Grant Directories

The Community Foundation for Lancashire exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Nationwide Building Society Community Grants programme the foundation provides funding of up to £50,000 to local housing projects that will strengthen local communities by supporting the most vulnerable by: Preventing people from losing their home; Helping people in to a home; Supporting people to thrive within the home environment.

The Community Foundation for Merseyside exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Nationwide Building Society Community Grants programme the foundation provides grants of up to £50,000 to local housing projects that will strengthen local communities by supporting the most vulnerable by: Preventing people from losing their home; Helping people in to a home; Supporting people to thrive within the home environment

The Nationwide Foundation aims to increase the availability of good quality, affordable homes in the places where they are most needed.  Through the Community-led housing  programme, the Foundation will support communities to build new homes, create homes from empty properties, protect existing decent, affordable homes and provide homes of all types of tenure.

The Nationwide Foundation aims to increase the availability of good quality, affordable homes in the places where they are most needed.  Through the Nurturing Ideas to Change the Housing System programme the Nationwide Foundation will support imaginative and different ideas about how to deliver the right sort of housing or housing support, which can tackle systemic failings in the housing system.

Charities, Community Land Trusts and housing co-operatives can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 for local housing projects that will strengthen local communities by supporting the most vulnerable, finding new approaches to increasing the supply of housing or by reinventing renting for both tenants and landlords.  The funding is available for revenue expenditure such as core, staff and volunteer costs.  Only small scale capital expenditure can be supported.

The Community Housing Fund will support an increase in housing supply by increasing the number of additional homes delivered by the community-led housing sector that is affordable at local income levels and remain so in perpetuity. The fund is split into two phases: Phase 1 – will support applications for revenue funding for project specific activities that support development of community-led housing proposals and capital bids for local infrastructure projects that will result in housing developments; Phase 2 – will provide capital funding to support the costs of building new community-led housing schemes.

The Fund provides loans to Community Land Trusts and other community groups that are undertaking affordable housing projects. The Fund enables community land trusts to increase the supply of affordable rented housing, meaning that those in need of affordable accommodation can remain in their communities.

The CLT Fund was first set up in October 2008 by a number of charitable funders to provide support to lenders for the new model of community-led housing in the UK ie Community Land Trusts (CLTs). The Community Land Trust Start Up Fund offers grant funding support to take a CLT affordable housing scheme from the initial idea through to an investment-ready proposal. It follows 3 stages, the first two are to provide professional guidance and the third, funding of up to £4000. The grant is available to CLTs based in England or Wales for schemes that will provide at least 50% housing and only schemes that will also provide permanent affordable housing.

The CLT Fund exists to support community groups that wish to tackle the issue of affordable housing themselves. The CLT Fund offers its CLT Social Investment Fund providing up to £60,000 or circa £2,000 per unit to enable a CLT to prepare plans, commission architects drawings and prepare a full planning submission. The Fund will provide repayable (only if planning approved) finance. The finance will be provided by CAF Venturesome, an organisation which provides affordable financial support to charities, social enterprises and community groups which are incorporated in the UK.

The CLT Fund exists to support community groups that wish to tackle the issue of affordable housing themselves. The CLT Fund is soon to offer its CLT Social Investment Fund to provide a top up loan of up to £400,000. This finance will be repayable with interest. The Fund will be open to applications soon but the CLT Fund is already accepting expressions of interest from CLTs. The finance will be provided by CAF Venturesome, an organisation which provides affordable financial support to charities, social enterprises and community groups which are incorporated in the UK.

CRASH is the construction and property industry's charity; they assist homelessness charities and hospices with construction related projects. CRASH can help in three ways: they offer free of charge professional expertise and advice - this can include specialisms such as architects, quantity surveyors and specialist engineers; building materials - free of charge from supporting suppliers; Cash grants - grants are available of between £5,000 and £50,000 to complete discrete pieces of work. To be eligible you must be a registered UK charity with a legal interest in the building which must be used to deliver services to single homeless men and women over 18, or to provide hospice care for people of all ages.

The Quaker Housing Trust supports social housing projects that would find it difficult to find funding elsewhere. The trust supports registered charities and small organisations that are meeting local housing needs for people of any age who are vulnerable and in housing need. The projects are mainly small and generally volunteer-led, often with support from local Quakers. Trustees are particularly interested in housing projects that meet the needs of individuals who are vulnerable at points of transition in their lives. Four specific grants are available: Health Check Service Grant; Feasibility Study Grant; Environmental Assessment Grant; Dissemination of Good Practice Grant. See funder's website for further details.