Support For Groups - Latest Funding Opportunities

The Drapers' Charitable Fund

The Fund supports registered charities in London who are involved in the activities outlined below:

Social Welfare, including:

• Homelessness
• Prisoners
• Ex-service personnel
• Support services for the elderly, carers (especially young carers), and community and family services.
• Disabled adults (not children), especially those with less visible disabilities such as sensory impairment, mental health issues and learning disabilities.

Education and training:
Projects which raise the aspirations or help to realise the full potential of disadvantaged young people under 25 years old particularly in deprived areas of Greater London.

Textiles and Heritage, including:

• Textile conservation
• Support projects within the textiles industry
• Museums, memorials and monuments relating to the armed forces, history of London or the textile trade

There is no minimum or maximum grant. Grants are normally awarded for sums up to £15,000, but larger grants may be awarded.

You can apply at any time of the year. The Charities Committee meets five times a year and applications will normally be considered at the next meeting following submission.

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Community Knowledge Fund

The Community Knowledge Fund is making grants worth between £10k and £100k available to community groups and organisations around the UK to support them to play a stronger role in research and innovation. Funds will help develop and test new ideas and approaches to creating, sharing and using the knowledge held within communities to make progress on local and national challenges. 

Communities will be able to apply for grants of £10k to develop their initial ideas, create the right conditions for research and innovation, and begin early testing. They will then be able to apply for additional funding of up to £100k to further test and grow their ideas in Phase 2.

The Community Knowledge Fund is an open fund, meaning they’re interested in hearing what matters to you and what ideas you have, but they are particularly interested in two areas - one is ‘environment and sustainability’ and the other is ‘community safety and resilience’.

No deadline.

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QPP Small Community Grant

As part of a community engagement programme in North Kensington, Queens Park or Paddington (QPP), small organisations can apply for a grant between £100-£900.

What is the grant? 
The aim is to build relationships with local community groups and non-profit organisations to hear what matters most to our communities and influence decisions made about local healthcare services.

Who can apply? 
You can apply if you are a non-profit group or organisation that supports people in North Kensington, Queens Park or Paddington.

To apply for a small grant, you will need to complete a short form. If you would like to apply, please email - [email protected].

Henry Smith - Improving lives

The Improving Lives grant programme provides grants to charitable organisations that help people when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are simply not available.

It supports established organisations delivering services directly to beneficiaries. They are looking for services which can demonstrate a track record of success, and evidence the effectiveness of the work.

There are 6 funding priorities:

• Help at a critical moment
• Positive choices
• Accommodation / housing support
• Employment and training
• Financial inclusion, rights and entitlements
• Support networks and family

The amount requested must be between £20,000 and £60,000 per year. The maximum length of funding that can be requested is three years. The grants are for revenue costs and direct service delivery.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

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The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation

The grant scheme support capital projects, not running costs. There are three types of grant; major grants of £50,000 and above, medium grants between £5,000 and £50,000 and small grants below £5,000. Small grants account for 80% of those awarded annually.

There are two criteria to fulfil before applying for a grant. Please ensure you read these carefully before making an application.

1. You must be a registered charity in England or Wales or have accepted/exempt status to apply

AND

2. You must fall into one of the categories set out below. Please click on a link for more information as to whether you qualify:

• Community
• Education
• Health
• Social Welfare

Deadline: Applications can be submitted at anytime.

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Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund

The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund has opened its small grant programme to UK registered non-profit organisations supporting grassroots projects in diverse and deprived communities. The small grants programme awards single or multi-year grants to a maximum value of £5,000. The average award is £1,500.

Applications will be considered from organisations with an income of up to £1 million that have completed at least two years of activity and are able to submit accounts or income and expenditure statements.

This is a rolling programme - Please note that the Small Grant Committee considers applications in February, May, July and October.

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Windrush Justice Programme

Grants of £22,000 across two years are available to organisations already providing advocacy support to victims of the Windrush Scandal.

For this fund, advocacy support is taken to mean:

• Assisting people with applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
• Supporting applications to the Windrush Scheme (formally the Windrush Taskforce).
• Signposting to other organisations offering support (for example, signposting more complicated cases to solicitors providing pro bono support).

UK based organisations may apply, including Registered Charities, Community Interest Companies (CIC), Company limited by guarantee, Constituted voluntary organisations and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO).

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Have at least 51% of their Trustees/Governing body who are Black, Asian or mixed heritage.
• Be already providing advocacy support to those seeking to access the Windrush Compensation Scheme

The funding can be used to pay for case workers, cover administrative costs, venue costs, awareness raising events, and staffing costs.

Round 3 is currently open for applications. There is no deadline as this is a rolling round.

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Tesco Bags Of Help

Grants of up to £1,500 are available to support community projects involving Children and Young people or Food Insecurity in the broadest sense including equipment, activities, holiday/breakfast clubs, cookery classes, food growing courses, food packages etc.

Shortlisted projects are displayed in their local Tesco stores for a 3 month voting period, and the top placed project will receive up to £1500, the 2nd - £1000 and the 3rd - £500. Funding must be used within a year.  

Organisations that have been nominated by a Tesco employee via this portal not only stand a very good chance of being selected at shortlisting, but because of this local endorsement would not necessarily need to fit the themes of children and young people or food insecurity.  

Applications are now open on a rolling basis and will be accepted at any time.

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The Architectural Heritage Fund Project Viability Grant

Grants of up to £15,000 are now available for formally constituted charities or social enterprises that have the necessary powers to undertake a project involving the acquisition and conversion of an historic building. 

The Architectural Heritage Fund Project Viability Grant aims to enable organisations to work out whether a proposed use for a building will be economically viable. The grant will contribute towards the cost of exploring different options for reuse or testing a single option.

Applications can be submitted at any time and you will normally get a decision in 6 to 8 weeks.

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The Fat Beehive Foundation - Digital Fund

The Fat Beehive Foundation is providing small grants of up to £2500 for websites and digital products for small UK registered charities to help these organisations carry out their work in a more efficient and effective way.

Charities must have an average income of less than £1 million a year.

No deadline

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Aviva Community Fund

Organisations can receive up to £50,000 in match funding from the Aviva Community Fund. Eligible organisations must have been operating for at least 12 months. 

Funding areas:

1. Financial Wellbeing: helping people take control of their wellbeing by giving them the tools to be more financially independent and ready for anything.
2. Climate Action: Promoting healthy, thriving communities by preventing, preparing for and protecting against the impacts of climate change.

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The Charles Haywood Foundation

The Charles Hayward Foundation is a grant-making charitable trust which is located in the United Kingdom. They make grants to charities which are registered through two different programmes:

Main grant programme

Social & Criminal Justice and Heritage & Conservation (for charities with an income of more than £350,000) and Overseas (for charities with an income between £150,000 and £5,000,000).

Small grant programme

Social & Criminal Justice and Older People (for charities with an income of less than£350,000).

The Foundation predominantly funds capital costs. Projects that are preventive or provide early intervention are encouraged with a preferred area of impact at the community and neighbourhood level.

Size of grant is typically £15,000 to £25,000. Where agreed, project funding may be for up to a maximum of three years in duration. Small grant scheme makes grants of up to £7,000.

The trustees meet only four times a year to consider applications and you may have a wait of several months before you receive a decision. On average, trustees approve one in twenty applications.

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Betsy Foundation

Grants of up to £30,000 are available to registered charities with a turnover of less than £750,000 supporting people under the age of 30 to help to alleviate the effects of poverty, abuse and homelessness as well as help recipients to overcome the causes of these. Charities must operate in London or the South-East.

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Westminster Community Events Fund

Funding has been made available for communities in Westminster to lead and organise events of cultural significance as well as events that promote community cohesion and integration. These can be:

• Cultural events
• Events that raise awareness of issues that affect the community
• Events that bring communities together for collective reflection.

The fund can be used to book a space or pay for other associated event costs. For each event, a maximum of £2,500 will be made available, or for collaboration between organisations grants of up to £5,000 will be available.

Deadline: the fund will close when the allocated funding runs out.

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City & Guilds Foundation - Local Community Skills Fund

The funding aims to support a wide range of initiatives that will make a positive impact on communities across the UK.

One key focus is to fund innovative local and community-led projects that may not be eligible for traditional funding sources. This could include anything from setting up a community garden to running a digital skills workshop. The fund also seeks to help disadvantaged people develop the skills they need to find employment by providing training and support.

Additionally, the fund will address specific skills gaps in local areas and reach out to communities where access to training and development opportunities is limited. By working with external organisations, the fund aims to create a sustainable model for delivering social impact through funding and match-funding. 

Eligible Expenditure

Funding for projects that are:

• Seeking funding for projects or activities that will be delivered in the UK.
• Supporting people 16+ who are facing barriers.
• Supporting the development of skills required to move towards or into employment.

Projects will also be viewed positively if they address any of the following:

• People with convictions, young people at risk of offending, refugees and displaced people, neurodiverse learners and lower socio-economic groups.
• Can evidence that they are addressing local skills gaps and/or directly link to job outcomes.
• Are in a community or region of defined social need (Indices of Multiple Deprivation, DofE cold spots).

Applications can be made at any time throughout the year and will be reviewed on a monthly basis.

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Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation

The Foundation provides funding to a broad range of UK charities working to support or improve the lives of UK nationals through art, healthcare, literature, music and theatre. The Trustees give priority to projects where their donation can make a difference and can progress the Charity’s initiative. There is a broad remit and all applications will be considered on their own merits.

There is no maximum or minimum limit to funding requests.

There are no deadlines for applications, which are reviewed at regular intervals.

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The Percy Bilton Charity

Capital grants are available to organisations and individuals in need throughout the U.K.

Social workers may apply on the behalf of individuals who have a disability or mental health problem, or who are over 65, for grants to purchase basic furniture, equipment and clothing.

Organisation that may apply should be a registered charity in the U.K. whose primary objectives are to assist one or more of the following groups:

• Disadvantaged/underprivileged young people (persons under 25)
• People with disabilities (physical or learning disabilities or mental health problems)
• Older people (aged over 60)

They have 2 programmes for organisations:

• Large grants: one off payments for capital expenditure of approximately £2,000 and over i.e. furniture and equipment; building/refurbishment projects. Please note that they do not fund running costs.
• Small grants - Donations of up to £500 towards furnishings and equipment for small projects. This programme is more suitable for smaller organisations.

Deadline: Applications may be submitted at any time and will be considered at the next appropriate Board meeting. Applications for Small Grants are considered monthly.

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Masonic Charitable Foundation - Children and Later Life Programmes

Following a period of closure to review its grants processes, the Foundation has reopened its Small and Large Grants applications on a rolling basis.

This announcement relates to grants in two main areas:

• Creating the best start in life for disadvantaged children and young people
• Reducing isolation and loneliness for older people.

Charities registered with the Charity Commission can apply as long as their beneficiaries are in England.

The Foundation offers large grants starting from £10,000 up to around £60,000, and small grants of between £1,000 and £5,000.

Organisations with an income of less than £500,000 can apply for a small grant covering core funding, while those with an income exceeding £500,000 can apply for a large grant covering project and delivery costs.

Final decisions are expected in around two to three months for small grant applications, and around three to four months for large grants.

Applications are now accepted at any time.

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Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Migration Fund

Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Migration Fund has reopened after a pause and is now focused on supporting not-for-profit organisations in the UK who are working towards the Foundation’s vision of a world in which everyone is free to move and no is forced to move.

Grants of up to £60,000 per year for three to four years (a total of £240,000) or grants up to £50,0000 per year for five years (a total of £250,000) are available to support core costs and specific programme costs.

Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations of any size working anywhere in the UK who are working towards:

• Embedding anti-racist practice across their organisation and work.
• Adopting an organisational culture that centres care and wellbeing.
• Shifting power to migrants and diaspora communities so their interests, perspectives and contributions are centred across the organisation’s work.
• Building solidarity and collaboration across communities, while working towards transformational change that benefits us all.
• Unlearning and challenging the harm, inequity, and oppression within their organisational structures and work.
• Learning, reflecting and being responsive to change

Priority will be given to applications from organisations:

• Led by migrants and diaspora communities.
• That work with historically underfunded groups and regions.
• With an annual turnover under £500,000.
• That have less access to funding from other sources.

Newly established and unincorporated groups who meet the Fund’s criteria are welcome to apply.

There are no deadlines. The Fund operates on a rolling basis.

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Yapp Charitable Trust

The Yapp Charitable Trust offers grants only for core funding to registered charities with a total annual expenditure of less than £40,000 and are undertaking work that focuses on one of these priority groups: 

Elderly people
Children and young people aged 5 - 25
People with physical impairments, learning difficulties or mental health challenges
Social welfare - people trying to overcome life-limiting problems of a social, rather than medical, origin (such as addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse, offending)
Education and learning (with a particular interest in people who are educationally disadvantaged, whether adults or children)
The charity will fund running costs for up to three years.  Grants are for a maximum of £3,000 per year. 

Applications are accepted at any time.

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National Lottery Community Fund - Bringing People Together

Large grants of up to £300,000 for up to two years are available to voluntary and community organisations for projects that will build stronger connections across communities and improve the infrastructure and conditions that are needed to strengthen these connections.

The programme seeks to fund ideas that enable communities to thrive by creating the conditions, infrastructure and social fabric that enable better and longer lasting ways of bringing people and communities together. This will be achieved by supporting:

• Bold and experimental responses to bringing people together using new, or new combinations of approaches.
• New projects or projects that build on existing work.
• A range of projects reflecting a mix of communities and places from across the UK.

It is expected that up to 20 awards will be made for the 2021/22 period

Applications may be made at any time while funding remains available.

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BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances, and is delivered by Family Fund Business Services. The programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing.

All applications must be made by a registered referrer.

There is no deadline for applications, but each region or nations has a tier allocation, which may be subject to change, as the current funding year progresses.

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Trust for London

Funding is available for organisations carrying out charitable work (whether registered as a charity or not) that strive for economic and social justice under the new Trust for London 2030 strategy.

Under the economic justice aim, they want to fund work under four priority areas:

• Decent work
• Tackling the housing crisis
• Improving social security
• Ending the poverty premium

Under the social justice aim, they want to fund work under three priority areas:

• Ending migrant destitution
• Racial justice
• Disability justice

The Trust provides two different types of funding:

• Project funding: Funding for discrete and timebound pieces of work.
• Unrestricted funding: If you’re a registered charity working solely to tackle poverty in London you can apply for unrestricted funding. By unrestricted, they mean funding that can be used flexibly for general operational costs in your organisation. 

 Grants usually range from £40,000 to £80,000 a year for up to five years.

Deadline: on a rolling basis

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The Leathersellers' Company Charitable Fund

Charitable Grants are available to UK registered charities working within the UK. Whilst we prioritise those charities working for the benefit of people in Greater London, we do welcome and support applications from all corners on the UK. Fund is available for special projects, capital grants and core costs such as salaries, rent and utilities. You can apply for up to four years of funding.
The Fund operate two grant giving programmes for charities:

• The Small Grant Programme is a fast track grant assessment for one-off grants of up to £3,000. Applicants can expect a result within six weeks of making an application.
• The Main Grants Programme is a far more thorough assessment for single and multiple year grants of £5,000 or more. A successful application can take up to nine months to receive a result.

The Fund particularly welcome applications supporting the use of leather within the fashion industry, education in leather technology and the leather trade.

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Foyle Foundation

The small grants scheme is designed to support charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at a grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities. Applications are welcomed from charities with an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum. The focus will be to make one-year grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 only to cover core costs or essential equipment, to enable ongoing service provision, homeworking, or delivery of online digital services to charities that can show financial stability. The priority will be to support local charities still active in their communities which are currently delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community either directly or through online support if possible. Charities must show that such a grant will make a significant difference to their work.

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The National Lottery Community Fund - Social Enterprise Support Fund

The funding is for social enterprises that reach the most marginalised communities and promote inclusion and it can be used for helping you get your social enterprise back on track or helping you work with communities that are recovering from the impacts of Covid-19. You can apply for grants from £10,000 to £100,000 - most grants will be between £10,000 and £50,000.

Your social enterprise must have been incorporated for at least a year and most of your beneficiaries should be in England. Your annual income was between £20,000 and £1.8 million pre-COVID-19 or in your last financial year. Your social enterprise should be substantially reliant income from trading (e.g. sales and contracts) to deliver social impact. If your trading has been affected by COVID-19, you should have a clear plan for growing or returning to substantial trading income.

Your social enterprise must be incorporated. It may be a charitable company, a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Community Benefit Society (CBS/Registered Society).

It may also be a company limited by guarantee (CLG), a company limited by shares (CLS), a co-operative society, or other registered society, if, within its governing document, it has:

• a clear social purpose, such as an Objects or Social Purpose clause
• a restriction on distribution of profits, to the extent that at least 51% of surpluses are reinvested for its social purpose
• an ‘asset lock‘, which is a restriction on the distribution of assets

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City Bridge Foundation Small Grants

City Bridge Foundation, previously City Bridge Trust, has reopened the programme after a five-month hiatus and an extensive review, and is now taking applications from constituted voluntary organisations as well as registered charities.

Grants are now on offer not just for environmental projects and those benefitting older people and disabled people, but also for projects aimed at LGBTQIA+ communities and refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.

The foundation has raised the bar for small organisations to those with an income of up to £200,000 a year, rather than £100,000, while the maximum grant limit has doubled to £20,000, or up to 50% of an organisation’s income.

Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

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John Lyon's Charity - School Holiday Activity Fund

The School Holiday Activity Fund is designed to enable organisations to deliver fun and accessible activities for children and young people during the school holidays.  This includes all half-term breaks, Easter, Christmas and the summer holiday. You may apply to the School Holiday Activity Fund once a year for a maximum of three consecutive years.

The Fund will pay for the running costs of holiday programmes that provide young people with activities in supportive and accessible environments. Up to £4,000 is available.

Applications to the School Holiday Activity Fund can be submitted at any time, but must be received by the Grants Office by the following deadlines:

• Summer holiday – 1 June  
• October half-term – 21 September  
• Christmas holiday – 16 November  
• February half-term – 10 January  
• Easter – 14 February  
• May half-term – 25 April 

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Cameron Grant Memorial Trust

Applications for a grant of between £100 and £2,500 will be considered. The grant can be used to trial a new service, create an asset, a technology, a performance, fund research, or otherwise experiment in any way that supports the treatment mental health. The emphasis will be on innovation – using new methods, channels, technology, ideas or approaches to reach out and effect change. Ideas should typically fit into one of the following categories:

• Destigmatising mental health
• Reducing barriers to mental health care
• Improving mental wellbeing

Note the grants are for project-based activities that demonstrate clear innovation. They will not be made to fund ongoing operational expenses or salaries.

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Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants provide over £7,500 per month of free Google Ads advertising to eligible Not For Profit organisations. The adverts will appear on relevant Google search result pages and can boost organisations’ visibility to their key audiences. The programme is designed to help people connect with causes to make a greater impact on the world.

No deadline

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Sport England – Movement Fund

The new fund replaces Sport England’s existing Small Grants Programme and Active Together fund. The Movement Fund aims to get more people active and increase sports participation across England, closing the ‘significant activity gap’ between people based on where they live, how affluent they are, their sex, ethnic background or whether they have a disability or long-term health condition. The launch coincides with the introduction of Sport England’s new Movement Hub pilot – which aims to make it easier to find existing tools and resources.

Grants of between £300 and £15,000 are available for not-for-profit organisations working with people living in England.The funding is intended for local not-for-profit groups and organisations whose projects promote physical activity, including active travel, walking, cycling, dance, fitness and sporting activities.Priority will be given to projects in communities where there is a greater need.

There is particular interest in projects providing opportunities for groups facing barriers to activity, such as:

• 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.
• People who are in foster care.
• People who provide care without pay.

Projects and activities need to address Sport England’s four ambitions:

• Encouraging positive experiences of sport and physical activity.
• Involving the community in planning and delivery.
• Prioritising environmental sustainability.
• A good use of public money.

The money could be used for equipment, facilities, learning and development, delivery costs or emergency relief.

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