July’s funding news

Deadline: 18/09/2026
Who can apply: Any type of not-for-profit
Size of grant available: £1,000-£30,000
Priorities: Funding to provide a range of activities and safe spaces in the community for newcomers to meet and make connections. The aim of the funding is to promote inclusion, community cohesion, education and health to newcomers from other countries to the UK who are often the most vulnerable members of society.
How to apply: An application pack is available to download from the Dudley CVS website.

Resonance Enterprise Investment Fund

Who can apply: Any type of not-for-profit
Size of grant available: Loans of between £25,000 and £250,000 are available through the following finance products:
– Launchpad loans – smaller, starter loans for VCSE organisations starting their growth journey
– Unsecured loans- larger loans of up to six years for VCSE organisations with clear growth potential
– Revenue share loans (quasi-equity) – equity-like, patient investment for high growth VCSE organisations, a share of revenue is paid rather than a fixed interest rate (sharing risk and reward)
– Equity – patient investment for high VCSE organisations with viable exits and suitable legal structures
Priorities: The objective of the funding is to provide growth capital to VCSE organisations that are:
– Tackling socio-economic inequality
– Improving health and wellbeing
– Supporting a just transition to a low-carbon economy
How to apply: Expressions of interest are open and will be considered on a rolling basis. An online expression of interest form is available on the Resonance website. Following submission of the expression of interest form, organisations that are eligible for the funding will be contacted by Resonance to arrange a more detailed discussion of the proposal and how to proceed with the application.

Dumbreck Charity

Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Grants tend to range from £500 to £2,000. The average grant is £1,000
Priorities: Small grants to support animal welfare, social welfare including the elderly, children and those who are physically or mentally disadvantaged
How to apply: The Trust does not maintain a website or have an email address.  Groups must apply in writing and include a copy of their accounts.  The Trustees regularly consider applications and meet every six months to approve grants. For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:

Enquiries
The Dumbreck Charity
41 Sycamore Drive
Hollywood
Birmingham
B47 5QX
Tel: 07976848390

B. Funders with a national interest: 

Baily Thomas Charitable Fund

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered and exempt charities
Size of grant available: The funder operates the following grant schemes:

– Small Grants: from £250 up to £5,000
– General Grants: over £5,000

Priorities: The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund describes people with learning disabilities as having three things:

– Global intellectual impairment (intelligence quotient less than 70)
– Need for support/help to fulfil ordinary daily activities
– Onset before the age of 18 years.

Learning disabilities may have a recognised cause, e.g. Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, but often the cause is not known. Children, young people, and adults with learning disabilities often also have other physical and mental health conditions, disabilities, and/or impairments as well as having learning disabilities
How to apply: Applicants should check the website as submission deadline dates may be subject to change. Application forms are available to complete online at the fund’s website.

Emerton-Christie Charity

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Most grants are for £3,000.
Priorities: While the trustees may select beneficiaries at their discretion, they tend to focus on the following:

– Education and training
– The advancement of health or saving of lives
– Disability
– Arts, culture, heritage, environment, conservation and science

How to apply: There is no standard application form.  Groups should send an email to the EC Charity, setting out who they are, what they do, and the funding for which they are applying.  There is no need for charities to send their accounts, but they may send attachments that they think are relevant to their funding request.  Applications can be made at any time. However, as the trustees meet annually, generally in the Autumn, the appeals should be submitted ideally by the end of August.

James Tudor Foundation – Mental Health Grant

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities that can demonstrate specialism in:

– Children and young people: Only charities that have a specialist, single focus on one or more of the following are supported: childhood sexual abuse; living in a household where there is domestic violence, and/or physical and/or emotional neglect; living with a parent who has a mental illness and/or substance abuse. Charities must have a ‘children first’ approach
– Parental support: Specialist charities that solely focus on supporting parents and complex family challenges by delivering: help for parents to confront their own ACEs and help to break the intergenerational cycle of trauma and abuse; and help for families where a parent or caregiver has a mental illness or substance addiction (and is at risk of harming their children)

Size of grant available: Up to £25,000 
Priorities: The Foundation aims to support UK charities with a focus on mental health. Projects are funded to help children and young people recover from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), plus support parents affected by ACEs, mental illness or addiction. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events in childhood that negatively affects mental health, and includes:

– Sexual abuse
– Physical abuse or neglect
– Emotional abuse or neglect
– Living in a household where there is domestic violence
– Living with a parent with substance abuse
– Living with a parent who has a mental illness
– Losing a parent through death, abandonment, or divorce
– Having a parent in prison

How to apply: Submit an expression of interest by completing the relevant eligibility checker on the funder’s website.  Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application.  Applications are only accepted via the website.

James Tudor Foundation – Physical Health Grant

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered healthcare charities that:

– Provide disease-specific information and support services
– Directly provide healthcare to their beneficiaries (e.g. run clinics, offer therapies, rehabilitation services and support)
– Are air ambulance groups operating in South West England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

Size of grant available: Up to £25,000.  Grants are usually for one year, but may occasionally be for three years.
Priorities: The Foundation aims to support UK charities working in physical health, with a focus on therapeutic interventions, health information and direct healthcare
How to apply: There is a two-stage application process for applications:

– Expression of interest, accessed by completing the relevant eligibility checker online
– Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application
Applications are only accepted via the website. From 2026-27, board meetings will be held every four months (October, February and June).

Wise Music Foundation

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities with annual income below £500,000
Size of grant available: £500-£5,000. The average grant is £1,500
Priorities: Funding for charities that work with people experiencing hardship, distress and illness in the UK. There is emphasis of initiatives that support children, the homeless and people living in poverty. However, a range of other worthy causes activities are also supported (e.g. education, cultural activities and arts & heritage, overseas famine relief, food banks)
How to apply: Applications must be submitted online at the foundation’s website..

Woodroffe Benton Foundation – Small Grants Programme

Deadline: 31/08/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities with an annual income of less than £750,000 and at least one full set of accounts following charity registration
Size of grant available: £500-£2,500
Priorities: Support for projects that provide care for the sick and elderly, conserve and improve the environment, promote education, and help those in need as a result of disaster or as a consequence of social and economic circumstances
How to apply: The next funding round will be open from 1 August to 31 August 2026 and focus on projects that support people, particularly those with physical or learning disabilities, to access the natural world and spend time outdoors.  Application form and guidance notes are available on the funder’s website.

Kelly Family Charitable Trust

Deadline: 01/09/2026
Who can apply: The Trust actively encourages applications from relatively new charities to help them become established
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000
Priorities: The funding is for charities whose activities involve all or most family members in initiatives that support and encourage the family to work as a cohesive unit in tackling problems that face one or more of its members. The overall objective is to reinforce the potential benefit and support that family members as a unit can give to each other
How to apply: Application forms are available to download from the Trust’s website and should be returned by email along with the organisation’s latest annual accounts.

Green Hall Foundation

Deadline: 02/09/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities with an annual income of £250,000 or less
Size of grant available: £1,000-£10,000
Priorities: The foundation’s objective is to sustainably improve lives among the sick, the elderly, the disabled and the disadvantaged, particularly in the UK
How to apply:  Only the first 150 applications will go forward to the Trustees for consideration at each meeting. Once the limit has been reached, the application cycle will be closed, which is normally within two days. Applicants must register at the Foundation’s website to access the online application form.

Henry Smith Foundation – Career Ready Fund

Deadline: 02/09/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities that:

– Deliver supported employment and demonstrate clear understanding and use of the five stage supported employment model
– Have trained job coaches or use the funding to train or recruit staff in Supported Employment Techniques and Systematic Instruction
– Have existing, proactive partnerships with schools (mainstream and/or SEND) and be able to embed job coaches in them
– Are embedded in their local community, understand local labour markets, and demonstrate credible links with employers and families
– Have experience supporting young people with learning disabilities and understand the specific barriers they face

Size of grant available: £200,000 over four years (£50,000 per year) 
Priorities: This multi‑year funding is for charitable organisations working with young people with learning disabilities within the UK. It supports the delivery of high‑quality, job coach‑led careers education in mainstream and SEND school settings. The fund focuses on early, structured support that helps young people build real‑world experience and move towards paid employment
How to apply: Start by completing the online eligibility checker on the funder’s website to access the full application process.

Arts Council England – Music Growth Fund

Deadline: 03/09/2026
Who can apply: UK-based music industry organisations and businesses, including micro, small and medium-sized companies, sole traders, charities, CICs, not-for-profit organisations, and eligible consortia
Size of grant available: Two funding strands:

-£1,000 to £40,000
– £40,001 to £100,000

Applicants must apply to the strand that matches their funding request
Priorities: Funding to strengthen the UK’s music sector by supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, developing emerging talent, enhancing grassroots music infrastructure, creating new opportunities for artists, creators and businesses, and expanding audiences and markets in the UK and internationally
How to apply: Guidance notes and application details can be found on the Arts Council England website.

Idlewild Trust

Deadline: 04/09/2026
Who can apply: Registered and exempt charities only
Size of grant available: Up to £8,000
Priorities: Grants in the following areas:

– Arts Grants: Nurturing Early Stage Professionals – grants support training opportunities for emerging professionals, working creatively and backstage, within the performing and visual arts, post-training, and at an early stage in their career
– Conservation Grants: Objects and Works of Art – grants support the conservation of cultural heritage of recognised national and international importance in museums, libraries, galleries, historic buildings, or landscapes accessible to the public

How to apply: Guidance information and online application forms are available on the Trust’s website.

Better Community Business Network (BCBN) Grant Initiative

Deadline: 07/09/2026
Who can apply: Not-for-profit organisations that have been registered either with the Charity Commission or Companies House for at least 18 months
Size of grant available: Up to £3,000
Priorities: Funding is intended to improve the quality of life and expectations of people and their communities, especially those who come from disadvantaged or socially deprived backgrounds
How to apply: The guidelines, grant eligibility quiz and application form can be found on the BCBN website. The application form must be downloaded, completed and submitted by email to BCBN before the deadline in order to be considered.

Leeds Building Society Foundation

Deadline: 07/09/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities only
Size of grant available: Two levels of funding are available:

-Small Grants of up to £2,500. The average grant period for a small grant will be between six months to a year
– Large Grants of up to £75,000 across one, two or three years. The average grant size is £40,000 over two years

Priorities: The funding is intended to support projects to improve the health, wellbeing and financial literacy of people who are experiencing homelessness
How to apply: Guidelines and access to the application process are available on the funder’s website.

Metal For Good Grants

Deadline: 07/09/2026
Who can apply: Any type of not-for-profit with a turnover under £500,000.  Priority will be given to grassroots community groups and small-to-medium-sized voluntary organisations
Size of grant available: Up to six projects will receive funding divided as follows:
– One grant of £3,000
– Two grants of £2,000
– Three grants of £1,000
Priorities: This fund aims to support projects and activities that use music as a tool for change and the values of rock and metal community to help create an equal society
How to apply: Guidance notes and an online application form are available from the Metal For Good website.

Thomas Wall Trust – Grants for Registered Charities

Deadline: 11/09/2026
Who can apply: Registered charities that have been operating for at least three years and have an annual turnover of between £25,000 and £500,000
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000 
Priorities: The Trust views communication skills as critical capabilities for people who want to improve their employment prospects, self-confidence, resilience, and life chances. The funding is for projects that 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
How to apply: There is a two-stage application process:

– Online Expression of Interest (available on the Trust’s website) which requires some basic contact details and a description of what the funding is required for
– 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.

Bentley Advancing Life Chances Small Grants Programme

Deadline: 14/09/2026
Who can apply: Any type of not-for-profit
Size of grant available: £2,000-£4,000
Priorities: The fund aims to support vulnerable, disadvantaged or under-represented communities in areas where Bentley has a corporate presence by providing small grants to charities working with local people
How to apply: The remaining 2026 round is open from 13 July to 14 September 2026 (decisions communicated by 28 October 2026).  An online application form is available to complete via the Bentley website.

Peter Sell Award

Deadline: 14/09/2026
Who can apply: Eligible organisations must be part of the Scouts or Guides associations.
Size of grant available: Up to £5,000
Priorities: The aim of the Peter Sell Award is to engage and involve young people in the Scout and Guide associations. It is anticipated that projects will have a legacy beyond the initial expenditure of the grant
How to apply: Applications should be no more than two sides of A4 in 12 point (or larger font) and be submitted by email, and include the following:

– Name of the Scout or Guide Group making the application
– Contact details
– Amount requested
– A brief description of what would be done with the money
– An explanation of how the money would help to widen involvement with scouting or guides with some idea of the numbers of people involved
– Why the application is special and should be funded
– Photos, drawings, or other pictures in support of the application may be included, but not additional written material

Frenkel Topping Charitable Foundation – Groups and Communities

Who can apply: Applications will be considered from:

– Charities acting on behalf of families or individual who have suffered severe personal injury or suffered from a medical condition as a result of an illness or a clinical accident/outcome
– Schools or organisations that works with individuals as above

Size of grant available: There is no fixed amount
Priorities: The funding is for local community groups, registered charities, or schools working with individuals and their families who have had a life changing accident, illness or medical condition
How to apply: Full details and the application form are available on the Foundation’s website.
Contact the Frenkel Topping Charitable Foundation for further information.