Welcome to May’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
Transport for West Midlands Active Travel Community Grants
Deadline: 16th June 2024
Who can apply: Applications will be accepted from:
- Formally constituted clubs, associations, or trusts
- Registered charities
- Social enterprises
- Company Limited by Shares
- Company (limited by guarantee)
- Registered CASC
- Community Interest Companies
- Unregistered clubs or associations.
Faith groups are welcome to apply as long as the funded activity is not used to promote the religious beliefs of the organisations.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a written constitution or governing document which sets out the rules on how the organisation is run.
- Be a not-for-profit organisation
- Have an organisation committee or Board that includes three or more unrelated or cohabiting members with an equitable distributed decision making/voting rights.
- Have appropriate organisational safeguarding policies and procedures, including separate policies for children and adults at risk.
Size of grant available: Grants of up to £10,000 are available.
Projects need to start within a month of application approval and be completed by 15 September 2024.
Payment will be made 50% up front and the remaining 50% upon purchase of the items and/or activity. VAT will be excluded from grant payments.
Projects need to start within a month of application approval and be completed by 15 September 2024.
Payment will be made 50% up front and the remaining 50% upon purchase of the items and/or activity. VAT will be excluded from grant payments.
Priorities: The Active Travel Community Grants is a regional programme funded by West Midlands Combined Authority for the charity Sustrans to actively source grant applicants.
The primary objectives are to increase overall cycling levels, increase levels of cycling to school and cycling to work.
The funding is intended to empower communities within the Cycling for Everyone Wards to deliver walking, wheeling, and cycling activities.
The aims are to benefit people and increase access to active travel, and engaging one or more of the following priority audiences:
- Children (16 years old and under).
- Families.
- Women.
- Disabled people.
- Ethnic minority groups.
How to apply: Guidance notes, FAQs and the application form can be found on the Sustrans website.
The deadline for applications is 16 June 2024 (23:59).
Applications will be reviewed by Transport of West Midlands and relevant Local Authority colleagues on an ongoing basis.
Notification of decisions to successful applicants is expected the week of 24 June 2024.
Project delivery, monitoring and reporting will need to be completed by 15 September 2024.
Contact Sustrans for further information.
Severn Trent Community Fund
Deadline: 10th July 2024
Who can apply: Registered not-for-profit organisations with a governing document can apply.
This includes but is not limited to:
- Local authority or parish council.
- Organisations registered with the Charity Commission.
- Organisations registered with Companies House that are limited by guarantee.
- Volunteer or community group.
- Foundation school, college or academy.
Both the applicant organisation and the project’s beneficiaries must be located within the Severn Trent region, which stretches from the Bristol Channel to the Humber, and from the West Midlands to the East Midlands.
Projects must benefit Severn Trent customers. A Severn Trent customer is somebody who receives their water supply from Severn Trent, or whose waste is taken away and treated by the company.
Applicants who are unsure if their project is eligible should check the WaterUK water supplier finder.
Organisations applying for more than £10,000 must be either charity registered or company registered (and supply a charity or company number), or an exempt charity, local authority or parish council.
Size of grant available: A total of £10 million is available over a five-year period (2020–25).
Three levels of grants are available:
- £2,000 to £10,000 – up to 12 months for project completion.
- £10,001 to £75,000 – up to 24 months for project completion.
- £75,001 to £200,000 – up to 24 months for project completion.
Applications for more than £10,000 will only be considered from a registered charity, a business registered with Companies House, a local authority or parish council.
Applications for more than £75,000 must have a considerable link to all three of the wellbeing themes: people, place and environment.
NB Severn Trent must be the majority funder of the project, so applicants need to be applying for at least 50% of the total project cost.
Priorities: The funding is for local projects, charities and community groups across the Severn Trent region to improve community wellbeing.
How to apply: Applications are open. The next deadlines for applications are:
- 10 July 2024 for requests of £2,000–£10,000 (for consideration at the August panel).
- 11 August 2024 for requests of £10,001–£200,000 (for consideration at the September panel).
- 13 October 2024 for requests of £2,000–£10,000 (for consideration at the November panel).
- 10 November 2024 for requests of £10,001–£200,000 (for consideration at the December panel).
- 12 January 2024 for requests of £2,000–£10,000 (for consideration at the February panel).
The criteria and full details of how to make an application are given in the guidelines which can be downloaded from the Severn Trent website.
Contact Severn Trent for further information.
Philip Bates Trust
Who can apply: Individuals and organisations from anywhere in the UK are eligible to apply.
Priority is given to organisations which have charitable status or which are not-for profit bodies with a track record of serving the community in a field relevant to the Trust’s aims and objectives.
Preference is given to applicants from the West Midlands or organisations with projects in the West Midlands.
Size of grant available: The Trust’s resources are limited and the number of grants made each year depends on the level of income received by the Trust from its fundraising activities and investments.
The Trust offers two levels of grants:
- Grants for individuals are usually in the range of £100 to £250.
- Grants to organisations are usually up to £500.
Priorities: The Trust aims to advance the education of young people in the arts by providing awards to encourage and support their pursuit of creative and artistic achievement, plus offering financial support to projects that develop creative and artistic interests and skills.
How to apply: The Trustees meet three times a year – usually in February, June and October to assess applications. Applicants should therefore aim to submit their application by the end of the month before the next meeting is due i.e. January, May or September.
A set of guidelines can be found on the Trust’s website.
Applications should address the following points:
- What is the grant for?
- Why is the grant required?
- What are the total costs of the activity for which the grant is being sought?
- What other sources of funding have been secured?
- What difference will a grant from the Philip Bates Trust make?
- How are the objectives of the Philip Bates Trust met?
- How will the Trust’s support be acknowledged?
A minimum of two references should be included with each application.
The Trust accepts postal and online applications.
Contact the Trust for further information.
Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund
Who can apply: Applications are accepted from local community groups and sports clubs (with priority given to sports clubs):
- Based in Greater Manchester, Oxfordshire, Greater London or the West Midlands Combined Authority, supported by Access Sport’s Changing Places programme, and
- Based in or serving a borough or ward within the top 20% Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
Size of grant available: Grants in the range from £2,500 to £5,000 are typically available, although a larger grant may be possible in some circumstances.
Priorities: The funding is intended to improve the lives of children and young people (up to the age of 25 years), enabling them to access the transformative benefits of inclusive community sport.
How to apply: Applications can be made at any time.
Interested applicants should contact Access Sport by email to find out more about applying.
Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund
Access Sport
3 Durham Yard
Teesdale Street
London
E2 6QF
Tel: 020 7993 9883
Email: aipff@accesssport.org.uk
B. National funders
VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme
Deadline: 20th June 2024
Who can apply: To be eligible for an Independent Energy Assessment, applicants must be:
- A single applicant with charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes. If the organisation distributes surpluses to individuals such as members or shareholders, they must have an asset lock and reinvest a minimum of 51% into charitable, benevolent, or philanthropic purposes. In addition, the organisation must have one of the following legal structures/statuses:
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- Community Benefit Society (CBS)
- Trust
- Unincorporated Association
- Co-operative society
- Community Interest Company (CIC)
- Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG)
- Company Limited by Shares (CLS)
- Based and operating in England.
- Delivering frontline services or managing a building as a hub that delivers multiple frontline services.
- Able to evidence a need for energy efficiency support.
- Financially sustainable, and likely to continue operating for at least the next two years.
- Able to upload their organisation’s governance document, last set of annual accounts and, if available, their building’s energy bills from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.
To be eligible for a Capital Grant (in addition to the above), applicants must:
- Have been operating for at least two years.
- Have an existing IEA that identifies capital energy efficiency measures, includes potential cost savings, has been completed within the past two years and was conducted by a qualified and experienced independent energy assessor.
- Provide evidence that the energy efficiency measure(s) being requested will enhance their financial resilience and support the delivery of their frontline services.
- Have a long-term arrangement with their premises, either owning the building or having a minimum of two years left on their lease and be able to provide documents evidencing this.
- If they have a lease, have the building owner’s permission to carry out the capital works and they must complete the Building Owners Permission Form.
The scheme’s intended outcome is to support diverse organisation types and ensure a good geographic and demographic spread of funding, so these are also factors that will be considered during assessment.
If the scheme is oversubscribed, priority will be given to:
- Organisations directly supporting individuals and communities with critical needs, particularly those related to the rising cost of living.*
- Organisations for whom energy is the biggest concern.
- Micro, small and medium-sized organisations. Priority will be given to organisations with an income of less than £1 million per year.
*Examples include:
- Services that address poverty, including by providing food, warmth, emergency supplies or personal grants.
- Shelter, accommodation and housing for those most in need.
- Advice services for people experiencing financial, housing or legal challenges.
- Services that address specific physical and mental health issues (such as disability, addiction and dementia).
- Education, training and employment services that improve employability.
- Community hubs or centres, out of which a number of these services operate.
Full details can be found in the guidance notes.
Size of grant available: The scheme offers:
- Free independent energy assessments
- Option of capital grants of between £2,000 and £150,000
Priorities: This scheme offers voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSE) based in England the opportunity to apply for a free Independent Energy Assessment (IEA), a comprehensive evaluation of their building’s energy usage, efficiency and potential for energy savings.
The IEA will be carried out by a team of independent energy assessors who will work with successful applicants to help identify energy-saving opportunities in their building.
In addition, those who qualify may apply for a capital grant which can be used to install capital energy efficiency measures, identified in the applicant’s IEA, to reduce their building’s energy costs and support the delivery of their frontline services.
How to apply: The guidance notes, frequently asked questions and eligibility checker can be found on the Groundwork UK website.
The first step in the application process is for groups to use the online eligibility checker to see if they are eligible to apply for the cost and delivery of an Independent Energy Assessment (IEA).
Those who are successful will be matched up with an independent energy assessor who will assess the building and help identify energy-saving opportunities.
Applications for IEAs are currently open with notification of decisions within 15 working days. The deadline for Independent Energy Assessment applications is 20 June 2024.
Groups are encouraged to apply as early as they can to ensure their independent energy assessment is completed and satisfactory, and they have sufficient time if they decide to apply for a Capital Grant.
The deadline for Capital Grant applications is 14 August 2024.
Webinars will be held for each Capital Grant round. The next webinars will be held for the spring and summer rounds with bookings via the Groundwork UK website.
The scheme will close to IEA and Capital Grant applications on 30 August 2024.
Contact Groundwork UK for further information:
Groundwork UK
Suite B2
The Walker Building
58 Oxford Street
Birmingham
B5 5NR
Tel: 0121 237 5894
Email: EES@groundwork.org.uk
Adamson Trust
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: Applications are accepted from individual families and on behalf of groups of children, registered charities and other organisations.
Charities and other organisations must provide a copy of their latest audited accounts in addition to other information.
There must be evidence of a disability from a medical or social services professional.
Size of grant available: Funding is at the discretion of the Trust.
The Trustees award around £85,000 to £89,000 a year in grants.
Priorities: The funding supports organisations and registered charities that provide assistance with the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children (aged 3 to 17 years) with physical, mental, or emotional impairments.
How to apply: Applications must be received by:
- 30 June for the August 2024 meeting.
- 30 September for the November 2024 meeting.
- 31 December for the February 2025 meeting.
Applications are not normally considered between meetings.
Application forms can be found on the Trust’s website.
Magdalen Hospital Trust
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: UK based charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) registered in the UK with an annual unrestricted income of less than £150,000 can apply.
Charities should be working with vulnerable children and young adults, especially those at risk of sexual and other forms of exploitation.
Size of grant available: The Trust currently has an income of less than £50,000.
Grants tend to range from £500 to £2,000.
Grants are usually made on a one-off basis. Longer-term projects will be considered ‘very occasionally’.
Priorities: The funding is intended to promote the welfare of young people under the age of 25 years, who suffer from various effects of social deprivation, abuse, mental and physical disabilities, inadequate housing, lack of education or training, and the problems derived from unemployment and broken families.
How to apply: The remaining application windows for 2024 are:
- 1st to 30th June for the July 2024 meeting.
- 1st to 31st October for the November 2024 meeting.
No applications will be considered outside these dates.
The application forms can be found on the Magdalen Hospital Trust website.
The completed application form must be submitted by email to the Trust.
No charity or CIO can apply for a grant more than once in two years.
Contact the Trust by using the contact form on the Trust’s website.
NHS Blood and Transplant – Community Grants Programme
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: Registered charities, limited companies, charitable incorporated organisations, community interest companies, or unincorporated groups may apply.
Organisations applying for the larger grants (over £10,000) must have previous experience of working with either a governmental department (ministerial or non-ministerial) or a public body. Applicants must be able to show the impact achieved through these partnerships.
Projects focusing on deceased organ donation only are not eligible for grants over £10,000.
Size of grant available: There is a total funding pot of £600,000 in 2024, split as follows:
- Blood donation: £300,000 (projects engaging Black African and Caribbean communities only).
- Deceased organ donation: £150,000.
- Living kidney donation: £150,000.
- Combined blood and deceased organ donation – funded using a combination of the above. The blood element of the project must focus on Black African and Caribbean communities.
The following funding bands are available and will depend on the focus of the project and the organisation’s experience.
- Grants of between £1 and £2,499 per year – for organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, living kidney donation, deceased organ donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects.
- Grants of between £2,500 – £10,000 per year – for organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, living kidney donation, deceased organ donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects.
- Grants of between £10,001 and £20,000 per year – for organisations looking to deliver a project focusing on blood donation, living kidney donation or combined deceased organ and blood donation projects. (Projects focused only on deceased organ donation cannot apply for this funding band.)
In a change from previous years, all projects will now be funded for a two-year funding period.
Priorities: The funding is for projects that address misinformation and barriers, share information, and increase support for donation among Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities.
The focus of the proposed projects must be one of the following:
- Deceased organ donation – applications encouraged from all ethnic minority communities to raise awareness of, and participation in deceased donation. Other forms of organ donation may be referenced in applications, but the focus must be on deceased organ donation.
- Blood donation – due to clinical need, only applications will be considered for projects focusing on the Black African and/or Black Caribbean communities.
- A combination of deceased organ and blood donation – applications jointly covering deceased organ donation and blood donation from all ethnic minority communities, but the blood element of any project must focus on engaging the Black African and/or the Black Caribbean communities and must be carried out in England.
- Living kidney donation – applications encouraged from all minority ethnic communities to raise awareness of, and participation in living kidney donation.
How to apply: Applications are currently being accepted with a deadline of 30 June 2024 (21:00).
All relevant documents can be found on the NHS Blood and Transplant website.
A launch webinar will be held on 28 May 2024 (17:00-18:15) where organisations can learn more about the programme. Registration is required via eventbrite.
St Helen’s Farm – Goodness Grants
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: Applications will be considered from registered charities, community groups, social enterprises and other non-for-profit organisations that are based in England, Wales and Scotland.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a bank account.
- Have a constitution or governing document which shows they are set up for community benefit and their aims are broadly charitable.
New groups without a constitution or bank account will need to nominate an established group that will be responsible for holding and administering the grant on their behalf.
Size of grant available: The maximum grant is £5,000. There is no minimum grant.
Priorities: The funding is for local organisations which improve the health, place or skills for families in their communities.
How to apply: The online application form can be found on the St Helen’s Farm website.
The deadline for applications is 30 June 2024. Notification of decisions by email in July 2024.
Contact St Helen’s Farm for further information.
UnLtd – Awards for Social Entrepreneurs
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: Applications will be accepted from social entrepreneurs aged 16 and over who are living in the UK and who are the founder of the social business.
The social entrepreneur must:
- Have identified a social issue and developed a business model that works to solve it.
- Be committed to, and have a track record of, delivering local, regional or national social impact at scale.
- Be experienced, ambitious and capable of growing their venture.
- Have a realistic growth plan.
- Be committed to working full-time in their social venture.
The social venture must:
- Be at least one year old and less than four years old.
- Have a turnover of less than £250,000 in their last financial year.
- Be dynamic and ready to grow to local, regional or national scale and have a logical and appropriate plan to deliver this.
- Have a compelling performance to date and/or a logical and appropriate plan for rapid growth to reach local, regional or national scale.
- Not solely exist to secure investment in the year ahead.
- Target beneficiaries predominantly based in the UK.
Size of grant available: The following levels of funding and support are available:
- Start Up – for social entrepreneurs with an idea or who are in the early stages of development.
- Funding of between £500 and £8,000 to support essential start-up costs (except wages).
- Support from an UnLtd Social Entrepreneur Support Manager.
- Access to UnLtd Connect, a network of skilled experts for advice and mentors.
- Scaling Up – for social entrepreneurs to grow their existing social venture to help it make a bigger difference.
- Funding of up to £18,000 to support wages and living costs.
- 12 months’ mentoring and tailored support from an UnLtd Social Entrepreneur Support Manager, providing advice on operations and growth strategies.
- Expert advice including access to workshops and masterclasses.
- Connections to investors, corporate partners and other successful entrepreneurs, helping the social entrepreneur to develop their networks.
Priorities: The funding is intended to support social entrepreneurs by helping them nurture their social ventures and grow their impact.
How to apply: Applications are assessed on a quarterly basis. The deadlines for applications are:
- 30 June 2024.
- 30 September 2024.
Guidance notes and the online application form can be found on the UnLtd website.
Contact UnLtd for further information.
Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation – Small Change Big Difference Fund
Deadline: 30th June 2024
Who can apply: The Foundation makes grants to registered charities or good causes operating in the UK.
The Foundation only accepts recommendations of UK registered charities from members and colleagues, rather than directly from the charities.
The following eligibility criteria apply:
- Organisations must be registered with the Charity Commission, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or the Scottish Charity Regulator.
- Funding will either help alleviate poverty, improve health or save lives.
- Applicants must be nominated by a Yorkshire Building Society member or colleague.
- Beneficiaries must be resident in the UK.
- Annual returns must be submitted to the Charity Commission, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or the Scottish Charity Regulator
Size of grant available: The grants offered range between £250 up to £2,500.
Priorities: The Charitable Foundation makes donations to registered charities, recommended by members and colleagues, who support beneficiaries such as children, those seriously ill, the elderly, homeless and disabled people in the UK.
How to apply: The next closing date for applications is 30 June 2024.
Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis. The deadlines for application each year are: 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December.
The online Charitable Foundation Member Nomination form can be found on the Foundation’s website.
Music for All – Community Project Funding
Deadline: 1st July 2024
Who can apply: Groups, schools and organisations that are bringing music to their communities in the UK can apply.
Priority will be given to applicants who are most in need of help.
Applicants are eligible only if they have been resident in the UK for a minimum of three years and are either a British Citizen or a national of a member state of the European Economic Area, or have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK for an indefinite period or hold a certificate of right of abode in the UK.
Applicants will also be required to nominate an independent referee who must complete a witness statement in support of the application.
Size of grant available: Grants are at the discretion of the funders and values vary from round to round.
Priorities: The grants programme aims to give a helping hand to projects and initiatives across the UK that are seeking to bring music to their communities. The funding is for groups that need assistance to fulfil their potential in developing truly sustainable music programmes.
How to apply: The next deadline for applications is 1 July 2024 (8am).
An online application form is available to complete on the Music for All website. It is only available during the open application window.
The process takes around three months from application to outcome notification.
Contact Music for All for further information.
Music for All
7 Bell Yard
Lower Ground Floor
London
WC2A 2JR
Tel: 01403 628892
Email: help@musicforall.org.uk
Weaver’s Company Benevolent Fund
Deadline: 4th July 2024
Who can apply: Applications will be accepted from UK registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs). In exceptional circumstances Community Interest Companies (CICs) may be considered.
Preference will be given to smaller charities and those instigating bespoke projects.
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 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.
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 2024 deadlines for applications are midday on:
- 4 July 2024 for notification of a decision in October 2024
- 14 November 2024 for notification of a decision in February 2025
Any applications that arrive too late for consideration at one meeting are automatically rolled forward to the next.
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.
Contact the Weaver’s Company for further information.
The Society Foundation
Deadline: 8th July 2024
Who can apply: Applications are accepted from the following:
- UK registered charities.
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO) or Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIO).
- Organisations with a governing document showing a clear charitable aim/purpose as defined by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a turnover under £500,000 per annum.
- Work with one or more of the following groups
- The recently homeless or vulnerably housed.
- Ex-offenders.
- 16-24 years olds not in employment, education or training.
- Be able to show that they increase the employability of their beneficiaries.
- Be able to supply at least one year of independently verified accounts.
Size of grant available: A limited number of micro-grants of up to £2,500 are available each year.
Priorities: The funding is intended to support people from the following groups move toward paid employment:
- The recently homeless or vulnerably housed.
- Ex-offenders.
- Young people (16-24 years old) not in employment, education or training (NEET).
How to apply: The 2024 application window opens on 3 June and closes at midday on 8 July 2024.
The application form and guidelines can be found on the Society Foundation website.
Contact The Society Foundation for further information.
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