Grant Directories

Foundation Scotland 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 George and Grace Thomson Trust (Dundee) Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £5,000 to support projects benefitting people in Dundee, particularly those which address poverty and social exclusion. Applications are particularly welcome which address the following issues: social exclusion; alleviation of poverty and disadvantage; empowerment (especially of women); asylum seekers; prevention of teenage homelessness.

Foundation Scotland 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 Annandale and Nithsdale Community Benefit Company the foundation provides grants of up to £20,000 to support charitable activities that support the rural regeneration and sustainability of communities within the area of benefit. Applications that address any of the following issues are particularly welcomed: Community facilities, services, rural transport, affordable housing, community development; Community or local events; Environmental projects; Heritage; Skills, employment, tourism, reducing poverty and disadvantage, improving rural business opportunities, building the capacity of community and voluntary organisations, supporting innovation and social enterprise; Sport, recreation and improving the health of residents; Youth and education, tackling out-migration of young peop...

The Fat Beehive Foundation is an independent UK registered charity that provides small grants for websites and digital products to other small UK registered charities.   The aim of the Foundation is to help these organisations carry out their work in a more efficient and effective way, resulting in positive social benefit.

The Newby Trust funds local, regional or national charities registered and operating in the UK within the broad categories of education, health and social welfare.  Through the Social Welfare programme the Trust provides grants of up to £10,000 to improve people’s quality of life in disadvantaged communities. 

The Allen Lane Foundation is a grant-making trust with a focus is on funding unpopular causes. The overall aims of the Foundation are to make a lasting difference to people’s lives; reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination; and to encourage or enable unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.  The Foundation funds work with migrant communities that are newly arrived to the UK.

The Allen Lane Foundation is a grant-making trust with a focus is on funding unpopular causes. The overall aims of the Foundation are to make a lasting difference to people’s lives; reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination; and to encourage or enable unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.  The Foundation is interested funding organisations that work with asylum seekers and refugees; including those held in detention.

The Hodge Foundation provides grants of up to £100,000 to UK registered or exempt charities such as special needs schools and universities for projects that address the objectives of the Foundation.  This includes supporting charities working with people who may be vulnerable or disadvantaged and who need assistance to improve their lives;  education and learning, both within formal school settings and practical approaches to learning which support young people to fulfill their potential and thrive including those with special needs; medical related charities specialising in the treatment and support for specific illnesses and research; and providing funds towards projects such as facilities in church buildings and inclusive activities for the wider community.

Localgiving has teamed up with the Postcode Community Trust to provide the Magic Little Grants programme. The fund provides small charities and community groups with grants of £500 for projects that meet either of the following themes: Overcoming barriers to participation in physical activities in creative ways; Increasing social cohesion through developing access to sports and other recreational activities. 

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation was established in 1987 and aims to help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives. The Shared Ground Fund will provide organisations with the financial support they need to test new approaches to migration and integration, explore ways of exploiting emerging opportunities and address new challenges. The Shared Ground Fund will only support work which has potential to have a wider impact on the policy and practice of others, or on the wider systems relevant to migration and integration

Tesco Stronger Starts programme supports thousands of schools and  local community projects across the UK, helping to fight holiday hunger, tackle mental health, support young people, host community events and much more. The scheme has supported over 40,000 community groups with more than £90 million in grants. Tesco Community Grants is open to charities and community organisations to apply for a grant of up to £1,500. Every three months, three local good causes are selected to be in the blue token customer vote in Tesco stores throughout the UK.

The Barrow Cadbury Trust is an independent, charitable foundation, committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalised people in society. Through its Migration Programme the Trust want to fund grassroots groups working with refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and other marginalised migrants. The Trust seek to enable grassroots groups to support the most vulnerable migrants as well as empower migrants and ensure they are not excluded from the public debate on migration. Organisations may apply for this programme from anywhere in the UK but most awards will be made in the West Midlands.

The Jill Franklin Trust is a grant making organisation which supports five areas: Self-Help groups - advice, training, and employment, to support people with a mental illness or learning difficulties , and their carers (parents etc.); Organisations helping and supporting refugees and asylum-seekers coming to or in the UK; The restoration (not "improvement") of churches of architectural importance and occasionally to other buildings of architectural importance, the church should be open to visitors every day; Local schemes to help prisoners to resettle, or to inhibit delinquency; Bereavement counselling. The Trust has about £80,000 a year to spend, however grants are typically between £500 and £1000. Applications may be submitted at any time.

The Anchor Foundation Grant focuses on Christian Charities concerned with social inclusion particularly through ministries of healing and the arts. In any one year the grant range to a project is usually between £500 and £12,000 for either capital or revenue funding and applications for projects abroad will be considered. It is the Trust's normal practice not to give grants to the same project for more than three years. Applications are considered at twice yearly trustees meetings in April and November and need to be received by 31st January and 31st July each year.

The Alan Babette Sainsbury Charitable Fund Grant provides grants to registered charities that focus on: arts and education projects which help young people to achieve their potential, particularly within Southwark, from where proposals are particularly encouraged; support for UK charities which defend civil liberties and human rights; projects in the developing world, especially Africa, which maximise educational and employment opportunities for young people; areas of scientific and medical research on Type 1 diabetes. The funding amount is discretionary and applications can be submitted at any time.

The Inter Faith Youth Trust (Alma Royalton-Kisch Trust) is the only UK charitable trust solely to fund inter faith projects for young people. The Trust was established to promote the education of children and young people about the religions of the world and funds projects that bring together young people of different faiths to improve collaboration and understanding. In conjunction with the Inter Faith Network and the Department for Communities there is a fast track small grants programme for events/activities linked to Inter Faith Week. Inter Faith Youth Trust is offering grants of up to £800 for projects taking place in and around Inter Faith Week in November. Projects must involve young people of different faiths or provide learning about different faiths and beliefs.

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.

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.

Foundation Scotland (formerly Scottish Community Foundation) is one of the largest funders of the voluntary sector in Scotland and last year was responsible for distributing over £9million on behalf of their donors. The foundation runs a diverse range of funding programmes for organisations across Scotland who work to benefit a range of interests, causes and communities, and they are particularly interested in supporting organisations where a grant will have a significant impact and enable them to achieve their objectives. The Foundation Scotland website enables you to search for grants available in each area of Scotland; funding amounts vary for each programme and start from as little as £250.