Published Wednesday 8 April 2020 at 16:21
This insight outlines a range of funding opportunities open to the public sector, businesses, community groups etc. Regular funding opportunities are also available via the websites below:
National Lottery Grant for Heritage
Community groups can now access potential grant funding opportunities through the free Blackburn with Darwen Open4Community online search tool.
For all Blackburn with Darwen Council funding bids
Please check whether match funding is required, if it is please contact and inform your Finance colleague.
Funding opportunities greater than £100,000
New Grant Scheme Launches to Support Victims of Terrorism
A new fund has been announced by the Home Secretary to offer improved support for UK residents affected by terrorism at home or abroad. Private and voluntary organisations can apply for grants of up to £500,000.
Applicants must be able to provide specialist practical and emotional advice and support to individuals and their families based on professional judgement, and an understanding of the unique needs of victims of terrorism. This could include counselling, advice and support on dealing with emotional distress, media intrusion, and compensation and legal processes.
The new fund follows the Government’s announcement in January of increased funding for the Victims of Terrorism Unit. Bidding will begin in April and the grant will be advertised through Contract Finder.
Nuffield Foundation – £15 Million Strategic Fund
The Nuffield Foundation is calling for applications to its new £15m Strategic Fund. The Fund supports ambitious, interdisciplinary research projects that will address some of the most important challenges facing UK society and the public policy agenda in the next decade. This is an opportunity for researchers to develop original and challenging ideas, to work collaboratively across disciplines, and to influence social policy in a period of rapid change and uncertainty for society.
Through the Strategic Fund, the Foundation will make awards in the range of £1-3 million. Applications are encouraged from universities, research institutes, think tanks and voluntary organisations.
The Foundation encourage applications relating to a number of broad themes, set out in the call for applications. These themes include:
- The impact of digital technologies and the fourth industrial revolution,
- The future of education in a digitally-driven society,
- Interventions that might promote opportunity and reduce adversity at different life stages and between generations.
The listed themes are not exhaustive, and the Foundation welcomes applications on other themes that align with their mission to advance social well-being.
In light of the current public health emergency, the next closing date for applications has been extended from the 20th April to the 29th June 2020.
Funding for Projects That Contribute to the Ongoing Transformation of the Northern Ireland Conflict
Registered, excepted or exempt charities based within any of the four jurisdictions of the UK can apply for programme or project funding or for unrestricted or core support for work which will contribute to the ongoing transformation of the Northern Ireland conflict.
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) aims to fund work delivered by organisations, individuals and charities and grants range from a few hundred pounds to £100,000+ and may be single payments or spread over up to three years.
JRCT is interested in funding work which:
- Addresses the root causes of violence and injustice, rather than alleviating symptoms
- Cannot be funded from other sources
- Is likely to make a long-term, strategic difference.
Funded projects will address the following priority areas:
- Strengthening human rights and equality
- Supporting inclusive, non-sectarian and participatory politics
- Supporting processes of demilitarisation
- Dealing with the past i.e. work that promotes a shared understanding of the root causes of past violence, or which encourages government to implement initiatives to address the legacy of violence at a societal level.
The Trust is particularly interested in receiving applications related to women’s participation in all of these areas.
In addition to applications from Northern Ireland, it is open to receiving applications from Britain and the Republic of Ireland for work related to the above areas, and for work with an all-Ireland focus. Registered, excepted or exempt charities based within any of the four jurisdictions of the UK can apply for programme or project funding or for unrestricted or core support. Further details on eligibility can be found here.
Local work will be supported only where it is likely to have a wider impact, for example if it is testing a model which can then be replicated, or is addressing a local issue that has wider social or political implications.
The next deadline for applications is 12 noon on the 24th August 2020.
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) is interested in funding work which is about removing problems through radical solutions, and not simply about making problems easier to live with; that has a clear sense of objectives, and of how to achieve them; and is innovative and imaginative and where the grant has a good chance of making a difference.
JCRT makes grants to a range of organisations including registered, excepted or exempt charities based in the UK for work that seeks to make positive change across the UK as a whole, or across one or more of its member countries – England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
The Funding priorities for the Rights and Justice theme are:
- Protection and promotion of human rights and their enforcement in the UK
- Promoting rights and justice for minorities who face the most severe forms of racism
- Promotion of rights and justice for refugees and other migrants by identifying and tackling structures and systems that may deny them their rights.
JRCT focuses on work at both a national and European level, although work at a European level is limited and must have direct relevance to communities living in the UK.
Whilst the focus is to support national advocacy and campaigning, JRCT is open to applications which aim to effect structural change at local and regional levels of policy-making, provided the applicant can demonstrate the wider significance of the work.
Across the policy, JRCT places an emphasis on supporting those who have direct experience of racism and oppression.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for a grant for unrestricted or core support, although support for specific programme or project funding is also available.
Recent grants awarded have ranged from £5,000 to £100,000+ including:
- £20,000 to the Barrow Cadbury Trust
- £59,365 to Citizens UK (Safe Passage)
- £16,400 to the Equality and Diversity Forum
The next round of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust’s Rights and Justice programme is now open and will close on the 1st September 2020.
Funding for Music Making Projects for Young People in Challenging Circumstances
Schools as well as other not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants to fund developmental music-making projects for children and young people in challenging circumstances as well as for projects that support the development of the workforce, organisations and the wider music making sector. The funding is being made available through Youth Music, England’s largest children’s music charity, which provides funding for music-making projects.
Youth Making’s funding programme is made up of three separate funds. These are:
- Fund A which offers small grants (£2,000 to £30,000) for high quality music-making projects;
- Fund B offers medium-sized grants (30,001 – £150,000 per year for up to two years) for larger programmes of work.
- Music Education Hub Development Fund
In applying for funding schools will have to justify how the activities to be funded do not duplicate Department of Education funding.
The closing dates for applications to Fund A has been extended to 5pm on the 17th April 2020. Fund B and the Education Hub Development Fund are currently closed and expected to re-open for applications in Autumn 2020.
Grants of up to £750,000 Available for Heritage and Environmental Projects
Biffa Award has re-opened its Built Environment and Natural Environment Partnership Grants Schemes. Grants of £250,000 – £750,000 are available for partnership projects to restore and improve both the natural and the built environment.
Built Environment: projects should aim to restore, modernise and improve facilities such as cultural, heritage or visitor centres to engage and encourage tourists and/or day visitors. The facility should be inclusive and inspire and promote learning, creativity and participation.
Natural Environment: projects should aim to restore or improve the environment and the natural systems or habitats that support it. Projects should be working to Biodiversity 2020, A Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services, its successor, or a Local Biodiversity Action Plan target.
To be eligible for funding projects should be of national or regional significance and make a significant impact on the quality of life within the specified area. This scheme is open to projects located within 15 miles of a significant Biffa operation or active Biffa landfill site.
Applicant organisations (and the project) must be eligible for enrolment and registration with ENTRUST and conditions will apply to any grant awarded.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest (Stage 1) is the 17th April 2020. Partnerships successful at stage 1 will have until the 7th August 2020 to submit their application.
Loan Funding Available to Make Community Sports Organisations More Sustainable
The Sporting Capital Fund is a loan funding opportunity for community sports organisations who want to make a difference in the community through sport, physical activity or in a sport setting and want to grow and become more sustainable by generating more or new income.
Unsecured loans of £50,000 to £150,000, repayable over 3 to 5 years are available to help organisations develop new projects, operations and revenue streams and can be used for projects and activities such as:
- Equipment to support revenue streams
- Recruitment, training and deployment of staff and volunteers
- Equipment to support business functions, including finance, project management and governance
- Other operating costs
If needed, a repayment holiday of up to 24 months may be available, giving projects time to generate sustainable revenue before starting to repay the loan.
Loans will not cover “bricks and mortar” capital i.e. a new roof, but could be an investment, for example, to support a community café as a new revenue stream and pay for café kit and equipment, training deployment of new staff and volunteers, management support to get the café operating and funding towards marketing the new venture.
A wide range of organisations can apply from community sports clubs to social enterprises, charities and profit-with-purpose businesses that deliver sport and physical activity.
Where appropriate, grant funding through the Access Reach Fund, may be available for organisations that need support to get ready to take on repayable investment. This fund offers small grants to charities and social enterprises who are looking to raise investment with an approved social investor – called Access Points. The grant will be used to help them close a deal or secure an investment.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Funding opportunities between £25,000 and £100,000
Grants Available to Small Charities Working in the Developing World
The Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF) offered by UK Aid Direct is open to small UK-registered charities and not-for-profit organisations with an annual income of £250,000 or less.
Grants of up to £50,000 are available for projects for up to 2 years work that strengthen the capacity of grassroots development organisations working with vulnerable people in countries that are ranked in the bottom 50 of the UN Human Development Index (HDI) or if it is considered of high or moderate fragility by the UK’s DFID and work towards achieving the Global Goals.
Organisations that are part of a larger international family, are expected to demonstrate significant autonomy, be registered in the UK and have their own UK specific constitution with an independent board of trustees, i.e. the board must be locally appointed and be free and able to make independent decisions on strategic and operational issues.
All applicants will be expected to address the UK Aid Direct Programme Priorities which reflect those of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) i.e.
- Strengthening global peace, security and governance
- Strengthening resilience and response to crisis
- Promoting global prosperity
- Tackling extreme poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable
Grants of up to £50,000 for projects of up to 2 years are available.
The Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF) will remain open and all applications will be reviewed on a 6-monthly basis. The closing date for the next review of proposals is 5pm on the 30th April 2020.
This is a one-stage process via the application form on the website.
Grants to Support Children’s Health and Education
The Foundation distributes a total of around £200,000 per quarter.
Grants of up to £30,000 are available per year for up to two years to registered charities for projects that improve education and health for young people in three key areas:
- Children and young people with disabilities
- Children and young people who are sick in hospital
- Children and young people who are life limited (requiring palliative care)
The Foundation is a small charity and generally will not make awards of over £30,000 (per year). Funding can be requested for one-off projects or for up to 2 years work.
Applications from schools and hospitals are welcomed as long as they are made through an appropriate registered charity.
If favoured, grant applications for up to £5,000 can be approved by the Director, up to £10,000 can be approved by the Grants Committee, and applications for more than £10,000 are recommended to the Trustees for final approval.
The next deadline to apply to the DM Thomas Foundation Central Grants Programme has been extended to the 22nd July 2020.
Funding for Capital Projects in Secondary Schools and Sixth Form Colleges
From the 1st May 2020, high achieving secondary schools and colleges will be eligible to apply for a grant towards the cost of capital projects through the Wolfson Foundation’s Funding for secondary schools & sixth form colleges programme. Secondary schools and Sixth form colleges are eligible to apply for grants of between £15,000 and £100,000.
Grants of between £15,000 and for £50,000 are available for equipment projects and grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 are available for new build and refurbishment projects.
The Wolfson Foundation’s Secondary Education Programme is primarily dedicated to supporting the teaching of A-Levels and GCSEs at high-achieving state-funded schools and sixth form colleges. The Foundation funds capital projects and in the past allocated approximately £1.75 million each year to new build, refurbishment or equipment projects related to the teaching of science, computer science, design & technology, art, languages, music and performing arts.
Schools and colleges that have reached a level of excellence determined by a combination of criteria, but mainly through the receipt of an outstanding Ofsted assessment (or regional equivalent) are eligible to apply.
Note: Special schools or special colleges should visit the Funding for special schools and colleges area of the Foundation’s website for grant opportunities.
Awards made in 2018 include:
- Biddulph High School, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: £50,000 for New servers and network equipment
- Silverdale School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire: £50,000 towards a New science laboratory
- Shoreham Academy, West Sussex: £35,000 for IT equipment for music and art
There is a two-stage application process. Stage 1 applications are submitted online, via the online portal for applications. Please note applicants will need to register an account before starting an online application.
The deadline for stage 1 applications will be the 10th June 2020.
Stage 2 applications will be via invitation only.
Funding to Develop the Sustainability of Organisations Supporting the Rehabilitation of Offenders and Ex-offenders
This Development Grant provides funding towards core rather than project costs and is aimed at strengthening an organisation as a whole. During this funding round, the Trust will provide grants to not for profit organisations working towards the rehabilitation of offenders or ex-offenders.
Applicants must be a registered charity, not-for-profit social enterprise or community interest company working within the UK. The Trust particularly welcome applications from organisations working in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Grants are available from £10,000 up to £80,000 for a duration of 6 months to 3 years. The amount of funding requested must be proportional to the development that will be undertaken. A maximum of £30,000 per year or £2,500 per month for smaller developments can be requested.
The Trust are open minded on the type of initiatives applicants may wish to develop in order to increase their resilience. Grants can cover any costs incurred by the applicant in increasing their resilience and future sustainability. Previous projects supported include:
- Open Gates which received a grant of £80,000 over three years to develop its furniture restoration business and to provide opportunities for offenders to build their skills and confidence, to find future employment and reduce the risk of reoffending.
- The Oswin Project which supports inmates at HMP Northumberland to secure employment opportunities upon their release whilst providing an ongoing mentoring programme to help them integrate back into their communities and break the offending cycle.
The Triangle Trust has announced that the next closing date for applications to its Development Grants programme is noon on the 4th May 2020.
Funding for Small Scale Tree Planting Projects in Urban Areas
Community and volunteer groups as well as Town Councils and individuals can apply for a share of £10 million for small scale tree planting projects in cities and towns across England. Launched in May 2019, the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) aims to support the planting of more than 130,000 trees in towns and cities.
This announcement of round two opening follows the success of round one, which saw thirteen large scale projects from local authorities and large organisations awarded grants to plant more than 50,000 trees in urban areas. Due to the success of large tree planting in round one, round two will open for small tree planting only.
Any individual or organisation can submit up to 5 distinct applications to the UTCF in Round 2, each of which can contain up to 3 planting sites or projects.
The fund provides 50% of published standard costs for planting and establishment. The remaining costs of planting and establishing trees supported under the UTCF must be met through match funding, either in the form of money or labour.
The closing date for applications is the 31st May 2020.
Funding to Change Food Waste Behaviour – Deadline Extended to the 22nd April 2020
Grants of between £25,000 and £100,000 are available to small and medium sized enterprises, not-for-profit organisations and public funded authorities for projects that change people’s behaviours with regards to food waste. The funding is being made available by the waste prevention charity WRAP.
WRAP is looking to support interventions that will specifically focus on two behaviours:
- Buy what you eat (BWYE), and;
- Eat what you buy (EWYB).
Examples could be interventions that:
- Help promote a better understanding of Best Before Date vs Use-By Date
- Promote and encourage consumers to buy/shop better – buying the ‘right’ quantity for what is required. For example, shopping planners
- Educate citizens on how to store or freeze food correctly
Funding can be for both capital and revenue expenditure.
There is a two-stage application process and the closing date for stage -1 applications has been extended to is 1pm on the 22nd April 2020.
Funding opportunities under £25,000
Charities Aid Foundation Launches Coronavirus Emergency Fund
The Charity Aids Foundation (CAF) has launched a new Coronavirus Emergency Fund. Through this fund smaller charities, not for profit organisations, social enterprises and unregistered community groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help them to continue to deliver much needed support to within their communities.
The funding is available to help with core costs, staffing, volunteer costs, supplies and equipment, communications or other critical charitable areas.
Priority will be given to:
- Charities, and other organisations, whose established charitable activities are at risk of being severely reduced to the detriment of vulnerable groups
- Organisations that are having to deliver core services in fundamentally different or unusual ways in order to respond to the crisis and still reach their beneficiaries
- Organisations that are deeply embedded with communities and have established networks to deliver their charitable activities
- Organisations experiencing current cashflow problems, rather than concerns that future income will be reduced.
CAF will aim for grants to be paid to selected organisations within 14 days of application.
Applicants will be asked to register, or log in, using their email address and a password. Applicants can save their application at any time, there is no need to complete it all at one time.
Royal College of Pathologists Public Engagement Innovation Grant Scheme
The Royal College of Pathologists has announced that applications are now being accepted for the Public Engagement Innovation Grant Scheme.
Under this scheme grants of up to £1,000 are available for individuals or organisations who wish to run a project that engages audiences such as secondary school students, undergraduates, health professionals or local communities with pathology. All proposals must include the involvement of pathologists and/or laboratory scientists as a key part of the activity and applicants are advised to contact the public engagement team prior to submitting an application. All projects funded through the scheme must be completed by the 30th June 2020.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the public engagement team prior to submitting an application. The team will be able to offer practical support in terms of help, advice and resources and will be happy to discuss potential project ideas. They will also be able to put applicants in touch with pathologists who may be willing to be involved in a project. The team can be contacted via email on publicengagement@rcpath.org or by phone on 020 7451 6717.
The closing date for applications has been extended to the 1st July 2020.
Grants to Support Action for Marine Conservation
Sea-Changers provides grants of between £500 and £1,200 to UK based, marine conservation charities and not for profit organisations. The projects funded will achieve one or more of the following objectives:
- To address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
- To prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and / or species.
- To add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
Sea-Changers is particularly interested in grassroots projects which galvanise community action and in projects which increase the number of people taking action for marine conservation. Data and results from research projects undertaken as a result of Sea-Changers grant funding must be made available to Sea-Changers and shared with appropriate marine databases when completed.
The charity also has a small grants programme for grants of below £500. Applications to the small grants programme can be made at any time.
Projects that have previously been supported include:
The installation of a 2minutebeachclean station in Portrush, Northern Ireland and a long-term monitoring programme for local volunteer divers to contribute their observations of the health of the seagrass bed in Porthdinllaen, North Wales.
Sea Changers also have a small amount of funding that is specifically available to projects based in Scotland that address the issue of marine litter. The funding has the following objectives:
- To address the root causes of marine litter.
- To prevent or reduce marine litter impacting on UK coastal and marine environments and/or species.
- To add to the body of knowledge about the nature and impact of marine litter.
The next closing date for applications is the 30th September 2020.
NFU Mutual Community Giving Fund
Charities, schools, and community groups can apply for grants of up to £1,000 through the NFU Mutual Community Giving Fund. The fund is available in areas that are local to NFU operations in the UK.
Applications are likely to be more successful if they meet one or more of the funds priorities. These are:
- Connecting the community; reducing social isolation, providing opportunities, and encouraging resilience
- Providing care and support to vulnerable members of our community
- Relieving poverty; improving the health and wellbeing of our communities
- Advancing education and experiences for young people
Priority will also be given to:
- Requests that are supported by NFU Mutual staff members or one of their local branch offices.
- Beneficiaries that have not been given funds previously.
The next closing date for applications is the 30th June 2020.
Grants to Enable Disabled People to Play Tennis
Individuals can apply for grants of up to £500 for support for sports wheelchairs, tennis rackets, coaching lessons with a Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) licensed coach or course fees for official LTA development/coaching courses. Groups can apply for a maximum of £1,500.
Groups can apply for: Wheelchairs; Court hire; Coaching fees; and equipment packages which will include:
- Rackets
- Balls
- Mini net
- Coaching aids such as cones and throw down marker lines.
In the case of wheelchairs, a deposit will be required; for individuals, the amount of deposit required will depend on the wheelchair type requested, clubs will need to raise a deposit of £200.
The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust has announced that the next closing date for applications the 3rd July 2020.
Collaborative Research and Development Grants for Emerging Artists
Professional and emerging professional musicians of all genres and disciplines can apply for a grant of £2,000 to £5,000 to undertake a project that will enable them to develop and test new work, ideas or potential career directions through inspiring periods of collaborative research and development.
Eligible musicians will be over 18 based primarily in the UK and be in financial need and without significant backing. Solo instrumentalists, conductors, composers, vocalists, singer songwriters or multidisciplinary artists are amongst those eligible to apply. Bands or ensembles with six members or less can also be supported.
The funding is being made available through the Help Musicians Fusion Fund and the deadline to apply is the 8th July 2020.
Sport England Launches £20 Million Community Emergency Fund
Sport England has launched a new £20 million Fund to help sports and community organisations delivering physical activities who are experiencing short term financial hardship or are ceasing operations due to the Coronavirus crisis. The types of organisations eligible to apply include:
- Local sports clubs
- Voluntary and community sector organisations that deliver or enable sport and/or physical activity, including organisations that are not solely or primarily sports organisations and have an important role to play in keeping people active, that may need support for other parts of their organisation to remain open
- Small charitable trusts that do not qualify for financial help elsewhere
- Regional or county level organisations or leagues that have already paid out funds for activities that are now cancelled and are not able to claim funds from elsewhere.
Awards will be between £300 and £10,000. In exceptional circumstances Sport England will consider awards of more than £10,000
The fund has been developed to help community sport and physical activity organisations meet their obligations, in particular fixed costs, which are no longer supported with revenue as a result of coronavirus. This might cover expenditure on:
- Rent
- Utility costs
- Insurances
- Facility or equipment hire
- Core staffing costs (including casual workers) that cannot be met elsewhere by other government funds
- Retrospective losses dating from 1 March, 2020.
Some examples of the sort of things our fund can help with are:
- Support a boxing club to pay for their utility bills and other costs for their facility when no activity is taking place
- Support a local league who have paid for equipment to run a competition which is now cancelled and therefore will not receive the money the players in the league would have paid.
Applicants should have exhausted all other government funding sources before applying to this fund.
Sport England expect that the Fund will be open until the 31st July 2020.
BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme
The BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme which supports children and young people up to the age of 18 living with severe poverty as well as additional pressures such as domestic violence, disability or poor health in the family is currently open for applications from referral organisations that will be able to apply for grants on behalf of families or young people.
The fund will cover the purchase of critical items such as:
- Gas or electric cookers
- Essential household items
- Furniture and kitchen equipment
- Children’s beds and bedding
- Washing machines
- Fridges and freezers
- Baby equipment
- Clothing in exceptional or emergency situations.
Applications must be completed by a registered referrer who is part of an organisation that is supporting the family or young person and capable of assessing their needs. The referrer’s organisation should also be able to administer and supervise the grant on behalf of the BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme.
Support for Environmental Outreach Education for Disadvantaged Young People
Schools, colleges and youth groups can receive up to 75% towards the costs of providing environmental outreach education for groups of disadvantaged young people through the Field Studies Council’s Kids Fund. The Field Studies Council is an independent educational charity committed to raising awareness about the natural world and works through a network of residential and day Centres in the UK to provide outreach education and training.
There are two types of Kids Fund course Wildlife and Environment focusing on wildlife habitats and the environment with team building activities and Eco Adventure which combines environmental and personally challenging activities.
Groups who meet one of the following criteria will be eligible:
- Disadvantaged young people aged 4-18 years (or up to 25 years for those with special needs)
- Voluntary youth groups (either run by voluntary leaders, managed by a voluntary organisation, a registered charity)
- OR
- School groups may apply if they are aiming to provide benefits which are additional to the statutory school curriculum or clearly show added value, depth and breadth to the taught curriculum. FSC Kids Fund will not pay for young people to attend standard curriculum-focused FSC courses.
All applicants must be based in the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Isles and Republic of Ireland.
One free staff/adult place is provided for every 12 young people; additional adults pay 20% +VAT. This includes all equipment, tuition and waterproof hire costs. Food and accommodation are included for residential courses.
The next closing date for applications is the 1st November 2020.
Funding for Projects that Work with Disabled Children and their Families
Hallmoor Parents Teachers Friends Association and Mayfield School were amongst some of the Parent Teacher Associations and schools that have recently received funding through the True Colours Trust UK Small Grants Programme. Through the programme, charities and projects with a charitable purpose can apply for funding that supports disabled children and their families.
Grants of up to £10,000 are usually available for hydrotherapy pools; multi-sensory rooms; mini buses; young carers projects; sibling projects; and bereavement support; specialised play equipment / access to play and leisure; and family support / parent-led peer support.
Other projects supported in the past include:
- Friends of Sherwood Park who received a grant of £5,000 towards the creation of the multi-sensory outdoor environment.
- Roddensvale Parents & Friends Association who received a grant of £5,000 towards the costs of refurbishing its sensory room.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Funding Available to Support Local Good Causes
The Morrison’s Foundation awards grants to community projects that improve people’s lives.
Applicants must demonstrate how the project will deliver public benefit, who in the community will specifically benefit and how it will bring about positive change.
Grants may be applied for by any charity which is registered with the Charity Commission (England and Wales) or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (Scotland) that have financial information dating back to 2012. Applicants must also have raised some funding towards the project elsewhere.
Projects supported have ranged from support groups to children’s hospitals and homeless shelters to hospices across England, Scotland and Wales. In 2018, a total of £9,717,536 was distributed to 807 organisations which included:
- Groundwork London received a grant of £11,578 to run a series of activities for people at risk of social isolation.
- Friends of East Preston School received a grant of £5,000 to replace their old and dilapidated outdoor trim trail.
- Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice received a grant of £20,000 to buy a new minibus and run activity trips for young patients.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis can be submitted at any time and there is no specific grant amount that can be applied for.
Maintenance Grants for Churches
Churches can apply for grants of up to £500 (excl. VAT) towards the cost of building’s maintenance services. The grant will cover up to 50% of the cost of works.
Churches are only eligible to apply for a Preventative Maintenance Micro-Grant if they book one of the following services through the Maintenance Booker website:
- Rainwater goods maintenance;
- Lightning protection system repairs;
- Asbestos removal;
- Masonry repairs and high-level maintenance (from June 2019).
The National Churches Trust accepts applications from listed and unlisted churches, chapels and meeting houses of any age, as long as they are open for regular public worship and are located within an area covered by Maintenance Booker services.
The funding is being made available through the National Churches Maintenance Micro-Grant Programme and applications can be submitted at any time. There are no application deadlines.