FUNDING: Theatre Improvement Scheme – apply by 6 Sep

Grants are available to theatre operators to improve the environmental sustainability of their theatres.

Grants of up to £20,000 are being made available through the Theatres Trust in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation.

The scheme can support a range of projects that consider different ways theatre buildings or equipment can reduce their environmental impact.

This can range from building management systems to more efficient water heaters, or a green roof to new windows.

Responses are anticipated approximately 16 weeks after the closing date, so this funding is not suitable for urgent or immediate work.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Friday 6 September 2024.

For full details of the fund, visit the Theatres Trust Theatre Improvement Scheme webpage.

FUNDING: Walking & Cycling Grants from TfL – apply by 9 Sep

Funding is available for projects to help Londoners benefit from the joys of walking and cycling.

Transport for London (TfL), in partnership with The London Marathon Charitable Trust, are offering Community Ideas grants of up to £5,000 over 1 year, or Walking and Cycling grants of up to £8,000 over 2 years, to fund projects that engage communities across London in safe, enjoyable and inclusive walking and cycling activities.

You can apply if you are a community organisation, charity,  third sector organisation, not-for-profit organisation, community interest company or social enterprise in Greater London.

The Communities Ideas grants are specifically for smaller community groups, charities and social enterprises who may not have applied for a grant or run a community project before. Applicants pick from a list of templates of previously successful project ideas and receive more support throughout the application and project delivery period.

The objectives of the programme are to:

  • increase walking and cycling in London (including new, lapsed or occasional cyclists)
  • increase confidence in walking and cycling
  • increase walking and cycling frequency
  • make bike ownership more accessible
  • introduce exercise to people who are particularly inactive via walking and cycling
  • reduce social isolation and get people involved in their local community.

The closing date for the current funding round is 10am on Friday 9 September 2024.

For full details, including a simple eligibility checker, visit TfL’s Walking and Cycling Grants webpage.

FUNDING: Active Spaces Fund – next deadline 13 Sep

This is the London Marathon Charitable Trust’s funding programme to improve sports spaces and inspire activity in London.

Grants of between £10,000 and £80,000 are available over the next three years to support community groups and organisations to improve and create spaces where children and young people and marginalised groups and communities can participate in sport and physical activity.

There may be exceptional awards made for capital projects to apply for more than £80,000. This is by invitation-only and at the Foundation’s discretion. If you would like to discuss applying for more than £80,000, you must contact them first.

Funding facilities will be a core component of the Fund, along with a broader range of projects to offer greater flexibility to more organisations and support a wide range of projects.

To apply to this fund, projects must:

  • Provide opportunities for the least active children and young people and/or marginalised groups and communities to be active
  • Improve and/or activate spaces, places and facilities
  • Take place in London (defined by the borough boundaries).

Priority will be given to projects that: 

  • enable the least active children, young people and underserved groups and communities to lead active and healthy lives 
  • take place in areas of greatest need, for example, areas with fewer spaces, places and facilities for sports and physical activity or where communities are likely to be affected by high levels of deprivation 
  • are delivered by organisations with a close connection to the community they want to support 
  • will improve and activate spaces, places and facilities beyond the funding period. 

There is a two-stage application process, beginning with an initial Expression of Interest. If your project is eligible, you will be be advised within 15 working days and invited to submit a full application. 

The application deadlines for 2024 are:

  • Friday 19 April (outcome communicated by 30 June 2024) 
  • Friday 5 July (outcome communicated by 30 September 2024) 
  • Friday 13 September (outcome communicated by 20 December 2024) 

For full details, including guidance and FAQs, visit the Active Spaces Fund webpage.

FUNDING: Barclays Community Football Fund – apply by 15 Sep

In Partnership with Sported, Barclays are offering small grants for football and community groups to expand their existing provision to new audiences or to those already delivering football to under-represented young people.

The Access Grants of £1,000 aim to help make playing football more accessible at a grassroots level and deliver football to underrepresented young people, such as girls, those from culturally diverse communities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and young people with disabilities.

The funding can be used for anything that will support delivery. Typical examples of costs might include a contribution towards:

• Venue hire
• Coaching costs
• Volunteer expenses
• Equipment
• Kit
• Marketing and communications
• Training and qualifications
• Insurances and affiliation

It will not fund trips abroad, costs associated with elite football or talent development, and school based football activities.

There are two funding rounds this year, open as below:

  • Monday 12 February until Friday 12 April 2024
  • Monday 15 July until Sunday 15 September 2024.

The fund is expected to be extremely popular and funding rounds may close earlier if a high volume of eligible applications are received.

For full details and to apply, visit the Barclays Community Football Fund webpage.

FUNDING: Opportunities Through Sport – next deadline 1 Oct

This fund supports sport and physical activity at a grassroots level which enables people across the UK who are physically, mentally, socially or economically disadvantaged to develop personal and life skills to fulfil their potential.

Charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC) in UK can apply to this scheme from the Peter Harrison Foundation.

The grants can be used for a variety of purposes, such as new sports programmes, improving existing sports facilities, or providing training and support for sports coaches.

The trustees welcome applications for physical activity initiatives that:

  • provide a focus for skills development and confidence building
  • have a strong training and/or educational theme
  • provide specialised sporting equipment or facilities required to open opportunities
  • have a high degree of involvement from beneficiaries and those with lived experience
  • have a plan for sustainability and seek to deliver a lasting legacy.

There are two levels of funding:

  • Major grants of between £5,001 and £30,000
  • Small grants of up to £5,000.

Priority is given to organisations with an annual turnover of up to £500,000.

The trustees meet quarterly to consider applications. The deadlines for each quarter are:

  • 1 January
  • 1 April
  • 1 July
  • 1 October.

For full details and to apply, visit the Peter Harrison Opportunities Through Sport webpage.

FUNDING: Greene King Proud To Pitch In – apply by 1 Nov

Pub retailer and brewer Greene King has pledged nearly £350,000 in funding to support grassroots sport within local communities across the UK.

Grants of up to £4,000 are available through their Proud To Pitch In Campaign, which raises funding through the sale of Greene King IPA for activities such as football, rugby, cricket, roller hockey or netball.

Every pint of Greene King IPA sold will add 10p to the fund, supporting local clubs from the ground up, providing them with the tools they need to continue to play the sport they love.

Applications can be made by grassroots and community sports clubs running activities for people aged 18 and over.

Examples of projects that have previously received funding include:

  • renovations of a club’s facilities, making them more inclusive and accessible
  • coaching qualifications and referee courses
  • new equipment.

The aim of this fund is to support sports focused projects that positively impact their club and/or the local community, and would tangibly benefit from funding. The fund is particularly focussed on sports projects that have a long term impact.

Application is made through Action Funder, where organisations sign up, register and post a project they are seeking funding for. The project will automatically match with any funds for which it meets the criteria for. For this fund, projects applicants should tick the ‘physical health and sport’ focus area and limit funding requests to £4,000.

Applications can be made at any time until the 1 November 2024. Grants will be distributed regularly.

For more details and to apply, visit the Greene King Proud to Pitch In webpage here.

FUNDING: Rowing Foundation – next deadline 4 Nov

The Rowing Foundation offers small grants for projects that support rowing, particularly for young people.

They are a registered charity with the purpose of promoting the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages.

Grants are offered of up to £4,000, for up to 50% of overall project costs, to support rowing, where the requirement may be too small or otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds.

Preference is given to encouraging participation by the young or disabled of all ages, by the provision of on the water equipment – such as boats, sculls, ergos, oars and essential safety equipment.

All equipment purchased under this scheme will be required to display a sticker indicating the contribution of the Rowing Foundation, which will be supplied by the Foundation.

Groups should be affiliated to British Rowing.

The Trustees meet three times per year to consider applications received for Equipment Grants. Their next meeting is in June and the deadline for this meeting is 12 Noon on Monday 20 May 2024.

The Foundation also runs a refurbishment rolling grant programme, specifically for boats used by juniors, for which applications can be made at any time..

Find out more at the Rowing Foundation website.

FUNDING: Bernard Sunley Foundation Small Grants – no deadlines

Organisations can apply at any time for small grants that raise the quality of life for people in England and Wales.

Charities, specialist schools, CIOs, and other not-for-profit organisations including scout and guide groups, and housing associations can apply for up to £5,000. The grants are considered on a monthly basis and normally awarded to projects costing up to £100,000.

Medium grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 and large grants of £20,000 and above are also available.

The Foundation aims to provide greater opportunities for the young, elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged by supporting capital projects in the areas of community, education, health and social welfare.

The types of projects that could be supported include improvements to village halls, supporting children and adults with special educational and learning needs, improvements to hospices and treatment clinics, and supporting day centres for the elderly.

Applications can be made at any time.

Decisions are given within three months for small grants and within six months for others.

Find out more from at the Bernard Sunley Foundation website.

Funding with Rolling Deadlines

UK Youth -  Cost of Living Fund The UK Youth Fund in partnership with Pears Foundation will provide targeted funding to youth organisations delivering high quality youth work to ensure doors stay open, bills get paid and youth workers receive the salaries they deserve. This will help to ensure young people aged 8 – 25 years old continue to be supported at this most difficult of times by the youth organisations and youth workers on whom they’ve come to depend. This new fund is a three-year unrestricted grant programme aimed at mitigating the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on the youth sector. Grants of approximately 10% of the current turnover of the applicant organisation per year are available (For example, an organisation with a turnover of £250,000 can apply for up to £25,000 a year). Applicants have to be a charitable or not-for-profit organisation in operation for at least two years and with a turnover of less than £500,000 in the last financial year. Rolling Deadline.   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.
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.    

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.   

Tesco Bags for 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.      

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 nation has a tier allocation, which may be subject to change, as the current funding year progresses.  

Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Migrant 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 one 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.   

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 upon 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
 
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. 

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.     

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. 

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.


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’.    
Sports 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.   

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.    

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. Rolling deadline   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. 

The Hobson Charity   The Hobson Charity, established in 1985, focuses on supporting urgent Cost of Living and frontline services in the UK. Its objectives include relieving poverty, advancing education, and supporting other charitable purposes. The charity does not fund salaries, core running costs, or repeat/multi-year requests, except in exceptional circumstances. Project leaders must actively raise funds elsewhere and specify the amount requested. Trustees consider other project supporters, funds raised, and pending applications. There is no set grant limit & you can apply at any time
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grants are available to support projects of up to five years that care for and sustain heritage in the UK. This could include nature and habitats, historic buildings and environments, or cultures, traditions and people’s memories. Applications for grants of between £10,000 and £250,000 are open all year round. Applications for more than £250,000 have quarterly application deadlines.
Community Ownership Fund - is accepting expressions of interest from community groups to buy or renovate assets that would otherwise be lost to the community. Voluntary and community organisations from across the UK can apply as long as they are incorporated organisations set up to deliver charitable purpose, social purpose or public benefit and have a viable plan for taking ownership of a community asset at risk and running it sustainably for community benefit. this is the fourth and final round. Ongoing.