Grant Funding Opportunities
Theatres Trust – Deadline 13th January – New Post!
Theatres Trust’s Small Grants Programme, supported by The Linbury Trust, funds small projects that make a big impact to a theatre’s resilience, sustainability, accessibility or improving the diversity of audiences.
This new scheme will provide grants of up to £5,000 for essential works to enable not-for-profit theatres across the UK to be viable and thrive in the future.
Eligible projects include small capital works, the installation of key plant and machinery and works which make theatre buildings digital-ready. Applications are also welcome for projects that help theatres reopen as Covid-secure.
This scheme will prioritise improvements to buildings that protect theatre use and remove barriers to participation and attendance.
To be eligible to apply to the scheme, applicants must demonstrate that they:
- own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than 5 years on buildings in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- run a year-round programme of live performance, of no less than 30 performances a year
- have a bona fide UK charitable or not-for-profit legal structure and be able to provide certified or audited accounts for at least two years
The next round is now open with a deadline for applications of 13th January 2023.
The application is downloadable from their website: The Theatres Trust
Devon County Council – Growing Communities Fund – New Post!
The Growing Communities Fund is intended to support proactive, effective, measurable, and sustainable actions to enable individuals and communities to tackle the current cost-of-living issues through reducing food and fuel inequalities, building self-reliance, community resilience and improving mental health and wellbeing.
The Growing Communities Fund will commonly provide grant awards of between £500 and £1,000. Grants of up to £3,000 can be applied for if you have an exemplary project and are able to accept payment in arrears.
The Fund can support projects that:
- Address hardship such as food or fuel insecurity, for example offering warm safe spaces, something to eat and drink, and a place to work, learn or socialise.
- Build greater degrees of self-reliance and community resilience for example offering advice, peer support or guidance on budgeting, cooking low-cost nutritional meals.
- Tackle loneliness and isolation and build self-esteem.
- Have a clear and direct community benefit and aim to respond to the climate emergency.
The Fund cannot be used for:
- Activities that are the responsibility of a public body.
- Activities that are contributing to general fundraising.
- Projects that are delegating any acquired fund to third parties.
- Projects that are solely for the benefit of animals.
- Projects that are solely counselling based.
- Projects that are in support of a single faith without wider community benefit.
- Retrospective funding such as an activity that has already taken place or been committed to.
- Alcohol or medication.
- Large projects where the link between a grant awarded and overall project outcomes are not clear.
- Loss of income.
- Applications from individuals, sole traders or grant-making organisations (where funding is requested for grant making).
- Projects that provide support to more than 25% of beneficiaries living outside of the Devon County Council administrative area.
Not-for-profit, voluntary or community groups, registered charities or social enterprises that are providing services or activities for the benefit of people and communities in Devon may apply. For the full list of who can apply as well as guidance on how to apply visit the Devon County Council website, where you will also find the online application form.
Help for Village Halls – Deadline 20th January 2023 – New Post!
Village halls across England can now apply for grants to improve and modernise their facilities, as the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund is now open.
Launched to mark the occasion of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, the fund recognises the important role that village halls play in supporting rural communities. Village halls are key cornerstones in the fabric of rural life, providing essential services and bringing people together through social and recreational activities.
The fund is managed by the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). It is anticipated that the fund will support around 125 village halls over a three-year period creating bigger, better and brighter village halls for communities to enjoy.
The Fund is open to applications from projects aiming to deliver a positive impact on the local environment, reduce rural loneliness, support the rural economy and contribute to community life.
Village halls interested in applying can request grants from £7,500 to £75,000, and up to a maximum of 20 per cent of eligible project costs. Capital grants will be allocated to support infrastructure improvements, the refurbishment of facilities, such as kitchens and toilets, and measures to improve energy efficiency.
The application window will close on 20 January 2023, with successful applicants being able to draw on the funding from April 2023.
For further information, including how to apply for the fund visit: acre.org.uk/platinum-jubilee-village-halls-fund/
Grants for single parent families from the Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust – New Post!
Grants are available to help single parents and carers who have worked for a clothing retailer, fashion or textile company or supermarket chain which sells clothing.
If you’re finding it difficult to make ends meet due to rising energy bills and reductions to your Universal Credit, these grants could help. They can fund items for your children such as clothing, bedding and essential household items (*household bills and food costs are not covered)
To apply you must have worked in the UK fashion and textile industry, for at least one year within the last nine years.
Single parents and carers are encouraged to apply for items that children will need for the year ahead, including: Essential clothing (e.g. seasonal clothing and school uniform and PE kit). baby clothing, equipment or bedding, children’s bedroom furniture, e.g. beds, bedding, clothes storage furniture, Essential Appliances, e.g. replacing a broken appliance or Specialist items for children with additional needs, e.g. sensory toys, adaptive clothing or SEN adapted computers.
For full information on the criteria, and application process, please visit the Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust Website.
Closing Opportunities!
Places and Spaces Fund – Sport England – Deadline End December 2022
This fund is being boosted to £7 million as it goes nationwide to help communities across England benefit from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Originally launched in November 2021, extra National Lottery funding has been committed to extend the fund across England and help community organisations make small-scale facility improvements that will help to develop places and spaces wanting to use Birmingham 2022 as a catalyst to improve community sport and physical activity.
While the fund is now available to applicants nationwide, four areas have been selected for targeted investment to support people to get, having been identified as areas of underrepresentation in activity figures. These areas are Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.
Places and Spaces has been developed in partnership with Crowdfunder and will see Sport England award match funding of up to £10,000 to eligible applicants who run a successful community crowdfunding campaign. They anticipate the fund will remain open until December 2022.
Magic Little Grants 2022 – Deadline End 2022
Magic Little Grants 2022 has now launched, with applications taking just 10 minutes to fill out and submit!
After successfully distributing 2,000 grants to Localgiving members last year, making it their biggest ever Magic Little Grants programme.
Grants of £500 will be awarded to 2,650 charitable organisations on Localgiving.
The 6 funding trusts from the People’s Postcode Lottery who will be collaborating to help administer the biggest ever Magic Little Grants programme are:
- Postcode Community Trust
- Postcode Local Trust
- Postcode Neighbourhood Trust
- Postcode Places Trust
- People’s Postcode Trust
- Postcode Society Trust
This year more organisations than we ever will be funded and the funding will be spread out everywhere across the country.
Last year the eligibility criteria was expanded which will remain this year. In previous years, funding had to go towards projects that were delivering sports or physical activities.
This year funding can go towards any of the following projects:
- Improving Mental wellbeing
- Enabling community participation in the arts
- Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty
- Supporting marginalised groups and promoting equality
- Improving biodiversity and green spaces
- Enabling participation in physical activity
- Responding to the climate emergency and promoting sustainability
- Increasing community access to outdoor space.
Organisations must either be in their first year of operation or have an annual income of under £250,000. Funding can be used to launch new projects, support existing ones, or cover costs associated with ongoing work.
Please note schools are eligible to apply if they are a registered charity.
You will need to be registered with Localgiving to be able to apply. If you are newly registered, to apply for a grant, and your application is successful alongside the £500 grant you will also be awarded a year of free membership. To find out more about registration and applying for a grant visit the Localgiving website
Trees Call to Action Fund – Deadline End 2022
A new fund with grants of between £250,000 and £500,000 for projects that create woodlands, develop forestry skills and improve people’s access to nature. The Fund is being administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Forestry Commission, on behalf of the Department for the Environment, farming and rural affairs (Defra).
Projects should aim to deliver the objectives of the England Trees Action Plan:
- Expanding and connecting out trees and woodlands
- Trees and woodlands as part of the green economy
- Protecting and improving our trees and woodlands
- Connecting people with trees and woodlands
This Fund is available to:
- Partnerships or consortia of local authorities
- Environmental charities
- Not-for-profit organisations of all sizes, including:
- Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)
- National Park Authorities
- Local Nature Partnerships
- Local Enterprise Partnerships
The total available funding is £6 million to be awarded in 2021 to 2022. It is anticipated that in the regions of 15 to 20 grants will be awarded.
Grants of £250,000 to £500,000 are available for projects to deliver by March 2025.
More information including how to apply can be found on the National Lottery Heritage Fund website
Connecting You – A Devon County Council Community Fund – Deadline 31st January 2023
Community organisations in Devon can apply for grants of up £10,000 for projects that trial innovative transport solutions to loneliness.
Devon County Council made a successful bid to the Department of Transport’s Tackling Loneliness with Transport fund, and secured just under £494,000 to deliver an innovative transport pilot along with our delivery partners: Devon Communities Together, Westbank Community Health & Care, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and One Northern Devon.
Included within our bid was the proposal to run a Community Grants Fund which allows us to help other local Devon organisations to trial their own innovative transport solutions to loneliness. There is a total budget of £170,000 for the Community Grants Fund.
All projects must take place within Devon and be for the benefit of Devon residents who are within our defined beneficiary groups:
- Older People aged 55+
- Young People aged 16 – 24
Geographical “Cold Spot” bids will be prioritised. These are projects where remoteness and rural sparsity make conventional transport services a particular challenge to deliver. We have designated the following areas as travel Cold Spots:
We are asking for your help in reaching people who will benefit from this fund and to help spread the word on this project.
Grants of between £1,000 up to £10,000 will be considered. Grants are for revenue expenditure only.
We are inviting applications from community organisations that are incorporated and subject to the rules of a regulatory body i.e., the Charity Commission or Companies House. Organisations should have been established for at least two years.
You can find the online application form and guidelines for applying on the Devon County Council website.
ASDA Foundation – Cost of Living Grants – Deadline 1st February 2023
Grants of between £500 and £2,000 are available to local community organisations across the UK to cover core running costs, food for people struggling with the cost of living and Warm Banks, providing a comfortable place for people to go who are unable to heat their homes.
Application deadline is 1st February 2023 or earlier if the available budget has been committed, whichever is sooner.
Each Asda superstore has a Community Champion, and their role is to support groups and projects within the community, as well as managing Asda Foundation grant applications. The Community Champion in your local superstore will support you in completing your application and will submit the application to the Foundation on your behalf; we cannot accept application direct from groups.
Visit the ASDA website to use the store locator and find out how to contact your Community Champion.
For a full list and downloadable / printable versions of ALL current funding opportunities please click the “Full List” link below: