subjects in schools
- Engage underprivileged or marginalised groups in STEM learning, making it more accessible and inclusive
- Focus strongly on enhancing STEM across the curriculum
Promoting STEM careers
Projects will need to fulfil one or more of the following:
- Target young people to pursue careers in STEM from an early age
- Deliver ‘STEM-centric’ events to engage young people
- Encourage parents and or teachers to learn more about STEM opportunities and STEM career choices open to young people
- Develop school programmes of work to showcase STEM career opportunities
Purchasing of STEM resources
Projects will need to fulfil one or more of the following:
- Enhance STEM education through the purchase of STEM equipment for schools or nurseries, or other organisations
- Improve knowledge through the purchasing of STEM literature/books. Ideally, this will be linked to a larger STEM project
- Provide digital resources for pupils (i.e., laptops/ iPads/Google chromebooks etc)
- Reduce digital poverty and provide further opportunities to engage in new STEM skills and learning
How to apply: Guidance notes and the application form are available from the website of Millennium Point Charitable Trust. Applications must be submitted by email.
West Midlands Access Programme
Who can apply: Registered charities and social enterprises that are supporting people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis in areas of the West Midlands where deprivation is most severe
Support on offer: Two types of funding are available:
- Grants of between £5,000 and £7,500
- Blended finance payments (combined loan and grant) of between £20,000 to £40,000. Grants can make up to 50% of the total blended finance payment
The repayment term for loans is 60 months and there is an arrangement fee of 5% of the loan value. The annual interest rate for loans is 9.75% (fixed)
Priorities: To be eligible, organisations must be seeking to diversify and root their service models in enterprise activity. They must be providing one or more of the following critical services:
- Food and emergency supplies (e.g., food and baby banks or the provision of hot meals, clothes, or toiletries)
- Emergency shelter (e.g., night shelters or other accommodation for people experiencing homelessness)
- Safe spaces (e.g., domestic abuse services and youth services)
- Warmth – warm rooms and spaces
- Financial and housing advice – giving people advice because of the increased cost of living
How to apply: Complete the enquiry form on the Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust website to initiate the application process. Full guidelines are also available on the website.
Heart of England – Positive Futures Fund
Who can apply: Registered charities and constituted voluntary and community groups based in Birmingham and the Black Country
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000
Priorities: The aim of the fund is to support organisations who are working with disadvantaged young people aged 13-25 years old in Birmingham and the Black Country. The fund will prioritise and focus on:
- Projects that work in innovative ways to inspire young people and keep them out of the criminal justice system
- Projects that that create lasting change for young people
How to apply: The application form is available to complete on the Heart of England Community Foundation website, along with full guidelines.
Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Grants usually range between £3,000 and £20,000
Priorities: Grants are grouped under seven main headings for projects that support and develop these areas:
Size of grant available: Grants usually range between £3,000 and £20,000
Priorities: Grants are grouped under seven main headings for projects that support and develop these areas:
- Arts and culture
- Community projects and integration
- Compassionate support
- Conservation and environment
- Interfaith and multifaith relations
- Education and training
- Research
How to apply: Apply online at the Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust website.
B. National Funders
Deadline: 14th November 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities only. In exceptional circumstances Community Interest Companies (CICs) may be considered
Size of grant available: There are two levels of funding:
- Small grants of up to £5,000.
- Main Grants have no maximum amount.
Grants are normally awarded for one year only; however, in exceptional cases, applications for multi-year funding of up to three years, will be considered
Priorities: The current priority areas are:
- 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 with young people (up to age 25 years) from disadvantaged and socio-economically challenged groups, such as immigrants, to ensure they are given every possible chance to realise their full potential and to participate fully in society
How to apply: The guidelines and application forms can be found on the Trust’s website. The completed form must be printed, signed and posted to the Trust’s office along with the supporting documents. It must arrive by midday on the closing date
Future deadlines:
- 14th November 2024 to be considered in February 2025
- 13th March 2025 to be considered in June 2025
- 3rd July 2025 to be considered in October 2025
- 13th November 2025 to be considered in February 2026
Any applications that arrive too late for consideration at one meeting are automatically rolled forward to the next.
B&Q Foundation Grants
Deadline: 15th November 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: There are two levels of grants:
- Up to £5,000 for garden projects
- Up to £10,000 for building or indoor projects
Priorities: The funding is intended for organisations that work with people in need (by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability, other disadvantage or distress) in the UK and who need funding for the following:
- Projects that provide, maintain, repair or improve housing or community space
- Supporting people experiencing poor housing or homelessness
How to apply: The guidance notes and FAQs can be found on the B&Q Foundation website. The application process is managed by Neighbourly. Applicants will need to create a profile on the Neighbourly platform as part of the B&Q Foundation application process. The profile can also be used to access other types of support on the Neighbourly platform.
Deadline: 15th November 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities that have unrestricted net assets of not more than £200,000 or of less than one year’s income
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000
Priorities: The funding is intended for UK based children’s charities who are working for the benefit of disadvantaged children under the age of 13 years and their families
How to apply: Applications can be made at any time throughout the year and will be considered at the next Trustee meeting. The online application form and application guidance can be found on the Toy Trust website
Future deadlines: The following deadlines apply:
Who can apply: Registered charities that have unrestricted net assets of not more than £200,000 or of less than one year’s income
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000
Priorities: The funding is intended for UK based children’s charities who are working for the benefit of disadvantaged children under the age of 13 years and their families
How to apply: Applications can be made at any time throughout the year and will be considered at the next Trustee meeting. The online application form and application guidance can be found on the Toy Trust website
Future deadlines: The following deadlines apply:
- Mid February for the March meeting
- Mid June for the July meeting
- Mid August for the September meeting
- Mid November for the December meeting
LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund
Deadline: 21st November 2024
Who can apply: Any constituted not-for-profit that is led by and for LGBT+ people and specifically working with one or more of the following communities of focus:
- D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent LGBT+ people
- LGBTQIA+ women
- LGBT+ people of the global majority
- Older LGBT+ people
- Trans and non-binary people
Size of grant available: £100-£25,000
Priorities: The aims of the fund are to:
- Support intersectional LGBT+ organisations to grow and influence the LGBT+ voluntary sector in more equitable ways
- Ensure intersectional LGBT+ organisations are better equipped to work with their beneficiaries as a result of receiving funding and support
- Enable intersectional LGBT+ organisations to gain more confidence to develop relationships with and/or apply for grants through other funders
How to apply: Full guidelines and an online application form can be found on the Consortium website. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis until the fund closes for applications on 21 November 2024 (12 noon). Notification of decisions within four months of applying.
Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2025
Deadline: 25th November 2024
Who can apply: Registered and exempt charities, CICs and constituted community groups that can demonstrate they are properly set up not-for-profits that can demonstrate good financial health over the last two financial years
Size of grant available: The following grants are available:
- Tier 1: smaller projects between £5,000 and £24,999
- Tier 2: larger projects between £25,000 and £50,000
Applicants seeking funding of less than £5,000 should contact their local authority or council for voluntary service (CVS) to explore the possibility of inclusion in a larger bid
Priorities: To commemorate, celebrate and educate people about the history of the MV Empire Windrush and the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants. Projects must:
- Include an event or activity on Windrush Day itself (22 June)
- Take place before 30 September 2025
Projects should primarily focus on at least one of the following overarching aims of the scheme:
- To educate people about the Windrush story
- To foster a greater sense of national pride and recognition of the historic and ongoing contributions made by the Windrush generation and their descendants to UK society
- To develop the skills and entrepreneurial ambitions of young people
- To celebrate and commemorate the continued contributions of the Windrush generation to the UK
In addition, all proposals should have the following aim:
- To be community-led and have a positive social impact. Projects should be developed by, or with, the Windrush generation and their descendants, and organisations should carefully consider how the project will create a positive social impact in their local area, and help to galvanise communities to work together to embrace positive aspects of their shared identity
Proposed projects should achieve all of the following outcomes:
- Greater community cohesion: projects should encourage communities to work together across generational and social divides
- Have a lasting impact beyond the funding period: this could be through forming new partnerships or producing assets that can continue to be shared in the future, such as videos and stories from elders
- Increased acknowledgment of the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants: projects should be better enable education about the Windrush generation’s contributions to UK society, as well as wider contributions made by their descendants to UK communities
How to apply: Guidance notes are available from the MHCLG (Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government) website. An online application form is available from the Near Neighbours website.
CISI Future Foundation
Deadline: 29th November 2024
Who can apply: Charities and other not-for-profit organisations with financial reserves of less than £5 million can apply. Applicants must be able to demonstrate expertise and experience in the area of financial literacy
Size of grant available: The minimum grant is £20,000 for projects that last between 6 months and 3 years
Priorities: To support organisations with new programmes which align with the Foundation’s objective of increasing financial literacy skills, in particular those working with young people and groups which face demonstrable socio-economic challenges
How to apply: To register your interest to apply for a CISI Future Foundation grant to fund your project or initiative, please email futurefoundation@cisi.org with the name of your organisation and a brief overview of your intended use of the grant. For more information, visit the CISI Future Foundation website.
Tree Council – Branching Out Fund
Deadline: 1st December 2024
Who can apply: Small registered charities, CICs limited by guarantee, constituted community groups
Size of grant available: £250-£2,500
Priorities: The funding is for tree and hedge planting projects taking place during the 2024/25 winter planting season. Grants will be paid after planting has taken place and upon submission of a claim form, receipts and photos (evidence of planting). Grants can be used for:
- Bare root, UK-sourced and grown, native trees of an appropriate size (priority will be given to younger trees that will establish better)
- UK-sourced and grown, bare-root whips (saplings) and cell grown (root trainer) stock for hedging projects (between 40-120cm height)
- Hedgerow trees
- Orchards, such as fruit trees on semi-vigorous, vigorous, and very vigorous rootstocks
- Cardboard/bioplastic tree/hedge guards
- Non-plastic ties
- Stakes (coppiced material such as chestnut or hazel is prefered, although machined softwood will also be considered)
- Mulch
- Non-peat-based soil improvers if needed
The following may also be considered:
- Non-native tree varieties if appropriate to the setting, eg urban/park etc
- Non-native varieties and species that are chosen to take into account climate change adaptation and resilience
- Fruit trees on dwarfing rootstock, if the setting is appropriate
- Trees in containers/raised beds if the reason is adequately explained and supported by a robust and comprehensive irrigation and aftercare plan
- More robust and costly guards if the setting justifies it, eg near a sports field or for street trees
- Other project resources to support tree establishment such as irrigation equipment like watering cans/irrigation aids, and PPE
Projects that are worth between £250 and £500 should provide evidence of:
- Strong community involvement
- Involvement of local schools
- Engaging young people in planning, delivery and aftercare
- Involving a broad cross section of the community (eg age, gender, ethnicity)
- Good value for money
- Project is part of wider environmental initiatives
- Access to relevant experience within the group or available locally
- Trees sourced locally from a local tree nursery and/or community tree nursery
Projects that are worth between £500 and £2,500 must also demonstrate:
- The inclusion of different tree types eg individual trees, hedges, hedges with hedgerow trees or orchards
- A considered establishment and aftercare plan
- Involvement of local Tree Warden/s
- That the project is volunteer-managed and delivered
- Consideration of risk management eg in identifying the presence of underground service/utilities
- An understanding of the project site and that it is suitable for tree planting (eg contacting a local ecologist/wildlife trust/local natural history society)
Funding is for projects taking place during the 2024/25 planting season (end of November 2024 until early February 2025). Priority will be given to applicants that have strong community engagement embedded from the beginning of the planting project. All projects must have planted and submitted a claim form before 16 March 2025 (midnight)
How to apply: Guidance notes and an online application form are available from the Tree Council website.
National Churches Trust
Deadline: 17th December 2024
Who can apply: Christian churches of any denomination
Size of grant available: £3,000-£10,000 to cover project costs of £20,000 to £80,000 (including VAT and fees)
Priorities: The Trust supports church and chapel buildings open for worship throughout the UK. It funds urgent repairs and modernisation, provides expert advice on church maintenance and on how churches can continue to serve local communities and promote church heritage and tourism.To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that:
Who can apply: Christian churches of any denomination
Size of grant available: £3,000-£10,000 to cover project costs of £20,000 to £80,000 (including VAT and fees)
Priorities: The Trust supports church and chapel buildings open for worship throughout the UK. It funds urgent repairs and modernisation, provides expert advice on church maintenance and on how churches can continue to serve local communities and promote church heritage and tourism.To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that:
- The building is a Christian place of worship (but not a cathedral) within the UK, and open for at least six services of public worship each year
- They own the building or have the right to carry out the work. If the church is not part of a major denomination, then the denomination must be registered with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or have charitable status
- The place of worship was built as a place of worship originally and is more than 30 years old
- The works must be to the main church building either directly part of the building or attached to it
- The building is open to the public for a minimum of 100 days a year beyond worship use
- They have already raised at least 50% of the total project cost
- The project has not yet started
- The project is being led by a qualified professional, with conservation accreditation from a recognised institution if it is a listed building
- They have two quotes in place for each element of the work in the application
- Any necessary permissions are in place.
How to apply: Guidance notes and the online application form can be found on the National Churches Trust website.
Who can apply: Registered charities only. Please note: organisations applying in the:
- Health and wellbeing category should have a total annual income of below £150,000
- Support for the homeless category should have a total annual income of below £1 million
Size of grant available: The following funding is currently available:
- Core funding of hospices – typical grant sizes now range from £10,000 to £30,000
- Core funding support for the homeless – typical grant sizes now range from £4,000 to £7,000
- Promoting health and wellbeing – typical grant sizes range from £1,000 to £5,000
Priorities: Core funding is available to support local charities that:
- Provide hospice care – this is a priority area
- Provide support for the homeless
- Promote health and wellbeing for areas such as family support eg Home Start, children and young people counselling services, suicide prevention, specific carers support, cancer support, prisoner support and rehabilitation, community centres, food banks and debt advice
How to apply: Groups that wish to apply under the health and wellbeing heading should first contact the Trust to see if their application would be considered. Applications are made using the online application form on the Albert Hunt Trust website. The funder is happy to speak to organisations that are considering making an application.
Allen Lane Foundation
Who can apply: Constituted not-for-profit organisations such as voluntary organisations, community groups, registered charities and CICs
Size of grant available: One-off grants of between £500 and £15,000 are available. The average grant is between £5,000 and £6,000. Grants repeated for more than one year vary from around £500 per annum up to £5,000 per annum, for a maximum of three years
Priorities: The funder aims to help organisations to become sustainable. The funding will support running and core costs to enable them to have flexibility, security and longevity. To be eligible, the work must directly benefit adults from the following groups, or generalist work which includes significant numbers from more than one such group:
- Asylum seekers and refugees (but not groups working with a single nationality)
- Gypsies and Travellers
- Offenders and ex-offenders
- Older people
- People experiencing mental health problems
- People experiencing violence or abuse
- Young people (people aged approximately 12-21 from across a broader range of backgrounds)
The following types of activities are eligible for support:
- Provision of advice or information
- Advocacy
- Arts activities where the primary purpose is therapeutic or social
- Befriending or mentoring
- Mediation or conflict resolution
- Practical work, such as gardening or recycling, which benefits both the provider and the recipient
- Self-help groups
- Social activities or drop-in centres
- Strengthening the rights of particular groups and enabling their views and experiences to be heard by policy-makers
- Research and education aimed at changing public attitudes or policy
- Work aimed at combating stigma or discrimination
- Work developing practical alternatives to violence
Grants may be used for start-up, core or project costs, for example:
- Volunteers’ or participants’ expenses
- Venue hire
- Part-time or sessional staffing costs
- Work aimed at strengthening the organisation such as trustee or staff training
The Foundation is particularly interested in unusual, imaginative or pioneering projects which have perhaps not yet caught the public imagination
How to apply: The Foundation has an online application system. The first step is to go through the online eligibility quiz. Those who are eligible will be directed to the application form. For more information and contact details, visit the Allen Lane Foundation website.
Morrisons Foundation
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Up to £10,000
Priorities: The funding is for specific projects which make a difference to people’s lives, with special consideration for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Projects should address the following criteria:
- Tackle poverty and social deprivation
- Enhance community spaces, facilities and services
- Improve health and wellbeing
How to apply: Apply online at the Morrisons Foundation website, where full guidance is also provided.
Monica Rabagliati Charitable Trust
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Most grants tend to be in the £2,000 to £3,000 range
Priorities: The funding is for charities that address child suffering and deprivation.
How to apply: The Trust does not have an email or a website. Groups should call the Monica Rabagliati Charitable Trust on 020 7597 3065 to request an application form and for further information.
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