Funding

Grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 to help make improvements to rural community buildings in England

This is the latest release of the £3 million grant fund announced by government in 2022 celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. Grants are intended to support smaller capital projects in village halls such as boiler replacements, insulation, toilet upgrades and new kitchens.

Awards can be made to cover 20% of eligible project costs, up to a maximum amount of £5,000. The balance of funding must for the works proposed must be in place, or at least confirmed within six weeks of making an application to small grants fund. The fund is expected to stay open until December 2024.

For more information and to apply- Village halls small grants fund - ACRE

FCC Community Action Fund - England

The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants of between £2,000 and £100,000 to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D and Object DA of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). Only applications for projects sited within 10 miles of a eligible waste facility (e.g. Allington) can be accepted. Funding supports:

• Village Halls and Community Centres
• Public Play Areas
• Publicly available, multi-use games areas, skate parks and BMX tracks
• Sport and recreation grounds including pavilions and clubhouses with full public access
• Churches – community spaces only which are available for hire
• Nature Reserves
• Public gardens, parks, country parks and woodlands with at least dawn to dusk access

For more information and to apply- FCC Community Action Fund / FCC (fcccommunitiesfoundation.org.uk)

Kent Community Foundation

Award grants to support a number of primary issues in the county, contributing towards everything from specific projects to everyday running costs. The grants come from over 90 different funds set up by generous people and organisations. There are four ways you can apply to Kent Community Foundation:

• Annual Application route - submit one application for unrestricted support annually and potentially receive up to £15,000 throughout that twelve-month period
• Micro Groups Fund - grants of up to £2,000 for organisations with income under £75,000
• Themed Programmes – within five priority areas of need: Children, Young People and Families, Elderly and Isolated, Employability, Skills and Enterprise, Vulnerable Adults and Environment
• Other funds with notable criteria - this could be a maximum grant amount or restricted focus

Any one-off, ad hoc funds will be advertised separately.

For more information and to apply- Funding Available for Local Charities - Funding Organisation (kentcf.org.uk)

Aviva Community Fund

The Aviva Community Fund helps local causes build stronger communities across the UK through crowd funding. It’s about more than money – they also give causes access to volunteering and professional coaching opportunities, as well as tools and resources to help build their capabilities and achieve long-term sustainable success.

Climate action is one of the funds two key focus areas. This area promotes healthy, thriving communities by preventing, preparing for and protecting against the impacts of climate change.

Funding is available for organisations looking to raise up to £50,000 and eligible causes can apply at any time. Once your application is approved, you’ll create a page that explains the project, its aims and add your fundraising target. The Aviva Community fund will match every individual donation you receive up to £250.

For more information and to apply- Homepage | Aviva Community Fund

Lush Charity Pot

Charity Pot is a Lush hand and body cream where 100% of all sales (minus local taxes) are distributed as grants, to groups working in the areas of Animal Protection, Environment and Human Rights.

Charity Pot grants range from £100, up to a maximum of £10,000 per project/application.  The average Charity Pot grant is between £2,000 – £4,000. Charity Pot grants provide targeted funding to small, grassroots groups.

Almost all the groups funded by Charity Pot have an annual income of less than £350,000 (most are substantially less) and run entirely or predominantly by volunteers.Your group does not need to be a registered charity, Charity Pot grants support all kinds of groups, including new organisations and start-ups.  However, your group should be not-for-profit.

Applications are accepted at any time, and there are no cut-offs. However, you should allow at least 3 months from application to when you need the funds.

For more information and to apply- Charity Pot Funding Guidelines - We are Lush

Arnold Clark Community Fund

The Arnold Clark Community Fund helps registered UK charities and community groups close to our branches build stronger communities across the UK. As part of their commitment to give back to the communities in which they operate, they believe that by caring for these communities today, they can help them create a better future.

Arnold Clark plan to reopen their Community Fund in early 2024 and aim to support a wide range of charities and community groups.

Depending on which funding you apply for, successful applicants can receive a funding amount of up to £2,500 based on the content of their application. To help as many organisations as possible within our local communities, funding amounts will be decided by the Arnold Clark Community Fund.

For more information and to apply- The Arnold Clark Community Fund | Arnold Clark

Matthew Good Foundation- Grants For Good

Every three months, The Matthew Good Foundation will share £15,000 between five shortlisted projects that have a positive impact on communities, people or the environment. Aiming to make a positive difference to communities, people and the environment.

Applications are welcome all year round, and will be considered in the next funding round. Funding will be awarded every three months.

Your application must be on behalf of a local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise that has a positive impact on communities, people or the environment and has an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.

For more information and to apply- Grants for Good - Connecting businesses with high impact small charities | Matthew Good Foundation

Sport England Small Grants Programme

Sport England wants to support sports and communities to protect and adapt the environments in which sport and physical activity takes place and work together towards our collective net zero ambitions. The programme offers grants between £300 and £15,000 for eligible projects.

Applications should focus on supporting inactive and less active people to become more active, while reducing impact on the environment; projects that can deliver both environmental and physical activity benefits for your community. Ideas should address any of three key environmental areas for this sector: Reducing energy use, Encouraging responsible travel or Reducing waste and improving resource efficiency

You can call the funding Helpline on 03458 508 508 or email funding@sportengland.org 8am-5pm Monday-Friday.

For more information and to apply- Small Grants Programme | Sport England

Branching Out Fund

Branching Out supports applications ranging in value from £250 up to £2,500, with specific criteria for those under £500, and those above £500. Before you start applying, read the application guidance. You will find everything here that you need to know, from the types of trees that qualify, to recommendations around protection.

The deadline for applications was Sunday 3 December 2023. If you would like to be notified when the fund re-opens, please register your expression of interest.

For more information and to apply- Branching Out Fund - The Tree Council

Woodland Trust- Free trees for schools and communities

The Woodland Trust want to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree, so are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

Choose your pack(s) from the provided list and fill out an application form. Two deliveries are made a year, in March and November. Applications are currently open for tree packs to be delivered in November 2024. Applications for November delivery are expected to close in August, or sooner depending on stock availability.

For more information and to apply- Free Trees for Schools and Communities - Woodland Trust