Support For Groups - Latest Funding Opportunities
This page aims to keep you up-to-date with useful info about funding opportunities inside Westminster and more widely in London. Also make sure to check the training and events page for an updated list of training opportunities and events.
One Westminster can also help your organisation through the Online Resources section of this website and through our staff team.
Funding
May
Wellbeing of Women - Women’s Health Community Fund
The Women’s Health Community Fund is provided by Wellbeing of Women, a registered charity, in partnership with Holland & Barrett. It aims to improve the education and awareness of common women's health issues, which are currently overlooked and underfunded, particularly among under-served communities. The fund has a specific focus on lower income families, ethnically diverse communities, those with disabilities and those who are LGBTQ+.
The funding is for projects that address the following key points:
- Projects that aim to improve information, education and support for menstrual health, related gynaecological conditions e.g. PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, PMDD, and menopause.
- Support people and groups that are often underrepresented in mainstream healthcare, information and services, for example people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds (BAME/global majority), LGBTQI+, people living with disabilities, deaf people, blind and partially sighted people, people experiencing homelessness, addiction, people living in areas of economic deprivation.
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to spend on project costs across 12 months. Funding will be distributed in two tranches, 50% at the beginning of the project and 50% upon receipt of a six-month report.
Deadline: Sunday 19 May 2024
Leathersellers - ACES Main Grants Programme 2024
2024-25 marks the third year of The Leathersellers’ strategic giving to help prevent and tackle the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
The ACEs Main Grants Programme provides multi-year grants of up to four years of £20,000-£25,000 per annum, to charities and CIOs throughout the UK.
Deadline: Friday 24 May 2024
Making London More Liveable
City Bridge Foundation want to fund continuation or expansion of existing work which reduces isolation and enables people living and working in Greater London to feel closer to their community.
They want to support people who are most at risk of suicide. The fund will be targeted at organisations working with people where research and evidence shows there is most need for support. They particularly want to support:
- Middle-aged men experiencing deprivation. By deprivation, they mean low income and lack of access to resources and opportunities.
- People in moments of transition, including:
- Pregnant women and new mothers
- People leaving prison or coming into the criminal justice system
- People leaving care
- People on waiting lists for mental or physical health services
They will prioritise applications where organisations show that they support people experiencing more than one different risk factor for suicide at the same time. For example:
- Pregnant women and new mothers who are also survivors of abuse
- Autistic people who are also on waiting lists for mental health services
- Middle-aged men experiencing deprivation who also have substance misuse issues
- People in the criminal justice system who have previously self-harmed
- People leaving care who also identify as LGBTQ+
This is not an exhaustive list, and they are open to hearing from applicants who support other groups evidenced to be at risk of suicide. Please get in touch if you are unsure whether you are eligible.
The maximum you can apply for is £200,000. Organisations cannot apply for more than 50% of their turnover/income (as shown in their most recent signed accounts) in any one year. Priority will be given to applications from organisations with an annual income below £500,000.
Deadline: Friday 31 May 2024 - 5pm
July
The Steel Charitable Trust
Registered charities with at least one year of accounts and an annual turnover of over £50,000 can apply for grants of £10,000 - £25,000 if their work falls in one of five areas:
- Arts and Heritage
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Social or Economic Disadvantage
Applications under the social or economic disadvantage category must have a focus on either disadvantaged children or people experiencing homelessness. Applications under the health category must have a focus on mental health.
Deadline: Thursday 11 July 2024
Anytime
Yapp Charitable Trust
The Yapp Charitable Trust offers grants only for core funding to registered charities with a total annual expenditure of less than £40,000 and are undertaking work that focuses on one of these priority groups:
Elderly people
Children and young people aged 5 - 25
People with physical impairments, learning difficulties or mental health challenges
Social welfare - people trying to overcome life-limiting problems of a social, rather than medical, origin (such as addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse, offending)
Education and learning (with a particular interest in people who are educationally disadvantaged, whether adults or children)
The charity will fund running costs for up to three years. Grants are for a maximum of £3,000 per year.
Applications are accepted at any time.
National Lottery Community Fund - Bringing People Together
Large grants of up to £300,000 for up to two years are available to voluntary and community organisations for projects that will build stronger connections across communities and improve the infrastructure and conditions that are needed to strengthen these connections.
The programme seeks to fund ideas that enable communities to thrive by creating the conditions, infrastructure and social fabric that enable better and longer lasting ways of bringing people and communities together. This will be achieved by supporting:
- Bold and experimental responses to bringing people together using new, or new combinations of approaches.
- New projects or projects that build on existing work.
- A range of projects reflecting a mix of communities and places from across the UK.
It is expected that up to 20 awards will be made for the 2021/22 period
Applications may be made at any time while funding remains available.
BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme
BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances, and is delivered by Family Fund Business Services. The programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing.
All applications must be made by a registered referrer.
There is no deadline for applications, but each region or nations has a tier allocation, which may be subject to change, as the current funding year progresses.
The Leathersellers' Company Charitable Fund
Charitable Grants are available to UK registered charities working within the UK. Whilst we prioritise those charities working for the benefit of people in Greater London, we do welcome and support applications from all corners on the UK. Fund is available for special projects, capital grants and core costs such as salaries, rent and utilities. You can apply for up to four years of funding.
The Fund operate two grant giving programmes for charities:
- The Small Grant Programme is a fast track grant assessment for one-off grants of up to £3,000. Applicants can expect a result within six weeks of making an application.
- The Main Grants Programme is a far more thorough assessment for single and multiple year grants of £5,000 or more. A successful application can take up to nine months to receive a result.
The Fund particularly welcome applications supporting the use of leather within the fashion industry, education in leather technology and the leather trade.
Foyle Foundation
The small grants scheme is designed to support charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at a grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities. Applications are welcomed from charities with an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum. The focus will be to make one-year grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 only to cover core costs or essential equipment, to enable ongoing service provision, homeworking, or delivery of online digital services to charities that can show financial stability. The priority will be to support local charities still active in their communities which are currently delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community either directly or through online support if possible. Charities must show that such a grant will make a significant difference to their work.
The National Lottery Community Fund - Social Enterprise Support Fund
The funding is for social enterprises that reach the most marginalised communities and promote inclusion and it can be used for helping you get your social enterprise back on track or helping you work with communities that are recovering from the impacts of Covid-19. You can apply for grants from £10,000 to £100,000 - most grants will be between £10,000 and £50,000.
Your social enterprise must have been incorporated for at least a year and most of your beneficiaries should be in England. Your annual income was between £20,000 and £1.8 million pre-COVID-19 or in your last financial year. Your social enterprise should be substantially reliant income from trading (e.g. sales and contracts) to deliver social impact. If your trading has been affected by COVID-19, you should have a clear plan for growing or returning to substantial trading income.
Your social enterprise must be incorporated. It may be a charitable company, a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Community Benefit Society (CBS/Registered Society).
It may also be a company limited by guarantee (CLG), a company limited by shares (CLS), a co-operative society, or other registered society, if, within its governing document, it has:
- a clear social purpose, such as an Objects or Social Purpose clause
- a restriction on distribution of profits, to the extent that at least 51% of surpluses are reinvested for its social purpose
- an ‘asset lock‘, which is a restriction on the distribution of assets
UK Youth – Cost of Living Fund
The UK Youth Fund in partnership with Pears Foundation will provide targeted funding to youth organisations delivering high quality youth work to ensure doors stay open, bills get paid and youth workers receive the salaries they deserve. This will help to ensure young people aged 8 – 25 years old continue to be supported at this most difficult of times by the youth organisations and youth workers on whom they’ve come to depend.
This new fund is a three-year unrestricted grant programme aimed at mitigating the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on the youth sector. Grants of approximately 10% of the current turnover of the applicant organisation per year are available (For example, an organisation with a turnover of £250,000 can apply for up to £25,000 a year).
Applicants have to be a charitable or not-for-profit organisation in operation for at least two years and with a turnover of less than £500,000 in the last financial year.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis whilst funds remain to be distributed.
Sport England – Movement Fund
The new fund replaces Sport England’s existing Small Grants Programme and Active Together fund. The Movement Fund aims to get more people active and increase sports participation across England, closing the ‘significant activity gap’ between people based on where they live, how affluent they are, their sex, ethnic background or whether they have a disability or long-term health condition. The launch coincides with the introduction of Sport England’s new Movement Hub pilot – which aims to make it easier to find existing tools and resources.
Grants of between £300 and £15,000 are available for not-for-profit organisations working with people living in England.The funding is intended for local not-for-profit groups and organisations whose projects promote physical activity, including active travel, walking, cycling, dance, fitness and sporting activities.Priority will be given to projects in communities where there is a greater need.
There is particular interest in projects providing opportunities for groups facing barriers to activity, such as:
- People living on low incomes.
- Disabled people or those with long-term health conditions.
- Older people.
- People from culturally diverse communities.
- Pregnant women and parents with very young children.
- Girls aged 5-16.
- LGBTQ+ people.
- People who are in foster care.
- People who provide care without pay.
Projects and activities need to address Sport England’s four ambitions:
- Encouraging positive experiences of sport and physical activity.
- Involving the community in planning and delivery.
- Prioritising environmental sustainability.
- A good use of public money.
The money could be used for equipment, facilities, learning and development, delivery costs or emergency relief.
John Lyon's Charity - School Holiday Activity Fund
The School Holiday Activity Fund is designed to enable organisations to deliver fun and accessible activities for children and young people during the school holidays. This includes all half-term breaks, Easter, Christmas and the summer holiday. You may apply to the School Holiday Activity Fund once a year for a maximum of three consecutive years.
The Fund will pay for the running costs of holiday programmes that provide young people with activities in supportive and accessible environments. Up to £4,000 is available.
Applications to the School Holiday Activity Fund can be submitted at any time, but must be received by the Grants Office by the following deadlines:
- Summer holiday – 1 June
- October half-term – 21 September
- Christmas holiday – 16 November
- February half-term – 10 January
- Easter – 14 February
- May half-term – 25 April
Cameron Grant Memorial Trust
Applications for a grant of between £100 and £2,500 will be considered. The grant can be used to trial a new service, create an asset, a technology, a performance, fund research, or otherwise experiment in any way that supports the treatment mental health. The emphasis will be on innovation – using new methods, channels, technology, ideas or approaches to reach out and effect change. Ideas should typically fit into one of the following categories:
- Destigmatising mental health
- Reducing barriers to mental health care
- Improving mental wellbeing
Note the grants are for project-based activities that demonstrate clear innovation. They will not be made to fund ongoing operational expenses or salaries.
Google Ad Grants
Google Ad Grants provide over £7,500 per month of free Google Ads advertising to eligible Not For Profit organisations. The adverts will appear on relevant Google search result pages and can boost organisations’ visibility to their key audiences. The programme is designed to help people connect with causes to make a greater impact on the world.
No deadline
Windrush Justice Programme
Grants of £22,000 across two years are available to organisations already providing advocacy support to victims of the Windrush Scandal.
For this fund, advocacy support is taken to mean:
- Assisting people with applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
- Supporting applications to the Windrush Scheme (formally the Windrush Taskforce).
- Signposting to other organisations offering support (for example, signposting more complicated cases to solicitors providing pro bono support).
UK based organisations may apply, including Registered Charities, Community Interest Companies (CIC), Company limited by guarantee, Constituted voluntary organisations and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO).
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have at least 51% of their Trustees/Governing body who are Black, Asian or mixed heritage.
- Be already providing advocacy support to those seeking to access the Windrush Compensation Scheme
The funding can be used to pay for case workers, cover administrative costs, venue costs, awareness raising events, and staffing costs.
Round 3 is currently open for applications. There is no deadline as this is a rolling round.
The Drapers' Charitable Fund
The Fund supports registered charities in London who are involved in the activities outlined below:
Social Welfare, including:
- Homelessness
- Prisoners
- Ex-service personnel
- Support services for the elderly, carers (especially young carers), and community and family services.
- Disabled adults (not children), especially those with less visible disabilities such as sensory impairment, mental health issues and learning disabilities.
Education and training:
Projects which raise the aspirations or help to realise the full potential of disadvantaged young people under 25 years old particularly in deprived areas of Greater London.
Textiles and Heritage, including:
- Textile conservation
- Support projects within the textiles industry
- Museums, memorials and monuments relating to the armed forces, history of London or the textile trade
There is no minimum or maximum grant. Grants are normally awarded for sums up to £15,000, but larger grants may be awarded.
You can apply at any time of the year. The Charities Committee meets five times a year and applications will normally be considered at the next meeting following submission.
Community Knowledge Fund
The Community Knowledge Fund is making grants worth between £10k and £100k available to community groups and organisations around the UK to support them to play a stronger role in research and innovation. Funds will help develop and test new ideas and approaches to creating, sharing and using the knowledge held within communities to make progress on local and national challenges.
Communities will be able to apply for grants of £10k to develop their initial ideas, create the right conditions for research and innovation, and begin early testing. They will then be able to apply for additional funding of up to £100k to further test and grow their ideas in Phase 2.
The Community Knowledge Fund is an open fund, meaning they’re interested in hearing what matters to you and what ideas you have, but they are particularly interested in two areas - one is ‘environment and sustainability’ and the other is ‘community safety and resilience’.
No deadline.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Migration Fund
Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Migration Fund has reopened after a pause and is now focused on supporting not-for-profit organisations in the UK who are working towards the Foundation’s vision of a world in which everyone is free to move and no is forced to move.
Grants of up to £60,000 per year for three to four years (a total of £240,000) or grants up to £50,0000 per year for five years (a total of £250,000) are available to support core costs and specific programme costs.
Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations of any size working anywhere in the UK who are working towards:
- Embedding anti-racist practice across their organisation and work.
- Adopting an organisational culture that centres care and wellbeing.
- Shifting power to migrants and diaspora communities so their interests, perspectives and contributions are centred across the organisation’s work.
- Building solidarity and collaboration across communities, while working towards transformational change that benefits us all.
- Unlearning and challenging the harm, inequity, and oppression within their organisational structures and work.
- Learning, reflecting and being responsive to change
Priority will be given to applications from organisations:
- Led by migrants and diaspora communities.
- That work with historically underfunded groups and regions.
- With an annual turnover under £500,000.
- That have less access to funding from other sources.
Newly established and unincorporated groups who meet the Fund’s criteria are welcome to apply.
There are no deadlines. The Fund operates on a rolling basis.
Henry Smith - Improving lives
The Improving Lives grant programme provides grants to charitable organisations that help people when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are simply not available.
It supports established organisations delivering services directly to beneficiaries. They are looking for services which can demonstrate a track record of success, and evidence the effectiveness of the work.
There are 6 funding priorities:
- Help at a critical moment
- Positive choices
- Accommodation / housing support
- Employment and training
- Financial inclusion, rights and entitlements
- Support networks and family
The amount requested must be between £20,000 and £60,000 per year. The maximum length of funding that can be requested is three years. The grants are for revenue costs and direct service delivery.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation
The grant scheme support capital projects, not running costs. There are three types of grant; major grants of £50,000 and above, medium grants between £5,000 and £50,000 and small grants below £5,000. Small grants account for 80% of those awarded annually.
There are two criteria to fulfil before applying for a grant. Please ensure you read these carefully before making an application.
1. You must be a registered charity in England or Wales or have accepted/exempt status to apply
AND
2. You must fall into one of the categories set out below. Please click on a link for more information as to whether you qualify:
- Community
- Education
- Health
- Social Welfare
Deadline: Applications can be submitted at anytime.
Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund
The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund has opened its small grant programme to UK registered non-profit organisations supporting grassroots projects in diverse and deprived communities. The small grants programme awards single or multi-year grants to a maximum value of £5,000. The average award is £1,500.
Applications will be considered from organisations with an income of up to £1 million that have completed at least two years of activity and are able to submit accounts or income and expenditure statements.
This is a rolling programme - Please note that the Small Grant Committee considers applications in February, May, July and October.
Westminster Community Events Fund
Funding has been made available for communities in Westminster to lead and organise events of cultural significance as well as events that promote community cohesion and integration. These can be:
- Cultural events
- Events that raise awareness of issues that affect the community
- Events that bring communities together for collective reflection.
The fund can be used to book a space or pay for other associated event costs. For each event, a maximum of £2,500 will be made available, or for collaboration between organisations grants of up to £5,000 will be available.
Deadline: the fund will close when the allocated funding runs out.
Tesco Bags Of Help
Grants of up to £1,500 are available to support community projects involving Children and Young people or Food Insecurity in the broadest sense including equipment, activities, holiday/breakfast clubs, cookery classes, food growing courses, food packages etc.
Shortlisted projects are displayed in their local Tesco stores for a 3 month voting period, and the top placed project will receive up to £1500, the 2nd - £1000 and the 3rd - £500. Funding must be used within a year.
Organisations that have been nominated by a Tesco employee via this portal not only stand a very good chance of being selected at shortlisting, but because of this local endorsement would not necessarily need to fit the themes of children and young people or food insecurity.
Applications are now open on a rolling basis and will be accepted at any time.
The Architectural Heritage Fund Project Viability Grant
Grants of up to £15,000 are now available for formally constituted charities or social enterprises that have the necessary powers to undertake a project involving the acquisition and conversion of an historic building.
The Architectural Heritage Fund Project Viability Grant aims to enable organisations to work out whether a proposed use for a building will be economically viable. The grant will contribute towards the cost of exploring different options for reuse or testing a single option.
Applications can be submitted at any time and you will normally get a decision in 6 to 8 weeks.
The Fat Beehive Foundation - Digital Fund
The Fat Beehive Foundation is providing small grants of up to £2500 for websites and digital products for small UK registered charities to help these organisations carry out their work in a more efficient and effective way.
Charities must have an average income of less than £1 million a year.
No deadline
Global Majority Grant Fund - North Paddington
The Global Majority grant is open to organisations led by individuals from Global Majority (BAME) backgrounds. Funding is available for any physical, cultural, educational or social activities aimed at improving the health and/or wellbeing of residents living in the North Paddington area .
Each Global Majority-led organisation can apply for up to £20,000, with the maximum amount not exceeding 50% of the organisation's turnover.
Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served until the total Fund is spent.
The Charles Haywood Foundation
The Charles Hayward Foundation is a grant-making charitable trust which is located in the United Kingdom. They make grants to charities which are registered through two different programmes:
Main grant programme
Social & Criminal Justice and Heritage & Conservation (for charities with an income of more than £350,000) and Overseas (for charities with an income between £150,000 and £5,000,000).
Small grant programme
Social & Criminal Justice and Older People (for charities with an income of less than£350,000).
The Foundation predominantly funds capital costs. Projects that are preventive or provide early intervention are encouraged with a preferred area of impact at the community and neighbourhood level.
Size of grant is typically £15,000 to £25,000. Where agreed, project funding may be for up to a maximum of three years in duration. Small grant scheme makes grants of up to £7,000.
The trustees meet only four times a year to consider applications and you may have a wait of several months before you receive a decision. On average, trustees approve one in twenty applications.
Betsy Foundation
Grants of up to £30,000 are available to registered charities with a turnover of less than £750,000 supporting people under the age of 30 to help to alleviate the effects of poverty, abuse and homelessness as well as help recipients to overcome the causes of these. Charities must operate in London or the South-East.
Change X – UK Community Play Fund
ChangeX has launched the £145,000 UK Community Play Fund, supported by the LEGO Foundation as part of its Build a World of Play campaign. The fund aims to enable communities across the UK to start proven learning through play projects and empower community groups, parents, and caregivers to create more playful experiences for children. Funding ranges from £500 to £4,700 per new project.
The fund will close when all funding will have been awarded.
Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation
The Foundation provides funding to a broad range of UK charities working to support or improve the lives of UK nationals through art, healthcare, literature, music and theatre. The Trustees give priority to projects where their donation can make a difference and can progress the Charity’s initiative. There is a broad remit and all applications will be considered on their own merits.
There is no maximum or minimum limit to funding requests.
There are no deadlines for applications, which are reviewed at regular intervals.
The Percy Bilton Charity
Capital grants are available to organisations and individuals in need throughout the U.K.
Social workers may apply on the behalf of individuals who have a disability or mental health problem, or who are over 65, for grants to purchase basic furniture, equipment and clothing.
Organisation that may apply should be a registered charity in the U.K. whose primary objectives are to assist one or more of the following groups:
- Disadvantaged/underprivileged young people (persons under 25)
- People with disabilities (physical or learning disabilities or mental health problems)
- Older people (aged over 60)
They have 2 programmes for organisations:
- Large grants: one off payments for capital expenditure of approximately £2,000 and over i.e. furniture and equipment; building/refurbishment projects. Please note that they do not fund running costs.
- Small grants - Donations of up to £500 towards furnishings and equipment for small projects. This programme is more suitable for smaller organisations.
Deadline: Applications may be submitted at any time and will be considered at the next appropriate Board meeting. Applications for Small Grants are considered monthly.
Masonic Charitable Foundation - Children and Later Life Programmes
Following a period of closure to review its grants processes, the Foundation has reopened its Small and Large Grants applications on a rolling basis.
This announcement relates to grants in two main areas:
- Creating the best start in life for disadvantaged children and young people
- Reducing isolation and loneliness for older people.
Charities registered with the Charity Commission can apply as long as their beneficiaries are in England.
The Foundation offers large grants starting from £10,000 up to around £60,000, and small grants of between £1,000 and £5,000.
Organisations with an income of less than £500,000 can apply for a small grant covering core funding, while those with an income exceeding £500,000 can apply for a large grant covering project and delivery costs.
Final decisions are expected in around two to three months for small grant applications, and around three to four months for large grants.
Applications are now accepted at any time.
City Bridge Foundation Small Grants
City Bridge Foundation, previously City Bridge Trust, has reopened the programme after a five-month hiatus and an extensive review, and is now taking applications from constituted voluntary organisations as well as registered charities.
Grants are now on offer not just for environmental projects and those benefitting older people and disabled people, but also for projects aimed at LGBTQIA+ communities and refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.
The foundation has raised the bar for small organisations to those with an income of up to £200,000 a year, rather than £100,000, while the maximum grant limit has doubled to £20,000, or up to 50% of an organisation’s income.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis