11.02.2025

Rural Funding Digest - February 2025

funding latest Newsletters Rural Funding Digest member services

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

Royal Countryside Fund

The Royal Countryside Fund are launching a UK-wide Supporting Rural Communities grant programme on 10 January 2025. This new differentiated funding aims to support transformative, community-led initiatives across the UK, unlocking the huge potential for positive change in rural communities. The aim is to support innovative solutions that will “power up, not prop up” communities, inspiring change and encouraging economic vibrancy.

Organisations can apply for grants of up to £25,000 over a period of 24 months to deliver activities along the themes of:

Keeping young people in the countryside
Powering up rural communities
Increasing environmental sustainability
Building emergency resilience in rural areas.

There will be a two-stage application process. Initially, you will need to send a short video and complete a simple Expression of Interest form. The deadline for expressions of interest is 21 February 2025.

Supporting Rural Communities - The Royal Countryside Fund

Major Capital Grants Programme – Armed Forces Covenant Fund

This programme will award grants of between £75,000 and £500,000 towards projects that support significant refurbishment, including extensions and new builds, of rental accommodation that will offer high quality support for Veterans with a housing need.

To be eligible for this funding, you must be one of the following:

A registered Charity that can show it works with Veterans, or
A registered social housing provider or Registered Social Landlord in Scotland that can show it works with Veterans

Larger grants of between £500K to £1M may be available for exceptional projects which meet additional criteria as outlined in the programme guidance.

The deadline for applications is 18 June 2025.

Major Capital Grants Programme : Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

Community Tree Planting Fund – Network Rail

The Tree Council and Network Rail work in partnership to deliver a programme of community tree planting. Together, they have already planted more than 300,000 trees in 108 communities across the UK.

Funding for projects is awarded in three bands:

Main Grants - Projects between £2,500 and £5,000
Large Grants - Projects between £5,000 and £10,000
Flagship Grants - Projects over £10,000 and up to £15,000

Flagship Grants will be awarded in limited numbers to those projects that deliver a significant impact across our programme priorities.

Funding is now open and all details are on the website.

Network Rail Community Tree Planting Fund - The Tree Council

Green Heat Network Fund – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Capital grant support is available for the development of new and existing low and zero-carbon heat networks.

The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) supports:

the commercialisation and construction of new low and zero carbon (LZC) 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. You can apply for funding that could be drawn down in financial years 2025-2026 through to 2027-2028. The deadline for applications is 11 April 2025.

Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF): guidance on how to apply - GOV.UK

Heat Network Efficiency Scheme – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) provides funding to public, private and third sector applicants in England and Wales to support improvements to existing district heating or communal heating projects that are operating sub-optimally and resulting in poor outcomes for customers and operators.

It is a £80 million grant support programme spanning years 2023-2024 to 2027-2028.

Applications for Round 9 are now open and will close on 28 March 2025.

Apply for the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) - GOV.UK

Energy Efficiency Sharematch – Crowdfunder

will support Co-operative Societies, Community Benefit Societies and Charitable Community Benefit Societies based in England to undertake activities which reduce their energy usage, or identify alternative sources of energy, leading to a reduction of both the organisation's carbon footprint and energy bills.

Eligible activities could include but are not limited to:

Installation of new on-site energy/heating generation measures (eg solar panels, heat pumps)
Installation of new energy efficiency measures in a building (eg insulation, LED lighting, double glazing, draft-proofing, improved doors)
Improvements to other aspects of operations (e.g. changes to more energy efficient equipment, transport upgrade)

Energy Efficiency Sharematch is a £250,000 fund administered by Crowdfunder, working with Co-operatives UK and funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment using funds from the Dormant Assets Scheme, which redirects money from forgotten accounts to good causes.

The fund will run until March 2025, with the ambition to award all funds before this time.

Energy Efficiency Sharematch | Crowdfunder.co.uk

Healthy Heart Grants – Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Grants of up to £15,000 are available for community projects aimed at supporting adults to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, helping them to live healthier, happier and longer lives. The grants are available to charities and community interest companies across the UK.

The application windows for 2025 in England are:

England North: 7 May to 4 June
England South: 16 July to 13 August

Healthy Heart Grants - Heart Research UK

Rewilding Innovation Fund – Rewilding Britain

The Rewilding Innovation Fund aims to remove barriers to rewilding across Britain. Whether your site or project is in the early planning stages or looking to try out a new approach, you can apply.

From business plans to feasibility studies, community engagement to trialling the latest technology, Rewilding Britain funds works that could potentially unlock further funding for you or move you up the rewilding scale.

They choose the projects they consider will have the highest impact on people and nature, on land and sea, with opportunities for shared learning with the Rewilding Network.

Projects have two opportunities to apply for funding through the Rewilding Innovation Fund each year, in the new year and summer.

You can apply for up to £15,000 for projects covering at least 40 hectares of contiguous land. The next deadline for applications is 28 February 2025.

Rewilding Innovation Fund | Rewilding Britain

Sustainable and Active Travel – The Naturesave Trust

They are looking to support projects that actively promote sustainable and eco-friendly approaches to travel and transport:

Vehicles: clean fuel, batteries, or both. This can include electric vehicles, hybrid power systems, and fuel cells.
Infrastructure: such as public transportation systems.
Energy source: Using renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels like coal.
Activity: Walking, cycling, or using a scooter instead of driving.

Grants of up to £5000 are available and the deadline for applications is 27 February 2025.

The Naturesave Trust - Naturesave Insurance

Delamere Dairy Foundation

Applications for between £1000 and £5000 are welcome from charities and organisations whose purpose fits with the objects of the Delamere Dairy Foundation for the benefit of the public, namely:

The advancement of agriculture and of environmental protection
The advancement in life of young people by developing their capabilities so that they may mature as contributory members of society
The relief of financial hardship
The advancement of education
The relief of sickness

The deadline for applications is 28 February 2025.

Home - Delamere Dairy Foundation

Youth Music Trailblazer Fund

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 the Fund’s themes:

Early years
Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
Youth justice system
Young people facing barriers
Young adults
Organisations and the workforce.

The deadline for applications is 11 April 2025.

Trailblazer Fund | Youth Music

Defibrillator funding for community spaces – Department of Health and Social Care

The department is currently running a £1 million match funded Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, aimed at increasing the number of AEDs in public places where they are most needed and to help save lives.

To be eligible for a funded defibrillator you must:

Locate the secure defibrillator cabinet on an external wall in an area that is accessible to members of the public 24 hours per day. (The equipment must be installed and registered on The Circuit within 4 weeks).
Be able to provide an electrical power source to ensure the defibrillator cabinet light and heater operate to keep the device at the right temperature
Provide match funding for your application (c. £750).

It is expected that the scheme will close to applications soon.

DHSC Community Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Fund

Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund

The Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund supports work with museum

collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners. They

offer:

Core grants to museums that have established strategic aims for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and that are ready to use their collections and our funding to support social and climate justice, in ways that are relevant to local contexts and relationships.
Partnership project grants to museums and community organisations that work equitably together and share aims for DEI; with ambitious and compelling ideas for inclusive project work with collections.

The fund has a twin focus on inclusion and collections. They anticipate this will result in work that explores and influences key themes in social and climate justice, such as wellbeing, decolonisation, climate crisis, antiracism and others. Importantly, they will look for local relevance and holistic approaches from applicants, for example asking how you have decided who to work with.

Grants of up to £100k over a maximum of three years are available and they expect to award around 12 grants per year in two funding rounds. The deadline for second funding round is 16 July 2025.

Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund - Museums Association

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.

Home - WCIT Charity

UK Under 26 Fund – Steel Charitable Trust

This fund aims to improve outcomes for children and young people in the UK (regardless of their nationality, culture or ethnic origin) who are wholly or mainly under 26 years of age. The overarching focus is on creating educational and/or access opportunities for young people in circumstances, groups or locations that face economic challenges or social marginalisation that may lead to significant disadvantages in later life.

Generally, £10,000 is the minimum grant size. Most one-off grants fall in the range £10,000 – £25,000.

The next deadline for applications is 15 April 2025 (this round opens on 10 March 2025).

UNITED KINGDOM Under-26 Fund

Homeless charities and hospices support – CRASH

CRASH is the construction industry’s charity. CRASH assists homelessness charities and hospices with their refurbishment and construction projects, sourcing pro-bono or discounted professional expertise, and construction products, from Corporate Patron companies and supporters within the industry.

They know buildings affect the way we feel and behave – even a small refurbishment project can make a big difference.

They work collaboratively with all of the homelessness and hospice charities they support to deliver assistance in three ways:

Professional expertise.
Construction products.
Grant giving.

There are no application deadlines.

Apply For Help | CRASH

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

Awards for Social Entrepreneurs – UnLtd

Social entrepreneurs who have an idea or are already making a difference and are looking for support to develop their social venture can apply for funding and support to help get started or grow.

Starting up grants up to £8000: You are committed to creating social impact in a financially sustainable way. You are at an early stage or have started to make a difference to people's lives, communities, or the planet.
Scaling up grants up to £18,000: You are the founder of a financially sustainable social venture that is making a positive difference to people’s lives, communities, or the planet. You have evidence of your social impact and ambitions to build on it.

The next deadline for applications is 24 March 2025.

Awards | UnLtd

Stobart Sustainability Fund

The Stobart Sustainability fund is aimed at supporting community-led sustainability projects and initiatives lead by non-profit organisations, community groups and educational facilities, such as schools and colleges, to help them transform their local community through projects that tackle climate change, reduce carbon emissions or that protect and enhance the environment.

They welcome applications from community groups, educational facilities or small businesses. Applications need to be of a green, ecological or sustainability nature with the project benefiting the environment.

The Stobart Sustainability Fund | Stobart (eddiestobart.com)

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 31 March 2025.
Books and manuscripts – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 19 June 2025.
Church plate repairs – deadline for applications 9 June 2025.
Churchyard structures – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 9 June 2025.
Clocks – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 7 April 2025.
Monumental brasses and decorative metalwork – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 9 June 2025.
Monuments – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 9 June 2025.
Organs – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 2 June 2025.
Paintings and wall paintings – grants up to £10,000, see website for next application deadline.
Stained glass – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 11 August 2025.
Textiles – grants up to £8,000, deadline for applications 9 June 2025.
Wooden objects – grants up to £10,000, deadline for applications 9 June 2025.

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 and small 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

Project Viability & Project Development Grants – the Architectural Heritage Fund

The Fund is offering grants of up to £15,000 to help assess the viability of historic building projects, and up to £20,000 towards development work to progress plans for historic buildings.

Project Viability Grants: These grants 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: Project Development Grants can cover some of 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.

Applications are assessed at monthly grant decision meetings. This grant programme is supported by funding from Historic England.

England | The Architectural Heritage Fund (ahfund.org.uk)

Energy Resilience Fund – Power to Change

The Energy Resilience Fund is an initiative assisting community businesses in retrofitting their buildings with energy-saving measures. The programme is funded by Power to Change and delivered by Key Fund.

Investment amounts are available from £10,000 to £150,000. Up to 40% of the total is available as grant, where justifiable to support cost stabilisation or reduction. The minimum loan term for the remainder is 12 months, with a maximum of 7 years.

Energy Audit Grants are also available between £500 and £2,500 where these have not been completed.

Energy Resilience Fund - Power to Change

Neighbourhood Planning Grant Funding – Locality

Government has confirmed the continued importance attached to supporting neighbourhood planning and on 1 October 2024 launched the procurement process for the new contract for Neighbourhood Planning Support Services for 2025 to 2027. Government intend to sign the new contract in April 2025 for the new services to open from July 2025.

Home - Locality Neighbourhood Planning

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.

Funding guidance | Sport England

Electricals Recycling Fund – Material Focus

The Electricals Recycling Fund aims to grow existing methods or test new creative and practical ones for recycling small household electricals. If you have a project that would make it easier for the public to repair, reuse or recycle their electricals, you can apply for funding.

They fund two types of projects – those seeking to grow or develop existing household collection services for small household electricals, and those seeking to innovate new collection methods.

Organisations can apply for up to £100,000 of funding for projects that aim to grow or improve existing household waste and recycling collection services.
Organisations can apply for up to £50,000 for projects that aim to innovate or test new approaches to collect electricals for reuse and recycling.

They’re keen to see applications from registered organisations only – such as local authorities, waste collection authority areas, contractors, non-profits, community sector organisations, producer compliance schemes, and retailers.

Applications are currently open on a rolling basis.

Electricals Recycling Fund - Material Focus

Climate Action Fund: Our Shared Future – The National Lottery Community Fund

The Climate Action Fund is a commitment to help communities tackle climate change. The Fund is supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable.

With Climate Action Fund – Our Shared Future, Lottery want to involve more people in climate action. They we want to inspire bold and exciting change.

They’ll fund formal partnership projects that reach more people by either:

linking climate action to the everyday lives and interests of local communities. And inspiring them to take action.
influencing communities at a regional or national level. Like linking up groups across locations. Or a campaign that inspires change across one country, or the whole UK.

Formal partnerships can apply, working across sectors and led by community and voluntary organisations or public sector organisations.

The minimum you can ask for is £500,000. They expect to fund most projects for between £1 million and £1.5 million over 3 to 5 years and aim to fund up to 25 projects.

You’ll be able to apply until Spring 2025. They will announce the final deadline nearer the time.

Climate Action Fund - Our Shared Future | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)

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)

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 £350.
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 £350.
Electric vehicle infrastructure grant for staff and fleets. You can get up to £350 per chargepoint socket installed and up to £500 per parking space enabled with supporting infrastructure.
Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grants for landlords. You can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £350 per socket.
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 £350 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.
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: £2,500 per socket (40 sockets across all sites including any applications made previously via the Workplace Charging Scheme).

The closing date for all grants is 31 March 2025. For more information visit the website below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-grants-for-low-emission-vehicles

D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust grants

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust funds United Kingdom Registered Charities operating in the UK in the fields of the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement.

The Trust makes grants which are usually in the range £500 - £6,000 and there are three grant-making meetings held annually which take place in March, July, and November. The majority of the Trust’s grants are single grants over a one-year period.

The next deadline for applications is 3 June 2025.

The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust – The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust (doylycartecharitabletrust.org)

Suez Communities Fund

The SUEZ Communities Fund in England has approximately £1.6M available per year, funded by donations from SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK, through the Landfill Communities Fund.

To be eligible for a grant, your project must be located within one of their active funding zones. A postcode checker is available on their website.

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 19 February 2025.

SUEZ Communities Fund - England - Grantscape 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.

Historic Houses Foundation

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 funding round opens on 27 February 2025.

Funding (veoliatrust.org)

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 next round is 17 March 2025.

Refurbishment Grants are awarded on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

The Rowing Foundation

Open Grants Programme – The Clothworkers’ Foundation

The Foundation award grants to UK registered charities, CICs, and other registered UK not-for-profit organisations (including special schools). Grants are awarded towards capital projects, which they define as:

Buildings: purchase, construction, renovation or refurbishment.
Fittings, Fixtures, and Equipment: this includes but is not limited to office equipment/furniture, sports/gym equipment, digital/audio visual equipment, software and websites (more guidance on digital infrastructure can be found here), garden equipment, specialist therapeutic (excluding medical) equipment. It does not include equipment for one-off use, or which will be given to service users for personal use on a permanent basis.
Vehicles: This includes a minibus, car, caravan, people-carrier, or 4X4. We are unlikely to fund the total cost of a new vehicle and do not provide grants towards vehicle leasing.

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 £20,000 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

Building Improvement Grants – Benefact Trust

Benefact Trust’s Building Improvement Grants programme provides essential support to protect and enhance churches and Christian charity buildings, ensuring their continued use, viability, and the safeguarding of their heritage.

The programme is open to applications from churches, cathedrals, denominational bodies and Christian charities.

Under Building Improvement Grants, they are able to support direct capital costs relating to the following types of work:

Essential, one-off repairs or other capital works to ensure the continued use or viability of a building (capital work must be considered urgent or necessary within 12 months)
Minor capital works or equipment purchases to meet operational or accessibility requirements (e.g. essential operational equipment, AV equipment, hearing loops, ramps, etc)
Conservation or restoration of historic features (e.g. stained glass, carvings, interior furnishings, clocks, tower bells, organs etc) which contribute to preservation and appreciation of a building’s heritage
Other aesthetic enhancements (e.g. interior decoration, furnishings or public realm improvements) to improve indoor or outdoor spaces for users
Energy efficiency/renewable energy measures (e.g. heating/lighting upgrades, solar panels, etc) which improve the sustainability of church buildings/facilities and enable their continued use

All applicants will be expected to have secured funding for at least 30% of their total project costs before making an application.

New - Building Improvement Grants | Benefact Trust

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 £5,000 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 programme is expected to re-open to applications soon.

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

Project Cost and Core Cost grants – BBC Children in Need

Children in Need often have several funding programmes open at any one time. These include:

Project Costs grants – support the aims and delivery of a specific piece of work. This work will usually be time-limited and based on a defined set of activities.
Core Costs grants – can be spent on an organisation’s central running and operational costs.

Charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for these grants for up to three years. They aim to give quicker decisions for grants of £15,000 or less per year. There is no application deadline.

Apply For A Grant - BBC Children in Need

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.

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme - Family Fund Business Services (familyfundservices.co.uk)

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.

London Hearts

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)

Listed Places of Worship grant scheme – Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme gives grants that cover the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings in use as places of worship. The scheme covers repairs to the fabric of the building, along with associated professional fees, plus repairs to turret clocks, pews, bells and pipe organs.

The Scheme has been run by DCMS with a focus on preserving heritage in the fabric of UK listed places of worship. Since its establishment in 2001, the Scheme has adapted to changes while continuing to support places of worship by delivering the fairest possible system of making grants and ensuring that all faiths and areas of the UK are equally able to make use of scheme.

The scheme only accepts applications where the minimum value of eligible work carried out on any one claim to the scheme is £1,000 (excluding VAT). Places of worship can make more than one claim, but the total of their claims should not exceed £25,000.

The Government has confirmed funding is available for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme until 31 March 2026.

Listed Places of Worship - Home page (lpwscheme.org.uk)

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)

Community Shares Booster – Power to Change

The Booster Fund has relaunched to support new and existing community businesses in England that are at all stages of a community share issue.

This includes the very early stages of exploring whether it’s the right choice, through planning a community share issue to being ready to launch, or in exceptional cases, recently launched.

The programme provides:

Development grantsaveraging £5,000 to prepare a community share offer; financial planning, governance support, marketing costs and being awarded the Community Shares Standard Mark
Match equity investment– typically matching pound for pound up to £25,000 invested by the Booster Fund providing the minimum share offer target is achieved

Community Shares Booster - Power to Change

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 is making changes to its grants programme.

They will continue to offer three types of grant. These will be:

Small grants - these were formerly called Foundation grants for maintenance. This programme offers grants of between £500 and £5,000 towards urgent maintenance works and small repairs identified as high priority within a recent Quinquennial Inspection or Survey Report. Also, small investigative works and surveys. Project costs should be up to £20,000 incl. VAT and awards will never exceed 50% of the costs. The next deadline for applications is 28 February 2025.
Medium grants - these were formerly called Gateway grants. This programme offers grants up to £10,000 towards urgent and essential maintenance and repair projects costing between £20,000 and £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 15 April 2025.
Large grants – these were formerly called Cornerstone 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 4 March 2025.

http://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/our-grants

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 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), 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
support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses

The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has been developed by Defra with the support of National Landscape and National Park staff from across England.

The programme runs until March 2025. Applications will close sooner if all funding is allocated.

Get funding for farming in protected landscapes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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.
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 £2,000 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 19 February 2025.

FCC Community Action Fund / FCC (fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk)

Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme – Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion programme that targets hard-to-reach areas where it is more difficult and more expensive to build digital infrastructure. The majority of the rollout will come through local and regional contracts, providing subsidies to suppliers to extend their gigabit-capable networks to premises that are unlikely to be reached otherwise.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) is part of Project Gigabit, focused on helping specific people and communities upgrade their broadband connection. It mainly operates in areas where there is no existing coverage, planned commercial coverage or through Project Gigabit procurements.

Eligible homes and businesses can apply for up to £4,500 to cover the costs of a gigabit-capable 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/

Awards for All, Reaching Communities and Partnerships – 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:

TNLCF fund projects and organisations that work to make positive changes in their community. By community they mean people living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences. They offer funding that starts at £20,001.

TNLCF can fund projects or organisations 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.

Partnerships:

This funding is for organisations working together in partnership to help their community. This funding also starts at £20,001 and can fund projects that do at least one of the things also specified under the Reaching Communities programme.

Funding programmes | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.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.

The closing date for the next round of applications for ‘Standard’ and ‘Salary’ grants is 31 March 2025.

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/

Football Foundation grants

The Football Foundation provides grants for building or refurbishing grassroots facilities, such as changing rooms, 3G pitches, fencing, portable floodlights, pitch improvements and clubhouse refurbishment. The Fund is available to football clubs, schools, councils and local sports associations and gives grants for projects that:

Improve facilities for football and other sport in local communities.
Sustain or increase participation amongst children and adults, regardless of background age, or ability.
Help children and adults to develop their physical, mental, social and moral capacities through regular participation in sport.

Grants are available for between £10,000 and £500,000.

Looking for funding | Football Foundation