Further Funding Opportunities

National Grants

Big Lottery - Awards for All

The Awards for All programme aims to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. They fund projects that meet 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.
• Healthier and more active people and communities.

Projects can apply for up to £10,000. For more information please see the website:

Comic Relief

Comic Relief has announced that its grants UK programmes are once again open for applications. Through the Comic Relief UK grant making programme funding is available through a number of programmes including the following:

• Mental health - Aims to promote the rights and support the recovery of people who have mental health problems, and to help them feel more included in society. It also aims to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.
• Domestic and sexual abuse - Aims to provide support for young people aged 11-25 who have witnessed or directly experienced domestic and sexual abuse
• Sport for Change - Using sport in delivering positive change within the lives of individuals and communities,
• Young People aged 11 – 25. This programme focuses on young people that are sexually exploited; suffer from alcohol abuse; and suffer from mental health problems.

In addition, Comic Relief operates a programme that support disadvantaged communities. This programme is devolved to the Community Foundation Network. Please contact your local Community Foundation directly for details of their funding application procedures.

The closing date for applications is the 3rd September 2010. Please see the website for more details.

Children in Need

BBC Children in Need are inviting not-for-profit organisations (including registered charities, voluntary organisations, schools, local authorities, churches, social enterprises, community interest groups, universities etc) working with disadvantaged children and young people 18 years and under, living in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, to apply for funding through their grants schemes.

BBC Children in Need run two grant schemes.

• Small Grants of £10,000 or less per year for up to three years
• Main Grants over £10,000 per year for up to three years.

Funding is available to organisations, that work with young people who are suffering from:

• Illness
• Distress
• Abuse or neglect
• Are disabled
• Have behavioural or psychological difficulties
• Are living in poverty or situations of deprivation

The next deadline is the 15th October 2010.

Youth in Focus – Big Lottery
Through Youth in Focus the Big Lottery are making up to £30 million available for projects in England that support vulnerable young people through difficult changes in their lives. The fund is targeted at young people that fall into the following categories:
• Young carers - Helping young people between the ages of 10 and 25 to be heard and get better access to practical advice and services, which can support their day to day lives.
• Young people leaving care - Supporting young people between the ages of 10 and 25, so they get better access to education, housing, healthcare and employment advice and services.
• Young people leaving youth offenders’ institutions - Helping young people between the ages of 15 and 25 to develop their life skills and get better access to services, particularly young men with learning difficulties and young women.

The Big Lottery want to fund projects that work with the young people being targeting to:

• Improve confidence, skills and knowledge - so they can better deal with the life events that affect them.
• Provide more effective support that is joined up with other services - so they can tackle challenges better.

To bring about these changes we’ll expect applicants to:

• target one or more of the groups that our Youth in Focus programme aims to support
• involve the young people who will benefit throughout, from the earliest stages
• form a partnership of voluntary, public or private sector organisations with relevant expertise, led by a voluntary sector organisation
• make sure that the benefits of the project carry on after our funding ends, and
• share what they have learnt with us and others.

If your project meets the programme outcomes listed above then you may be eligible to apply for a grant of between £500,000 and £1,000,000 (£1,500,000 for England-wide projects that raise national awareness). You can apply to Youth in Focus if you are a partnership led by a voluntary and community sector organisation. Please see the website for more information.


The Hedley Foundation

Funding is available under the following two categories:

• Young people: their education, recreation, support, training, health and welfare. (Approx 70% of the foundations budget).
• Disabled people and the terminally ill: provision of specialist equipment and support for carers.

Grants are given for specific projects only, mostly one-off, but not for core revenue, salary or transport funding. The Foundation makes a limited number of recurring grants for up to three years. Applications are accepted from Registered charities only and are not available to individuals. Few grants exceed £5,000 and most of them go to charities where they can make an impact.

The Hedley Foundation is unable to assist with very large appeals, central appeals by large National Charities and appeals by Cathedrals and Churches. Scouts, Guides and similar organisations will be considered but not for building or re-building projects. Please see the website for more details.

Lloyds TSB Foundation – Community Programme
The Community programme focuses on funding core work that helps disadvantaged people to play a fuller role in the community. They are particularly interested in work that achieves this through:

• Improved social and community involvement
• Improved life choices and chances
• Helping people to be heard

To be eligible you must be an under funded charity and enable disadvantaged people to play a fuller role in the community in one or more of the ways outlined above. Applicants must be clear on the specific changes and benefits that your project will provide to your projects beneficiaries in order to help them play a fuller role in the community. They make grants of one to three years that are appropriate to the size and needs of each charity. For more details please see the website.



Sport England Small Grants Programme (England)

Sport England has announced that its small grants programme is now open for applications. Under the programme, not-for-profit organisations, including sports clubs, voluntary or community organisations, local authorities and education establishments (such as schools, colleges and universities can apply for grants of between £300 and £10,000 for community-level activities that help people become involved in sport, keep people in sport or help people improve their performance at their chosen sport.

Sport England anticipate this fund will be used for example, for purchasing sports equipment for local clubs, running coaching activities for the community and getting more coaches qualified. The Sport England Small Grants programme has a total value of £7 million and will fund both revenue and capital costs.

Applications to the scheme can be made at any time. For more details please see the website.

Wakeham Trust

Groups of individuals as well as small community and voluntary groups within the UK that want to improve their communities can apply for funding through the Wakeham Trust. The Trust are particularly interested in supporting neighbourhood projects, community arts projects, projects involving community service by young people, or projects set up by those who are socially excluded.

The Trust normally gives grants to projects where an initial £75 to £750 can make a real difference to getting the project up and running. To be eligible, applicants need to be registered charities or have access to a registered charity that will be willing to accept funds on their behalf. Applications can be submitted at any time.


Football Foundation - Facilities Grant Scheme (England & Wales)

Schools as well as other educational establishments, local authorities and other not-for-profit organisations are able to apply for funding to build develop and/or refurbish facilities in order to sustain and/or increase participation in football and other sporting activities.

The types of facilities that can be developed / refurbished include, grass pitches drainage/improvements, changing rooms, floodlights, artificial turf pitches, pavilions and clubhouses. Funding is also available for revenue purposes e.g. a football development officer. The Foundation will usually fund up to 50% of eligible costs but can in exceptional circumstances fund up to 90% of eligible project costs. Applications can be submitted at any time.


Live UnLtd (UK)

UnLtd, the charity for social entrepreneurs, is inviting young people between the age of 11 and 25, who have a passion and talent to change the world around them, to apply for a grant of up to £2,000 to start up their own business, sports teams, recreational groups and host events. Live UnLtd will also offer support to help with the running of the project. For more details please see the website.

Youth Music
Youth Music, the UK’s largest children’s music charity has announced its grant making programme is open for applications. Through its “Open Programme”, grants of between £5,000 and £30,000 are available to support projects that provide music-making activities for children and young people in support of Youth Music’s goals.

Youth Music will fund any non profit-making organisation (more than one year old) that is committed to music-making activities for children and young people up to 18 (or up to 25 if they have special educational needs, disabilities or are in detention). Youth Music aims to support music making activities principally in out of school hours such as during weekends, holidays as well as in breakfast and after schools clubs. The next closing date for applications is the 10th September 2010.

For more information about the Open Programme please see the website.



People’s Postcode Trust (Open for applications from 11th October 2010)

The People’s Postcode Trust provides funding opportunities to small organisations, community groups and charities, through grants ranging from £500 - £10,000. Applicants that are not formally registered as a charity with OSCR / Charity Commission can apply for up to £2,000 in funding. Applicants that are registered with OSCR / Charity Commission and can provide a charity number can apply for up to £10,000 in funding.

To be eligible for funding, all projects must help in one or more of the following areas;
• To prevent poverty
• To promote, maintain, improve and advance health.
• To advance citizenship or community development.
• To advance public participation in sport.
• To promote, improve and advance human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation.
• To promote and advance environmental protection or improvement.

For examples of successful projects, please visit the Case Studies page on our website.


One Planet Living Grant Scheme (UK)

Schools, community groups and charitable organisations can apply to their local B&Q store for funding to support a local community project. Projects must support at least one of the following themes:

• Environment/Energy Saving
• Natural Habitats/Wildlife
• Local Culture/Heritage

The scheme provides £50 to £500 (at retail cost) of B&Q materials, for example, pond liners, plants, peat-free compost for projects such as a pond/wildlife garden or paints labelled low or minimal VOC for redecoration projects. It is important that the project is sustainable. For example, the materials and methods used should not cause environmental damage in the short or long-term.

The final result should have long-lasting benefit to the community. OPL Grants do not cover maintenance, so the project should be designed for easy care. To apply for a grant, applicants will need to contact the environmental champion or store manager at their local B&Q store to discuss project details.

Projects can apply for funding between 1 February 2010 and 30 September 2010 and successful projects must collect their materials no later than 31 October 2010. For more details please look on the website below.


B&Q Waste Donation Scheme (UK)

Schools, charities and community groups can apply for products and waste materials through the B&Q Waste Donate Scheme. B&Q operates this Scheme through all of its stores within the UK. B&Q donates products and waste materials they haven’t been able to sell for re-use such as slightly damaged tins of paint, off-cuts of timber, odd rolls of wallpaper and end-of-range materials.

Donated products should benefit the local community and the environment and can not be resold. Applications must be made directly to B&Q stores and can be made at any time.