Grant Directories

The £150 million Community Ownership Fund, which is part of the government’s strategy to build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic, provides grants for communities throughout the UK to take ownership of local facilities, community assets and amenities at risk of closure such as pubs, theatres, post offices, sports grounds, parks and corner shops, etc. Voluntary and community organisations can bid for match funding of up to £250,000 to support the purchase and/or renovation costs of these assets. Expressions of interest can be submitted at any time. Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application during a specified bidding window which will be announced in due course. The fund will run until 2024/25.

The McCarthy Stone Foundation awards one-off grants to grassroots and volunteer-led charities and community organisations, CICs and social enterprises that support the wellbeing of older people, the educational needs of young people and the urban regeneration of communities across the UK. Through the Small Grants Programme, the Foundation provides grants of up to £5,000 for projects that will make a difference to those who need it most in local communities, particularly those recovering from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosa's Woman to Woman Fund offers grants of up to £25,000 to local grassroots women's organisations across the UK. Grants are available for groups with an income of under £100,000 per year to support a wide range of charitable work that benefits women. Project themes can include, for example, building confidence and leadership skills, tackling harassment and violence, training in financial literacy and increasing engagement in decision-making. Rosa especially wants to support groups that work with disadvantaged communities or in disadvantaged areas. Grants can pay for core work, as well as mobilising volunteers, leadership development, communications and advocacy. As well as grants, Rosa will provide additional support that women's groups identify, including mentoring, training and networking opportunities.

Organisations that have a Community Directplus account with the Co-operative Bank can apply for funding from the Customer Donation Fund. Grants can be used to support special projects and fundraising activities. The fund grows in relation to the deposits made; for every £100 increase in collective deposits across Community Directplus accounts the Co-Operative Bank adds 20p to the fund and promises to distribute a minimum of £5,000 twice a year.

As part of BT's Community Fibre Partnerships programme eligible communities in the final 5% of the UK not covered by fibre broadband rollout plans can apply for a match-funded grant of up to £30,000 toward the cost of their new fibre infrastructure where that new infrastructure could also serve their local school. Community Partnerships must first register to find out if they are eligible to apply.

Viridor has committed to make £50,000 a year available for the Viridor & Prosiect Gwyrdd Community to support projects across Caerphilly, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan. This scheme will be funded for the next 25 years. Charities, and properly constituted not-for-profit groups, can apply for funding of up to £3,000 to deliver projects that positively impact their local community. Funding decisions are based on a set of criteria around sustainability, local need, community involvement, value for money and education and will be made at meetings held quarterly in the first week of March, June, September and November. The closing date for each quarter will be one month before the meeting.

This Welsh Government funded grant scheme aims to promote volunteering in Wales. Administered by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the scheme provides grants of up to £25,000 to not-for-profit organisation to support formal volunteering projects that aim to recruit, support, train and place new volunteers and support volunteering projects working towards the themes of young people; welsh language; tackling poverty; underrepresented groups (BAME, Asylum seekers etc); and social exclusion; higher support needs.

The Wilmcote Charitrust gives grants to Registered Charities and voluntary organisations working for the relief of poverty, sickness, old age and distress, the advancement of religion and education and such other charitable objects as considered appropriate by the trustees. Grants are made to a range of organisations including those whose work benefits ex-service personnel, medical charities, young person's charities, colleges and schools, religious charities and those that help the aged.

Community Foundation in Wales is one of 48 community foundations across the UK. The Foundation's aim is to promote and manage philanthropy and its role is to strengthen communities in Wales by awarding grants on behalf of a range of donors to projects that make a sustainable impact on local needs especially for the most vulnerable people and communities. Grant awards recognise the inspirational role of community groups, projects and charities in identifying and addressing local needs. Educational grants and scholarships are also awarded. Funding is available for a wide range of projects under five core themes: Educating and young people, communities, health, culture and environment. Each programme has its own unique criteria.

People and Places will fund capital and revenue projects that encourage co-ordinated action by people who want to make their communities better places to live. The National Lottery Community Fund will support local and regional projects throughout Wales that focus on revitalising communities, improving community relationships, or enhancing local environments, community services and buildings. The local community must be involved in the design, development and running of the project. Funding is available for building, purchase of land, equipment, one off events, small capital projects, staff costs and refurbishments.

The Steel Charitable Trust is a grant-making trust supporting general charitable purposes. The trustees make grants where they believe that their contribution will make a real difference, grants are made to registered charities in the UK within the areas of; arts and culture; environment; health; education; disadvantaged. Grants are made at regular intervals during the year and the total level of grants is approximately £1,000,000, 30% of these grants will be made to organisations in the Luton and Bedfordshire area. Grants are generally made as single payments between £10,000 and £25,000.

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust is a grant giving organisation which has announced that it is inviting grant applications from not for profit groups and registered charities whose work benefits the lives of those who  live and work in Wales.  To be eligible, project activities must fall into the following categories.  Sports; Arts; the Environment;  and the Community.  To date, the Trust, has awarded over £3 million worth of grants.  The trust offers a number of funding opportunities please see funders website for deadlines and maximum grants available.

Community Foundations support community and voluntary sector activity through grants to local groups and organisations. There are 48 Community Foundations of different sizes within the UK. Although all Community Foundations operate according to common criteria, they vary in terms of size and nature of grants available. Some Community Foundations will fund both organisations and individuals whilst other foundations will only fund organisations. Each community foundation covers a specific geographic area and will not normally be able to support work outside its area.

Voluntary and community groups, schools, community and town councils and health bodies can apply for grants of between £300 and £20,000 for projects which help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. Projects must meet at least one of their three aims; bring people together and 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. Funding is available for activities including: putting on events, activities or performances; buying equipment; running training courses; starting a new group; educational toys and games; volunteer's expenses or professional fees; transport costs and refurbishment.