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 Greater London Authority distributes grants to support communities and civil society organisations. Through the Grow Back Greener Fund, the Authority provides grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 for projects across the capital that will make the city greener and more accessible to the local community, particularly those from disadvantaged or underrepresented groups such as BAME, lower income Londoners, and over-65. The Fund also aims to tackle climate change, to help reduce local flood risk, keep the city cool and provide shade, as well as providing habitat for wildlife, improving air quality, and storing carbon.

Grants of between £5,000 and £50,000 are available to schools, charities and other organisations in London to improve access to green spaces and nature. This could include creating a community garden, improving parks and other green spaces for people and wildlife; greening school playgrounds to create natural play space and protect children from air pollution; and creating pocket parks in urban areas; etc. 

The Good Growth Fund is Mayor Sadiq Khan's £70 million regeneration programme to support growth and community development in London. Working with the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), the fund supports innovative, best practice regeneration activities, that enable Londoners to actively participate in their local community and have a say in how their city is shaped; delivery of co-ordinated place-based strategies that welcome growth in a way that works with the physical character of London’s many places; diverse and accessible local economies – from our high streets and town centres to industrial areas – to realise their full potential and making London a place of opportunity for all.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the public. The Project Viability Grant (PVG) scheme is intended to be an initial assessment of whether it is viable to bring an at risk building that is listed or in a conservation area and of acknowledged architectural or historic merit back into a sustainable use. In particular it aims to enable not for profit organisations to explore the evidence of need for a suggested use, or uses, for a building and the sustainability of that use, with a view to the likely requirements of grant funders. Grants are available up to £15,000.

The AHF is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings at risk for the benefit of the public. The Project Development Grant (PDG) scheme is intended to assist not for profit organisations looking to put to beneficial use an at risk building that is listed or in a conservation area and of acknowledged architectural or historic merit. Funding will cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating a project and taking it towards the start of work on site and can include a combination of non-recoverable professional fees and project organiser costs. Organisations must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward. Grants are available of up to £20,000.

Funding is available to help communities develop Neighbourhood plans. Neighbourhood plans can be used in determining planning applications, and ‘neighbourhood development orders' that grant planning permission; and vote them into force in a referendum. Through the programme neighbourhood planning groups will be able to apply for grant of up to £10,000 to pay for events to engage the local community, print leaflets and to pay for specialist planning expertise. In addition groups facing complex issues can apply for additional funding of £8,000 bringing the total to £18,000.  Groups wishing to bring forward Affordable Housing for Sale may be eligible for further grant funding of up to £10,000 to help develop these ideas. In addition, groups wishing to develop a Neighbourhood Development Order for housing may apply for technical support and a project support grant of up to £50,000.

Reaching Communities provide grants to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need, including hard to reach communities. There is a small revenue and a capital scheme and a larger buildings only fund. All projects must address one or more of the following outcomes. People have better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills;  Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems;  Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy; and Healthier and more active people and communities.

The Quartet Community Foundation is an independent charity that supports small, community-based charities and voluntary groups in the West of England (Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire) whose work benefits local people. The Foundation gives grants to a broad range of causes and welcome applications from both new and established groups. The Foundation runs its own grants programme called the Express Programme which awards grants of up to £5,000. The Foundation also manages a range of other grants programmes with their own priorities, criteria and closing dates.