Funding opportunities

Including small grants, capital funding and longer-term programme support.

Health, wellbeing and inclusion

Baily Thomas General Grants Programme
Funding is available for projects supporting children and adults with severe learning difficulties, including autism. Grants can support equipment, capital works, project costs and core costs. Previous awards have included respite schemes, community support, day activities, independent living projects and specialist spaces such as Snoezelen rooms.
There are two programmes: a small grants strand for requests below £5,000, which is open on a rolling basis, and a main grants programme for £5,000 or more. The next deadline for the main programme is 31 August 2026. Charities, voluntary organisations, schools, PTAs, Community Benefit Societies and other exempt charities can apply. CICs are not eligible.

Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants
Grants of up to £3,000 are available to help people with Parkinson’s become and stay active. Funding is for new activities that support people who are currently inactive, especially those from marginalised or underrepresented communities. This could include walking groups, dance, table tennis or movement-based gateway activities such as singing and movement, gardening or drumming.
Funding can cover equipment, venue hire, coaching, training, online support, marketing and up to £300 of core costs. Projects must run for between 12 and 52 weeks and begin within 12 weeks of receiving the grant. Applications are open on a rolling basis until funds are allocated.

The Grocers’ Charity Open Grants Programme
UK-registered charities can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to reduce disadvantage and improve quality of life for vulnerable people. Priorities include hardship, domestic abuse, young people, older people, disability, health, veterans, arts and heritage, and environmental work.
Applications are made through a two-stage process, starting with an initial enquiry. The deadline for first-stage applications is 1 September 2026.

Calisen Impact Charitable Trust
This fund supports projects that improve the environment, strengthen communities and promote wellbeing. The Trust is interested in work linked to climate action, net zero, sustainable energy systems, inclusion and social growth.
There is no published maximum grant amount. UK-registered charities can apply, including those outside Calisen’s main operating areas. The deadline is 30 June 2026.

Housing, homelessness and hardship

Comic Relief: A Place to Belong
This programme supports organisations tackling youth homelessness and racial inequity in housing. There are two pathways. The Service Delivery strand offers up to £200,000 over 3 to 5 years for organisations working with 16 to 25-year-olds at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The Systemic Change strand offers up to £450,000 over 3 to 7 years for organisations working to influence policy and challenge structural racism in housing and homelessness.
Applicants must have an annual income between £200,000 and £10 million. The deadline is 30 April 2026.

Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
This round offers grants of £5,000 for charities supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The focus is on life skills support, such as budgeting, healthy living and food education, with priority for people leaving care, prison or the armed forces.
This round is only open to registered or exempt charities with a minimum operating income and expenditure of £1 million. The deadline is 30 April 2026.

Community spaces, capital works and local facilities

Asda Foundation Local Community Spaces Fund
Grants of £10,000 to £20,000 are available to improve community spaces that bring people together and support local services. This includes youth clubs, food banks, homeless shelters, community cafés and similar venues.
Funding can support repairs, access improvements, heating, windows and doors, security, flooring and work to outdoor community spaces. The fund is open to charities and not-for-profit organisations with an income between £40,000 and £400,000. Applications close on 28 April 2026 and may close early if oversubscribed.

Caremark Community Fund
Caremark is offering three grants of £3,000 for projects that make a positive difference in local communities. Funding could support sports equipment, food banks, community gardens, pre-school resources or improvements to a community venue.
Charities, community groups, schools and local authority-run projects can apply. Projects will be shortlisted regionally and then put to a public vote. The deadline is 31 May 2026.

SPAR Community Cashback Scheme
This scheme offers grants of up to £10,000 to local charities, schools and community groups. Applications need to show the difference the organisation makes locally and what the funding would be used for.
A total of £20,000 is available in this round. The closing date is 13 May 2026.

Screwfix Foundation
Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of around £5,000 for projects that improve community buildings and facilities for people facing hardship, illness, disability or disadvantage.
Eligible work includes repairs, kitchens and bathrooms, sensory rooms, decoration, security improvements and energy efficiency upgrades. The next deadline is 10 May 2026.

Biffa Award Partnership Grants
This is a larger capital opportunity for major community or environmental projects, with grants from £250,000 to £1 million. Projects must improve significant community facilities or support biodiversity and habitat restoration.
Applicants must meet location criteria linked to Biffa sites and secure a third-party contribution worth 10% of the grant request. Expressions of interest close on 29 May 2026.

SUEZ Communities Fund
This fund supports community and environmental improvement projects in eligible areas near SUEZ sites. Grants of up to £50,000 are available in England for public amenities, biodiversity work and repairs to community or heritage buildings.
Groups will need to check their postcode against the eligibility map. The deadline for England applications is 6 May 2026.

Sport, activity and participation

Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund
Community groups and sports clubs working in disadvantaged areas of Greater London can apply for grants of £2,500 to £5,000. The fund supports opportunities for young people aged up to 18 who face barriers to sport, including girls and young women, young people from minority ethnic communities and those at risk of offending.
Funding can support facilities, coaching, volunteer development and operational costs. The next deadline is 29 June 2026.

Dan Maskell Tennis Trust
This fund helps disabled people access tennis. Grants of up to £600 are available for individuals, and up to £1,600 for groups, clubs and projects.
Funding can support coaching, court hire, specialist equipment and tennis wheelchairs. The next closing date is 10 May 2026.

Arts, culture, music and creative skills

D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Grants of £500 to £8,000 are available for charities working in the performing arts, creative health and heritage crafts. This includes music-making, arts-based health activity, support for young carers, horticulture, and craft skills linked to training or employment.
Project funding and, in some cases, unrestricted funding are available depending on organisation size. Deadlines vary by programme, with key dates in May and June 2026.

Music for All
Funding is available to increase participation in music in disadvantaged and marginalised communities. Community groups, schools and charities can apply for support with instruments and equipment, including ukuleles, keyboards, drum kits and accessible guitars.
The deadline is 7 May 2026.

Goldsmiths’ Foundation Open Grants Fund
This programme offers £30,000 to £50,000 for organisations combining vocational skills, creative practice and social impact. This round is focused on the craft sector and could suit projects involving textiles, ceramics, jewellery, embroidery or other practical creative skills linked to training and opportunity.
Both core and project funding are available. The deadline is 11 May 2026.

Heritage Crafts Endangered Craft Fund
Grants of up to £2,500 are available to support traditional craft skills at risk of being lost. Funding can support training, tools, specialist equipment, materials or promotion.
Applications are open to individuals and organisations across the UK. The deadline is 8 May 2026.

Science, outreach and learning

Biochemical Society EDI and Outreach Grants
Small grants of up to £1,000 are available for projects that improve inclusion and participation in molecular science. This could include accessible resources, mentoring, workshops or community outreach.
The programme is open to individuals, groups, charities and not-for-profit organisations. The deadline is 20 May 2026.

Institute of Physics Public Engagement Grants
Grants of £500 to £4,000 are available for projects that engage underrepresented young people and families with physics. Community organisations, libraries, museums, arts groups and schools can all apply.
Projects should involve physicists and create inclusive, community-based engagement. The deadline is 10 May 2026.

Enterprise and leadership

UnLtd Awards
UnLtd supports social entrepreneurs aged 16 and over who are starting or growing a social venture. Awards are available at two levels: up to £8,000 for early-stage ventures and up to £18,000 for ventures that have been running for up to four years.
Alongside funding, successful applicants receive coaching, mentoring and practical support. The deadline is 1 June 2026.

The earliest deadlines in this list are:

28 April 2026: Asda Foundation Local Community Spaces Fund
30 April 2026: Comic Relief A Place to Belong
30 April 2026: Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
6 to 13 May 2026: SUEZ, Music for All, Heritage Crafts, SPAR, Dan Maskell, Institute of Physics, Screwfix and others
29 June 2026: Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund
31 August 2026: Baily Thomas main grants deadline
1 September 2026: Grocers’ Charity first-stage deadline

Please check the full guidance before applying, as eligibility and priorities vary.