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The Final Local Government Finance Settlement is now confirmed. Our updated analysis examines the implications for rural areas. Read more.
Rural Funding Digest - April 2026
A monthly bulletin facilitated by your membership of the Rural Services Network highlighting a selection of current funding opportunities
- Download a printable version of the Funding Digest here
Grants for physical activity providers – Parkinson’s UK
In 2026, the charity is offering grants of up to £3,000 to support physical activity projects for people with Parkinson’s across the UK.
This year, funding is focused on people who are currently inactive, helping them begin to engage in physical activity and sustain their participation.
To make activities more accessible, they are also supporting ‘gateway activities’. These are movement?based sessions that build confidence and encourage interest in becoming more active.
The fund opened on 2 March and applications will be accepted until all of the funding has been allocated.
Grants for physical activity providers | Parkinson's UK
Trailblazer Fund – Youth Music
The Youth Music Trailblazer fund offers grants of £2,000 to £30,000 to organisations in England to run projects for children and young people (25 or under) to make, learn and earn in music. The project should trial work or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme or disrupt the status quo (or all three!).
Your work must meet one of our themes:
Early years
- Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
- Youth justice system
- Young people facing barriers
- Young adults
- Organisations and the workforce.
The current round for applications closes on 10 April. The subsequent round will open on 31 July and close on 28 August 2026.
Trailblazer Fund | Youth Music
Pink Ribbon Foundation
The Pink Ribbon Foundation’s mission is to help breast cancer charities help their clients recover from their cancer and then live longer, healthier, happier lives. Through its grant making the Pink Ribbon Foundation funds practical projects and initiatives, which aim to help registered charities to deliver good physical and mental health to individuals with and recovering from breast cancer.
Grants up to £6000 are available and the deadline for applications is 31 May 2026.
School-based Nursery Capital Grants – Department for Education
The school-based nursery (SBN) programme aims to?help?more families access?early years provision,?including those in disadvantaged areas.
This is the third phase of the programme. It builds on the foundations of phase 1 and 2 and invites local authorities to develop multi-year funding proposals to deliver new and extended school-based nurseries between 2027 and 2030.
The SBN Capital Grant 2027 to 2030 can be used by local authorities to create or expand a school-based nursery in state-funded primary-phase schools, maintained nursery schools and on Best Start Family Hub sites.
Local authorities must submit their funding proposal by 30 September 2026.
School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2027 to 2030 - GOV.UK
Schroder Charity Trust
The Schroder Charity Trust accepts applications up to £5000 towards two focussed grant programmes in two application windows each year. They will consider applications for charitable work under the following two objectives:
- Objective (1): Enabling children and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive and achieve their potential in education and employment.
- Objective (2): Strengthening communities through services and opportunities which enhance the wellbeing and life outcomes of vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
The current application window closes on 30 April 2026.
Charity and Community Fund – the DPO (Data Protection Officer) Centre
The fund’s purpose is to provide access to data protection consultancy services, but at an 80% funded rate, therefore enabling worthy causes to access expertise, but with the least effect on their ability to fund their core purpose.
The DPO Centre has set aside an annual £50,000 funding pot, with one funding round per year. Eligible charities are invited to apply for up to £10,000 of funding towards any of the Centre’s consultancy services.
Applications close on 31 May 2026.
Charity Support Fund | DPO Centre
Green Heat Network Fund – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) is a capital grant fund that supports:
- the commercialisation and construction of new low-carbon heat networks (including the supply of cooling)
- the retrofitting and expansion of existing heat networks
It aims to develop and grow the heat network market and to address some of the challenges of decarbonising the UK’s heat sector. The fund is open to organisations in the public, private and third sectors in England.
Round 11 is open for applications and will close on 1 May 2026.
Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF): Round 11 application guidance - GOV.UK
Grant schemes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure – Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
The government offers grants to support the installation of electric vehicle chargepoints via the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). This includes:
- Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners. You can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £500.
- Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking. You can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £500.
- Workplace charging scheme. The grant covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints, capped at a maximum of £500 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.
- Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grants for residential landlords. You can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £500 per socket.
- Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions. You can get 75% off the cost to buy and install chargepoints up to a maximum of: £2000 per socket (40 sockets across all sites including any applications made previously via the Workplace Charging Scheme).
The closing date for these schemes has been extended to 31 March 2027.
For more information visit the website below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-grants-for-low-emission-vehicles
Climate Action Fund (Food Systems) – The National Lottery Community Fund
The Lottery want to fund projects that strengthen our food system and reduce food insecurity for people and communities. They want to support ways of producing enough healthy, affordable food without harming the planet.
They aim to do this by supporting work that:
- works with nature to create resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems (this is called agroecology)
- addresses the root cause of long-term problems, not just the symptoms (this is called systems change)
Your project must work towards systems change in the way that:
- community organisations grow and produce food – using agroecological methods
- food gets distributed – aiming for equitable access to healthy, affordable food for all
- offers people and communities different food options – especially those experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination
You can apply for a minimum of £2.5 million over 3 years. Most projects we fund will receive between £3 million and £5 million, and run for between 5 and 7 years. They expect to fund up to 10 projects in the first year.
Climate Action Fund - Food Systems | The National Lottery Community Fund
Grass roots grants – Groundwork
Groundwork is working with People’s Postcode Lottery for a third year to deliver Grassroots Grants. This year, the programme will provide unrestricted funding of up to £2,000 to 700 small, local organisations in England that are making a positive difference in their communities.
Funding can be used for core organisational costs that support the important work organisations deliver in their communities. The funding offered is unrestricted and therefore flexible and can be used where it is most needed.
Eligible organisations whose income is up to £25,000 in the last financial year can apply up to September 2026.
Grassroots Grants - Groundwork
Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund – Museums Association
The Museums Association, funded by the Julia Rausing Trust, is providing a programme of grant-making, networking and learning dissemination for health and wellbeing programmes in museums. Grants will enable the development and continuation of groundbreaking health and wellbeing programmes in UK museums during a time of financial crisis and increasing demand for services.
The Fund is now open for applications with a deadline for enquiries of 20 May 2026. Around 30 organisations will be invited to apply from the enquiries received. They aim to make around 10 grants of £50,000 to £75,000.
Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund - Museums Association
Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust grants
The was established in 1970 by Barbara de Brye, Stanley Smith’s daughter, in recognition of his passion for plants and gardening. It’s purpose is to support horticultural projects for public benefit, mostly in the UK, through the provision of grants. The types of project supported include the creation, development and restoration of gardens, plant study field trips, publications, horticultural research and training.
Grants are normally awarded twice a year, in April and September (following application deadlines of 15 February and 15 August). The maximum grant is £5,000.
About | Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust
Macmillan support grants – Macmillan Cancer Support
A Support Grant is a one-off payment of no more than £15,000 that directly benefits people living with cancer. Macmillan welcome applications that aim to support diverse communities, promote inclusion, and encourage peer-to-peer support.
Examples of what funding could be used for include: initial room hire costs and refreshments, events, group outings/celebrations, volunteer expenses, signposting information, information stands, community projects, education sessions for people living with cancer, physical activity linked to personalised care such as prehabilitation, rehabilitation and wellbeing, and IT equipment.
Support Grants | Macmillan Cancer Support
Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-35 – Homes England
The Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036 (SAHP) provides grant funding to support the capital costs of developing affordable housing in England (outside London).?
The funding has 2 national strategic priorities. These are to maximise the delivery of:
- social and affordable homes, supporting the government’s commitment to delivering 1.5 million homes in this parliament
- homes for Social Rent, with at least 60% of the total homes to be delivered as this tenure
SAHP also seeks to support an increase in:
- council housebuilding — directly from councils or in partnership with registered providers or developers
- the delivery of specialist and supported housing
- the delivery of community-led and rural housing
Partners will be expected to demonstrate how their bids will contribute to these priorities.
Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities can set the strategic direction of the SAHP in their areas.
Bids are welcomed from existing and new partners, including:?
- not-for-profit registered providers
- for-profit registered providers
- local authorities
- housebuilders and developers
- charities
- community-led organisations
Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026 to 2036 - GOV.UK
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust grants
The objectives of JSAWT are to donate to UK registered charities whose purposes encompass one or more of the following:
- to benefit or protect animals
- to relieve animals from suffering
- to conserve wildlife
- to encourage the understanding of animals
There are three application deadlines each year for grants up to £10,000, open to charities registered in the UK – 1 April, 1 August and 1 December.
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust | Support Animal Welfare Today
Awards for All, and Reaching Communities – The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF)
Awards for All:
TNLCF offer funding from £300 to £20,000 and can support your project for up to two years. You can apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges.
They can fund projects that’ll do at least one of these things:
- bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
- improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
- help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage
- support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.
Reaching Communities England:
With this funding, TNLCF want to help strengthen communities and improve lives across England. Their funding is available to all communities, but their priority is the places, people and communities that need it most.
When they say ‘community’, they mean people who live in the same area. Or people with similar interests or life experiences, even if they do not live in the same area.
They offer funding that starts at £20,001. Your project must help achieve one of these missions. Which are to support communities to:
- come together through inclusive places, spaces and activities (either physical or virtual), especially for communities where people are least able to come together
- help children and young people thrive by developing positive social and emotional skills
- be healthier by addressing health inequalities and helping prevent poor health
- be environmentally sustainable by engaging with climate issues, having a positive environmental impact, and improving access to quality natural spaces
Funding programmes | The National Lottery Community Fund
National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment
This fund is available to community-led projects that improve the environment and help people connect with and enjoy nature where they live.
You can use the funding to:
- start a new activity or continue an existing one
- help your organisation adapt to new challenges
- run one-off events that have a clear environmental benefit.
They’re looking to fund projects that:
- help people connect with and care for nature in their area
- make a positive difference to the environment
Funding from £300 up to £20,000 is available.
National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment | The National Lottery Community Fund
Football Foundation grants
Football Foundation grants are available to football clubs, schools, councils and local sports associations under the following categories:
- Lionesses HERe to Play Fund
- Goalposts
- Catering units
- Portable floodlights
- Storage containers
- Changing pavilions and clubhouses
- 3G pitch maintenance machinery and equipment
- Fencing
- 3G pitches
- Creation of new grass pitches
- Small-sided facility improvements
- Grass pitch improvement
- Grass pitch drainage
- Grass pitch maintenance machinery and equipment
- Play zones
- Hubs
- Active through football
- Premier League defibrillator fund
- Premier League stadium fund
Looking for funding | Football Foundation
Digital Divide – The Access Foundation
The Access Foundation awards grants to support charities and CICs to mitigate the digital divide by making IT facilities, support and learning available to disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
They generally award grants between £10,000 and £50,000. This funding will normally support a project that lasts no more than a year. Applications are welcomed from a number of countries, including the UK.
Grant Application Guidance Notes – Digital Divide
Woodland Creation Planning Grants – Forestry Commission
The Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) offers funding of up to £30,500 for the production of a UKFS-compliant woodland creation design plan. Landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply.? WCPG is open for applications year-round. 31 March 2027 is the period WCPG funding is currently confirmed until.
You can apply for £1,500 to complete Stage 1 of the WCPG application. This is for a desk-based exercise to identify the constraints and opportunities affecting the proposed planting. If there’s potential for woodland creation to take place on the site, then you will be offered a stage 2 payment.
Trees, woodlands and forestry - Woodland Creation Planning Grant - GOV-UK Find a grant
Seed Corn Grants – The National Archives
Seed Corn Grants offer between £500 and £5,000 to support early-stage, exploratory projects that spark new ideas and approaches to community engagement with heritage.
These grants are designed for community groups, Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) or other heritage organisations looking to test concepts, build partnerships, or pilot activities.
The current round of applications closes on 17 April 2026.
Solidarity Fund – The National Lottery Community Fund
This funding is for organisations in England dealing with the causes of inequality. By inequality they mean poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
They’ll fund organisations that are working on making a lasting change to the causes of inequality, and that support people who’ve lived through these issues to work together and influence this.
You do not need to be a long-established organisation to apply, but they’ll expect you to have the ability to help make the kind of big and long-lasting changes they’re looking for. They are unlikely to fund work that’s completely unrelated to what you already do.
They are especially interested in work that builds on your knowledge, relationships, or things your community has learned – and that helps you take your work further or in a new direction.
You can apply for between £1 million and £5 million in total. You can spend this funding over 5 to 10 years.
The Solidarity Fund | The National Lottery Community Fund
Aviva Community Fund
Aviva will match each donation you receive through crowdfunding up to £250. This means that if someone gives £5, they'll double it to £10. If they give £250, they'll match it, so the cause gets £500. Organisations can receive up to £50,000 in match funding and eligible causes can apply at any time.
Aviva want to support forward-thinking causes that are helping to build stronger communities, and your project should align with one of the Aviva funding areas:
- Financial Wellbeing: helping people take control of their wellbeing by giving them the tools to be more financially independent and ready for anything.
- Climate Action: Promoting healthy, thriving communities by preventing, preparing for and protecting against the impacts of climate change.
Heritage Revival Fund – the Architectural Heritage Fund
The Heritage Revival Fund has been created to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings. It will do this by supporting community organisations to take ownership of, adapt and reuse the local heritage assets that matter to them, transforming them into thriving spaces that meet their needs.
This new programme is being delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Historic England. Three types of grant are available:
- Project Viability Grants. These grants, up to £15,000, should help you to establish whether a project is viable. Work will probably focus on understanding the condition of the building, how it might be used, and whether that intended use is appropriate for the building and likely to be sustainable.
- Project Development Grants. These grants, up to £100,000, aim to support development work on historic building projects. Project Development Grants can contribute towards the costs of developing and co-ordinating your project and taking it towards the start of work on site. To qualify, an organisation must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward.
The Fund runs until 31` March 2026. Watch the website for updates on funds in 2026/27.
England | The Architectural Heritage Fund (ahfund.org.uk)
Reach Fund – the Architectural Heritage Fund
The AHF is an Access Point for the Reach Fund. The Reach Fund provides grants of up to £15,000 to organisations in England for extra help with governance, business planning or preparing financial information before taking on repayable finance.
The Reach Fund is intended for organisations considering a loan from the AHF. If you'd like to apply to the Reach Fund, you need to contact them direct. Email at [email protected]
NFU Mutual Charitable Trust grants
The objectives of Trust focus on the areas of agriculture, rural development and insurance in the UK and in particular:
- Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to agriculture
- Advance the education of young people within rural areas
- Relieve poverty within rural areas
- Promote the benefit and social welfare of inhabitants of rural communities by associating together with the inhabitants and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations to advance education and leisure
- Promote research into agriculture associated activities
- Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to insurance provided that the charity may also promote, facilitate and support any such other purposes as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales
The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.
The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November. The deadlines for 2026 grant applications will be displayed on the website. Most grants fall within the range £1000 to £50,000.
NFU Mutual Charitable Trust: What do we do | NFU Mutual
Remediation Enforcement Support Fund – Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government
This funding is only available for Local Authorities and Fire and Rescue Authorities. The funding is for them to procure legal advice on pursuing those responsible for remediating buildings.
This funding is available as 2 options. The options are assessed and applied for separately. And a regulator does not need to have used option 1 funding before applying for option 2.
- Option 1 - £5,000 to procure independent advice from third party professionals to assess whether a legal case can be brought.
- Option 2 - Up to £100k to procure the necessary third-party expert services required to pursue the legal case.
The deadline for applications is 28 February 2027.
Remediation Enforcement Support Fund - GOV-UK Find a grant
Sea-changers grants
Sea-Changers gives one-off grants (i.e. not continual funding) to UK-based charities and other organisations (including schools) carrying out marine conservation related activities.
For grants between £500 and £2,500, there are two grant rounds per year. Deadlines for applications are 31st March and 30th September each year.
Smaller grants up to £500 can be applied for at any time.
Marine Conservation Grant Applications | Seachangers
Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme is a part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan.
It will offer funding to farmers and land managers in National Landscapes (previously known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)), National Parks and the Broads. It is not an agri-environment scheme.
The programme will fund projects that:
- support nature recovery
- mitigate the impacts of climate change
- provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage
- protect or improve the quality and character of the landscape or place
The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been developed by Defra with the support of National Landscape and National Park staff from across England.
This is a competitive programme which will run until March 2029. Applications will close sooner if all funding is allocated.
Get funding for farming in protected landscapes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Legal & General Health Equity Fund
This £3 million fund offers grants of up to £75,000 to place-based projects that address the social determinants of health: non-medical social and economic factors, such as housing, education, infrastructure, or quality of work.
The fund pilot initially launched and opened to receive expressions of interest to projects based in the North East of England. The opportunity is now open to receiving interest from organisations with projects or ideas for projects to be delivered in regions and communities UK-wide.
Example projects that may be supported include funding for inner-city schools in areas of deprivation to community programmes which address the social determinants behind pressures on A&E services, or partnerships raising awareness of the contribution the natural environment makes to health and wellbeing.
IT4Good – WCIT Charity
The WCIT Charity is a national charity with a City of London home. Their purpose is to use the power of tech for impact through digital inclusion, education, charitable, and public engagement initiatives across the entire UK.
As an IT charity, all projects they fund must make use of information technology, and must relate to one or more of their priority areas
- Education
- Inclusion
- IT for charities
- Public understanding of IT
Projects need to demonstrate an innovative use of IT, be scalable for wider replication, and be sustainable over time.
Projects funded are usually up to £15,000.
Applications for funding may be submitted at any time and are considered at one of four meetings a year.
The Needs of Visually Impaired People – Ulverscroft Foundation
The Foundation gives financial help to Universities which carry out research into the causes and treatment of eye diseases. They also fund eye clinics, hospitals, schools, libraries and other organisations helping visually impaired people in the UK and overseas.
Applications for funding can be considered from any source, UK or overseas. Applicants need not necessarily be a charity: they can be a CIC or social group. Funding is at the discretion of the Trustees. Grants range from around £100 to £500,000.
Trustees meet quarterly to consider applications: in January (deadline 15 December), April (deadline 15 March), July (deadline 15 June) and October (deadline 15 September).
Ulverscroft Foundation | Serving the Needs of Visually Impaired People | Homepage
Literacy small grants scheme – JJ Charitable Trust
The Trust seeks to improve the effectiveness of literacy teaching in primary and secondary education for children with learning difficulties, including dyslexia.
Their work has a particular focus on areas of social need and those who are at risk of non-inclusion in society and the world of work.
The Trust’s small grants scheme funds charities and community groups that directly help children and young people develop literacy skills, with a focus on supporting those with learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
They are keen to see applications for projects that use volunteers and reading mentors and those that help during transitional points. For example, when students move from primary to secondary school, and when they transition to further education, college, or the workplace. They will consider grants for literacy support at any primary or secondary key stage.
You can apply for grants between £5,000 and £20,000. You can apply for a multi-year grant, over a maximum period of 3 years.
The programme is open to applications at any time, but they make grants three times per year. These are the cut-off points for consideration of applications:
- Spring grant round: applications by 4 March
- Summer grant round: applications by 3 June
- Autumn grant round: applications by 1 October
The JJ Charitable Trust - Literacy Small Grants Scheme (powerappsportals.com)
Grants for historic church interiors and churchyard structures – Church of England
The Church of England give grants for the conservation of historic church interiors and churchyard structures in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Oswald Allen Bequest, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, and the Anglican Parish Churches Fund. Grant categories are as follows:
- Bells and bell frames – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 22 June 2026.
- Books and manuscripts – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Church plate repairs – deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Churchyard structures – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Clocks – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 14 September 2026.
- Monumental brasses and decorative metalwork – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Monuments – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Organs – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 13 April 2026.
- Paintings and wall paintings – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 1 June 2026.
- Stained glass – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 24 August 2026.
- Textiles – grants up to £8,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
- Wooden objects – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 5 May 2026.
Grants for historic church interiors and churchyard structures | The Church of England
Community support small grants – Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
Single year grants between £2,000 and £10,000 are available to charities and not for profit organisations for core costs, salaries, running and project costs. Projects must have a focus on Community Support and address urban and rural deprivation in the UK.
if you are located in a rural area, you must be in the bottom 50% most deprived areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Your annual income must not exceed £250,000 and you can secure 50% of the total project costs.
This is a rolling programme with no deadlines.
Small Grants | Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
Family support major grants – Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
Single year grants between £10,000 and £50,000 are available for core costs, salaries, running and project costs or multi-year grants for a maximum of 3 years, not to exceed £100,000 in total over this period, for core costs, salaries, running or project costs. No more than £50k can be applied for in any given year. Organisations should have a focus on Family Support, this may further include:
- Early intervention
- Families coping with addiction
- Prisoners' families
They fund voluntary sector organisations with a turnover up to £500,000.
if you are located in a rural area, you must be in the bottom 50% most deprived areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Single year small grants between £2,000 and £10,000 are also available for core costs, salaries, running and project costs.
Major Grants | Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
The Movement Fund – Sport England
Launched in April 2024, the Movement Fund offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most.
If your project aligns with Sport England priorities, they can fund a wide range of costs and items up to £15,000.
Their focus is to support projects that match their goal of getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling inequalities.
Projects providing opportunities for groups facing barriers to activity are of particular interest, 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.
The Movement Fund | Sport England
The UK Fund – The National Lottery Community Fund
The UK Fund is looking to fund organisations that want to do more to help communities come together and help make us a better-connected society.
Your project must either work across the UK, or be able to inform, influence or scale across the UK.
They want to fund projects that:
- strengthen relationships between people whose experiences of life have not been the same. For example, relationships between people of different ethnic backgrounds, generations, occupations or geographies
- create connections between online and offline worlds
- help make sure people from all backgrounds can shape the future of their communities.
£500,000 to £5m is available and they expect most projects to run from 2 to 5 years. They may consider funding for up to 10 years.
The UK Fund | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)
Suez Communities Fund
The SUEZ Communities Fund for England uses monies provided by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK through the Landfill Communities Fund. The company’s donations relate to its operations in England.
To be eligible for a SUEZ Communities Fund grant in England, your project must be located within one of their active funding zones. A postcode checker is available on their website.
Applications for capital projects, i.e. those that focus on physical improvement at an identified site, will be considered. Projects which take place at multiple sites cannot be considered. Funding is typically awarded for the purchase of materials/equipment and the appointment of a contractor to undertake the improvement work.
The SUEZ Communities Fund provides grants of up to £50,000 to not-for-profit organisations in England
Grants between £3,000 and £50,000 are available for community projects delivering capital improvements to public amenities. Examples may include:
- Village hall improvements
- Nature reserves and conservation
- Village greens
- Community centres
- Public playgrounds
- Cycle paths
- Sports fields and facilities
- Country parks
- Historic buildings, structures or sites
There are four deadlines for applications, each year. The next deadline is 6 May 2026.
SUEZ Communities Fund - England - Grantscape
Historic Houses Foundation Grants
The Historic Houses Foundation gives grants for the repair and conservation of rural historic buildings and structures in England and Wales, including their gardens, grounds and outbuildings. We also give grants for the restoration and conservation of works of art in historic house collections open to the public.
Grants are made to owners (charities, institutions, local authorities and individuals) who demonstrate a sustainable and long-term commitment to the care, management and public access of the historic country houses in their care.
The minimum Historic Houses Foundation grant is £1,000 and the maximum is £250,000 but an award of this size is only made under exceptional circumstances. Most grants are for less than £50,000.
Community and Environmental Grants – Veolia Environmental Trust
The Trust award grants towards projects that make improvements to community facilities and the natural environment.
The Trust’s Community Grant Scheme is available to constituted not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and Environmental Bodies (EBs). Grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 are available to create or improve buildings or outside spaces for the benefit of the community.
The Habitat and Biodiversity Grant Scheme offers grants between £10,000 and £75,000 whilst the Environmental Improvement Grant Scheme offers grants over £75,000. Nature Conservation grants are also available.
The next round of applications opens on 20 August with a deadline for applications of 1 October 2026.
The Rowing Foundation
The Rowing Foundation purpose is to promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages.
They provide grants towards the cost of boat equipment or boat refurbishments to support junior & student rowers, and adaptive rowing for all ages.
They match your spending up to a maximum of £4,000 per grant.
The Trustees meet three times per year to consider applications for equipment grants. The deadline for the current round of applications is 25 May 2026.
Refurbishment Grants are awarded on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
Open Grants Programme – The Clothworkers’ Foundation
The Open Grants Programme funds capital costs that support the infrastructure needs of small- and medium-sized charitable organisations working with disadvantaged and marginalised people and communities. Eligible organisations can apply for a grant to cover the costs of a building purchases, construction or refurbishment projects, vehicle or equipment purchases, and some digital infrastructure projects (such as apps, databases and websites).
Within this programme, they prioritise organisations that embed lived experience across their work, and projects which will make a significant change to their work.
They fund both large and small projects.
What We Fund | The Clothworkers' Foundation (clothworkersfoundation.org.uk)
Bernard Sunley Foundation grants
The Foundation offers grants in the categories of Community, Education, Health or Social Welfare.
They offer three levels of grants. These are large grants of £25,000 and above; medium grants of up to £20,000 and small grants of £5,000 and under. Grants can be used for:
- Capital projects which include new buildings, extensions, refurbishments and recreational spaces.
- New minibuses and other vehicles that provide a vital service to those most in need in their local community.
- Churches and other places of worship with a strong, secular community focus.
- Charities or CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations) registered in England and Wales.
- Certain organisations with exempt status such as specialist schools, scout and guide groups, housing associations, cooperatives, and community benefit societies.
Applications are accepted all year round.
What We Fund - Bernard Sunley Foundation
Funding for Places – The Wolfson Foundation
The Trust’s main grants programme provides support for places. These grants are for capital initiatives, i.e. buildings (new build or refurbishment) and equipment.
They fund a broad range of organisations working across the fields of education, science & medicine, health & disability, heritage, humanities & the arts.
The Foundation accepts applications from the following types of organisation:
- Charities working with disability.
- Charities working in mental health.
- Charities working with older people.
- Historic buildings and landscapes.
- Hospices and palliative care organisations.
- Places of worship.
- Libraries and archives.
- Museums and galleries.
- Performing arts organisations.
- Public engagement with science organisations.
- Secondary schools and sixth form colleges.
- Special needs schools and colleges.
- Universities and research institutions.
Specific funding criteria apply to each.
Decision dates are in June and December annually. Corresponding application deadlines are 5 January and 1 September each year.
Funding for places - The Wolfson Foundation
Small grants programme – Theatres Trust
Theatres Trust's Small Grants Programme, supported by The Linbury Trust, funds small projects that make a big impact to a theatre’s resilience, sustainability, accessibility or improving the diversity of audiences.
This scheme provides grants of up to £7,500 for essential works to enable not-for-profit theatres across the UK to be viable and thrive in the future.
Eligible projects include small capital works, the installation of key plant and machinery and works which make theatre buildings digital-ready.
This scheme will prioritise improvements to buildings that protect theatre use and remove barriers to participation and attendance.
The deadline for the current round of applications is 26 June 2026.
Small Grants Programme supported by The Linbury Trust (theatrestrust.org.uk)
Big Energy Saving Loans – Big Issue Invest
Big Issue Invest is offering loan finance between £20,000 to £200,000 to social enterprises and charities in England, for energy efficiency and renewable energy installation.
This lending programme is aimed at enabling social enterprises and charities to access loan funding to help save money on energy during the unprecedented cost of living crisis. Investment can be used for a variety of projects, including:
- Insulation
- Buying and installing renewable energy equipment
- Heat exchangers and heat pumps
- LED light installations
- Replacing old gas fired boiler systems with new efficient ones
- Property improvements, such as extra single glazing on existing windows, double glazing improvements, systematic draught improvements
- Energy efficiency survey and technical assistance costs
The loans can be structured to your individual needs. They can be unsecured which means they will not require you to put any personal guarantees in place, or interfere with other financing arrangements that require security.
Big Energy Saving Loans - The Big Issue
Emergency Essentials Programme – BBC Children in Need
This 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.
Defibrillator grants – London Hearts
Grants are available to fund Public Access Defibrillators in communities all over the country.
London Hearts is a charity aiming to help and support communities with the provision of heart defibrillators and teaching CPR/defibrillator skills. They can provide a grant of £300 towards the cost of a defibrillator and storage as well as a free online training video.
When someone has a cardiac arrest, timely intervention is the key to survival. By making more defibrillators available, and by training more people to use them, the better the chance of survival for a cardiac arrest victim.
Biffa Award – Main Grant Scheme
Biffa Award’s Main Grants Scheme is aimed at community and cultural groups and organisations, situated in the vicinity of landfill sites, that are in need of funding to improve the quality of life in their community or to conserve wildlife.
There are four themes - Community Buildings, Recreation, Cultural Facilities and Rebuilding Biodiversity. Under these themes we provide funding to create or improve community amenities. For example, upgrading kitchens, meeting rooms and toilets in village halls and community facilities; creating new playparks; installing new seating, lighting and exhibitions within theatres and museums; or establishing, protecting and enhancing habitats for biodiversity.
Between £10,000 and £75,000 can be awarded to projects that have a total cost of less than £200,000 including VAT.
Project sites must be within 5 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa Landfill Site (15 miles for Rebuilding Biodiversity projects) and within 10 miles of
any licenced landfill site in England and Northern Ireland.
This is a rolling programme and as such there are no deadlines to submit an Expression of Interest in the Main Grants Scheme.
Home Page - Biffa Award (biffa-award.org)
Masonic Charitable Foundation
The Foundation is dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people, as well as vulnerable older people, in England and Wales. Their Charity Grants programme is open to registered charities in England and Wales working with any of their four main priority groups:
- Improving the health and wellbeing of older people with dementia and their carers.
- Children affected by domestic abuse.
- Early years (0-5) with a focus on poverty and neglect.
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Small grants are for charities whose annual income is between £25,000 and £500,000. These grants are unrestricted. Small grants range from £1,000-£5,000 per year, for up to three years.
Large grants are for larger charities whose annual income is between £500,000 and £10 million. They must be restricted to a project. Large grants usually range from £10,000 to £60,000. They can be awarded over one to three years.
Grants to charities - The Masonic Charitable Foundation (mcf.org.uk)
Forestry England Woodland Partnership
The Forestry England Woodland Partnership offers long-term leases with guaranteed income for public and private landowners to create new woodlands. The partnership scheme supports government plans for woodland creation, nature recovery and progress towards net zero targets.
Forestry England are looking for sites of at least 50 hectares suitable for woodland creation for leases of between 60 and 120 years, and landowners will receive a guaranteed annual rent throughout the lease period. Forestry England will design, plant and manage every woodland created, ensuring each is resilient to a changing climate, supports wildlife, and provides wider ecosystem services.
All woodlands created through the partnership scheme will be open to the public, providing valuable health and wellbeing opportunities for communities.
Part of the Nature for Climate Fund to support the government’s tree planting commitment, the Forestry England Woodland Partnership aims to create at least 2,000 hectares of predominantly broadleaf woodland over the next five years.
Applications are open all year round. Full details and brochures for public and private landowners are available on the Forestry England website.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/woodland-creation
Grants for Heritage – National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund provide different levels of funding to heritage of all shapes and sizes. Their grants range from £10,000 up to £10 millions.
Current programmes include:
- National Lottery Heritage Grants - £10,000 to £250,000.
- National Lottery Heritage Grants - £250,000 to £10 million.
The Fund also has a number of strategic initiatives as follows:
- Heritage places
- Landscape connections
- Heritage in need: places of worship
- Nature cities and towns
Full information on all National Lottery Heritage Fund programmes is available on their website.
Welcome | The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Small, Medium and Large Grants – National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust offer two types of grant:
- Medium grants - this programme offers grants of up to £10,000 towards urgent and essential maintenance and repair projects costing up to £80,000. Also project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1, to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder. Grants will never exceed 50% of the net project costs (for this phase). The next deadline for applications is 14 April 2026.
- Large grants – this programme offers grants up to £50,000 towards the cost of major urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £80,000 including VAT. Grants of £40,000 to £50,000 are extremely limited and reserved for cases which demonstrate a very high case for investment. They will also consider projects that introduce kitchens and accessible toilets to enable increased community use, costed at more than £30,000 including VAT. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project cost. The next deadline for applications is 7 July 2026.
http://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants
Energy Redress Scheme – Energy Saving Trust
Energy Saving Trust has been appointed by Ofgem to distribute payments from energy companies who may have breached rules. The funds can pay for anything from making a home more energy efficient, to providing advice that helps consumers keep on top of their bills.
Energy Saving Trust has developed an open application process for charities seeking funding from the Energy Redress Scheme. Successful projects will be selected with input from an independent panel of experts and could cover a range of locations across England, Scotland and Wales.
The amount of funding available through the scheme varies throughout the year and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis in October, January, April and July. Eligible charities that have registered interest in the scheme will be notified when funds become available.
The minimum grant that can be requested is £20,000 and the maximum amount is the lesser of £2 million or the total value of the current fund.
The scheme can fund projects lasting up to two years, can fund 100 per cent of the project cost and can cover revenue and capital measures.
Round 13 of the Energy Redress Scheme is expected to open shortly. The previous round included the following elements:
- The Main Fund aimed at projects seeking grants between £50,000 and £2 million that will support households in vulnerable situations.
- The Small Project Fund aimed at projects seeking grants of between £20,000 and £49,999 that will support households in vulnerable situations.
- The Impact Fund which supports more in-depth monitoring of measurable impact resulting from support to energy consumers in vulnerable situations. Applicants can apply for grants between £20,000 and £500,000.
- Innovation Fund aimed at projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit households. Applicants can apply for grants between £20,000 and £1 million.
- Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund is targeted at projects that will reduce UK carbon emissions and empower households to reduce their carbon footprint. Applicants can apply for grants between £20,000 and £1 million.
- The Just Transition Fund will fund development work for community-led renewable energy projects that also benefit energy consumers in vulnerable situations. Applicants can apply for grants between £20,000 and £250,000.
https://energyredress.org.uk/apply-funding
Garfield Weston Foundation
The Foundation support a wide range of charities that make a positive difference, working in different sectors in the UK. These include welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith.
They fund small local organisations and large national institutions. Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on each charity’s size and scope of work. The grants can be for your organisation’s running costs, for a specific activity or for capital projects. The Foundation are flexible and fund what charities need the most.
Normally, capital grants are no more than 10% of a total project cost. However, for local community projects (e.g. village halls, community centres, places of worship, etc.), grants are unlikely to be over £30,000 regardless of the project size. If your organisation wants to apply for £100,000 or over, they expect your annual income or project to be over £1 million.
What we fund - Garfield Weston Foundation
FCC Community Action Fund
The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).
The following types or organisation can apply:
- Registered Charity which operates a community facility
- A Church or Parochial Church Council
- A Parish or Town Council or a Management Committee or User Association acting on behalf of a Parish or Town Council
- A Local Authority
- A CASC Registered Sports Club
Only applications for projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility can be accepted, you can check if you are located near an eligible site on their website.
The closing date for the next round of applications is 20 May 2026.
FCC Community Action Fund / FCC (fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk)
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme – Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) is part of Project Gigabit, the government’s programme to roll out fast, reliable broadband to homes and businesses that are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans.
The majority of Project Gigabit delivery will be through major contracts, providing subsidies to suppliers to extend their gigabit-capable networks to premises that are unlikely to be reached otherwise. The GBVS is focused on helping people upgrade their broadband connections through localised projects, providing small grants for residents and businesses that suppliers can accumulate towards the cost of the network build. The GBVS operates in areas where there is no Project Gigabit procurement or contract, or existing or planned commercial coverage.
Eligible homes and businesses can access vouchers worth up to £4,500 to help towards the costs of installing a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
You can check whether your premises is eligible for a voucher, find a list of registered suppliers, and see those who are active in your area on the website below.
https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/
National Lottery Project Grants – Arts Council England
National Lottery Project Grants is an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. The fund supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations.
Individual artists and practitioners, community and cultural organisations, museums and libraries can all apply. National Lottery Project Grants is open all the time, there are no deadlines.
Grants of between £1000 and £100,000 are available.
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants
Veterans’ Foundation grants
If you represent a charity or an organisation that provide assistance to serving and former members of the British Armed Forces who are in need, you can apply for a grant from the Veterans' Foundation. Grants are also available to operationally qualified seafarers and their dependants.
See the website for details of the next round of applications for ‘Standard’ and ‘Salary’ grants and the closing date.
Apply for a grant | Veterans' Foundation (veteransfoundation.org.uk)
BlueSpark Foundation grants
Schools, colleges and community groups in England can apply for grants to Blue Spark Foundation for a wide range of projects. The Foundation value academic, vocational, artistic and sporting endeavour in equal measure but are particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people.
Many grants will be under £2,000 and none are more than £5,000.
Projects which could be supported include drama, music, sport, art and design, debating, public speaking, academic education, vocational training, community projects, enterprise projects and educational excursions. This list is illustrative and not exclusive as to the types of projects that the Foundation support.
http://bluesparkfoundation.org.uk/
Help the Homeless grants
Help the Homeless makes grants to charitable organisations with the aim of helping homeless people return to the community and enabling them to resume a normal life. Grants are available to small and medium-sized charitable organisations to fund the capital costs of projects with grants of up to £5,000. The quarterly deadlines for grant applications each year are: 15 March, 15 June, 15 September and 15 December.
http://www.help-the-homeless.org.uk/
Grants to support repair and conservation of war memorials – War Memorials Trust
War Memorials Trust grants support repair and conservation works undertaken following best conservation practice. Almost all war memorials are eligible for support and custodians/owners can find information about eligibility and processes on the website.
Grants are normally awarded at 50% of eligible costs depending on the priority level of your project and are likely to be considered up to a maximum grant of £5,000 for non-freestanding war memorials while freestanding, non-beneficiary war memorials may be considered up to a maximum grant of £20,000. The minimum award is normally £125 but there is some discretion on minimum and maximum grant levels.
War Memorials Trust seeks to help all war memorial custodians, whatever the nature and size of their war memorial by facilitating repair and conservation projects. Details on current eligibility and deadline dates as well as how to apply can be found at the web address below.
http://www.warmemorials.org/grants/
Prepared by Andy Dean, Consultant to the Rural Services NetworkEmail: [email protected] |
