Grant Directories

Persimmon Homes Charity Foundation is providing grant funding of up to £1000 to registered charities, clubs, schools and other organisations which have already raised vital funds themselves towards projects to enhance their local community.  The type of projects supported to date have included support for foodbanks; projects within schools; and sports projects; etc.

Advanced Innovation Voucher awards are aimed at building sustained relationships between small and medium sized companies (SMEs) and universities in Scotland who have previously worked together and jointly received funding. The proposed collaborative project should lead to new products, services and processes that will benefit the company, the university and the Scottish economy. Grant awards of £5,000 up to £20,000 are available for individual projects. Projects can be a continuation of the previous partnership, demonstrating further innovation (i.e. novel/pioneering ideas) or new collaborations in a new area with a research group drawn from a different department or institution.

The Shackleton Foundation Leadership Award offers early stage venture capital funding for social entrepreneurs with the will to make a difference to young people in challenging circumstances. Grants of up to £10,000 provide seed funding and support to enable aspiring leaders and social entrepreneurs to establish their own ventures to help young people in challenging circumstances. Priority is given to projects that are not solely reliant on grants and donations.

Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV) is an accelerator programme, early-stage investor and support network for ambitious technology start-ups that are tackling problems in the areas of health, education, sustainability, civic engagement, tech to support young people, workertech. BGV's accelerator programme invests in and supports teams with new ideas through an intensive three-month programme. Supported teams may include software developers, designers or people with personal experience of something they want to change - from teachers and doctors, to patients and carers. BGV looks for early-stage ideas with the potential to help millions of people. Teams of between two and four people selected to be part of the BGV programme will benefit from a £60,000 investment in exchange for 7% equity. BGV also provides a three month programme of support and advice to help build, test and launch each start-up.

Through the Scaling Up Awards UnLtd supports social entrepreneurs looking to scale up their venture by providing tailored support, access to workshops and networks and up to £18,000 in cash. Applicants must have identified a social issue, developed a business model and demonstrated effectiveness through compelling performance evidence and a track record of creating social impact. Applicants must be experienced, ambitious and capable of growing the venture through a realistic growth plan - nationally or internationally - that they can deliver by working full time on the venture. The venture should be; more than one but less than 5 years old; ready to grow; planned for rapid growth; not be looking for major investment for the year ahead; target UK based beneficiaries.

The Childcare Fund scheme is funded by Shetland Islands Council and managed in partnership with Shetland Childcare Partnership. The scheme is designed to support partner providers delivering pre-school education service and voluntary and private sector organisations registered to provide Day Care and/or Out of School Care. The aim of the scheme is to help to maintain, grow, develop and improve the services provided in this sector. Eligible organisations can apply for items such as car insurance and car safety seats (where a vehicle is used to deliver a childcare service); learning materials and resources; toys and outdoor equipment; non statutory training; works or equipment required to comply with Fire Safety, Health and Safety.

The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund has two main aims: To promote skills development and knowledge transfer in the primary agricultural sector and to deliver on-the-ground improvements in agricultural competitiveness, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability. Funding for skills development will be provided to organisations to deliver vocational training, coaching, workshops, courses and farm visits designed to develop skills and transfer knowledge. Funding for agricultural improvements will be granted to meet the running costs of operational groups made up of different individuals or organisations seeking to implement innovative projects with the aim of supporting partnership formation between farmers, advisers and businesses working on the ground.

The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme offers social entrepreneurs the best possible chance of success by providing access to support and funding. To date 1,000 social entrepreneurs in the UK have been supported via this programme. The Programme is a package of support that includes three different elements; an inspirational and practical 14-day course, a business mentor from Lloyds Banking Group and a grant. The content of the course and the size of the grant award will vary depending on whether the applicant joins Start Up or Scale Up. Eligibility for each depends on the stage of development of the applicant's organisation.

Social Business Trust is a registered UK charity that supports and provides business advice to social enterprises based in the UK, in order to support the growth of selected social enterprises and help them to achieve greater social impact. Applications for support are welcome from social enterprises across all sectors. Applicants must have annual revenues of at least £1m or robust plans to achieve that soon, this should include a significant proportion of earned income; a minimum of 1,000 people per year must benefit, directly or indirectly, from the organisation's goods or services and the organisation should be based predominantly in the UK, serving UK beneficiaries. Funding from SBT can provide both capital investment and professional expertise.

Big Issue Invest (BII) is the social investment arm of The Big Issue. BII exists to further the Big Issue's activities and reach, its ultimate aim is to actively empower the marginalised, through employment and entrepreneurship; to help people, to help themselves. Its mission is to dismantle poverty and inequality by investing in business solutions to social and environmental challenges. BII provides loan finance to scale up social enterprises and charities throughout the UK by providing loans and investments, not grants, from £20,000 to £1.5 million. BII can also work with partner social investors to provide finance above £1.5 million.

UnLtd is the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK and supports individuals who have their social ventures firmly rooted in delivering positive social change. It operates a unique model by investing directly in individuals and offering a complete package of resources; from awards of funding to ongoing advice, networking and practical support. UnLtd resource community entrepreneurs to start-up; support those with more established social ventures to scale up; and are committed to developing an eco-system of support to make it easier for those who need help to find it. UnLtd offers a number of programmes with varying levels of funding and support. Please refer to the funder's website for details.