• Step 1

    Find out if your organisation can apply for grant funding by checking through our eligibility information and funding requirements.

  • Step 2

    Complete an expression of interest form or direct application, depending on the fund. This can be found linked at the bottom of each fund page and tells us about your project and how much you would like to apply for.

  • Step 3

    If you completed an expression of interest and your project is suitable for one of our open funds, we will send you a link to a full application. This asks for more detail about your project, including a budget breakdown.

  • Step 4

    We’ll get your application ready to be considered by our independent grants panel and may ask you for more information or evidence to ensure the panel have all they need to make an informed decision.

  • Step 5

    Following the panel, we aim to give you a decision within two months of the full application deadline. If your application is approved we will arrange for it to be paid to you, or if it is unsuccessful we will explain the reason why.

  • Step 6

    We’ll be in touch once your project has finished to request an End of Grant Monitoring report. This helps us and you to measure the impact of your project and is a key condition of your grant award. Please see below for more information on End of Grant Monitoring.

HOW MUCH CAN I APPLY FOR?

We normally award grants of up to £10,000

From time-to-time we may also manage a fund with a higher limit. When this is the case, additional information will be available on our grant funds page.

If your project requires more funding than this you might also be interested in our loan programme, please click here for more information.

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS

In order for us to award grant funding, organisations must be able to meet the requirements below. If you need any support, please see our resources page where you can find templates for many of the requirements listed.

A minimum of three independent and unrelated directors/trustees and two independent and unrelated cheque signatories.

An appropriate governing document which confirms that you are operating not-for-profit and with a dissolution clause which outlines that any assets are transferred to another charitable organisation.

Our minimum policy requirements are health and safety, equal opportunities and safeguarding (if applicable). These must be formally adopted by your organisation and we may request copies.

A copy of your organisation’s accounts from the most recent financial year or a bank statement for new organisations.

A financial system of control must be in place for all payments, including online. The person making the payment must be different from the person who has approved the payment.

If you have previously received a grant from us we must have received your end of grant report, including evidence of expenditure.

If you are a Community Interest Company, you will be required to submit a CIC 36 form (if registered in the last 12 months) or a CIC 34 annual report (if registered for more than 12 months).

If you require funding towards maintenance or improvement of a building or land that your organisation does not own, a long lease will be required. You will need to provide a copy of this.

Sharing your project success

In addition to providing evidence of expenditure, our end of grant report allows you and us to understand the impact of your project and is a great way for us to inspire both donors and other community groups. Behind every grant that we award, there is an individual, family or panel of local people who are interested in seeing the project succeed and the difference it has made. Submitting an end of grant form and supporting documentation is one of the key conditions of your grant award and will enable your organisation to be considered for future grants.

Step by Step: End of Grant Impact Monitoring

  • Step 1

    Select the right impact themes and outcome categories when completing your grant application.

  • Step 2

    Check the monitoring expectation from funders. We send the monitoring link with the grant offer letter.

  • Step 3

    Start collecting the desired evidence as soon as your project starts, including financial evidence. Collect data relevant to your impact and consider involving beneficiaries when reviewing your project.

  • Step 4

    When reporting your project's impact, include qualitative (numbers) and quantitative (stories/feedback) evidence as they provide the context and value of your project.

  • Step 5

    Before submitting your End of Grant Monitoring, please make sure to attach financial evidence for the full expenditure of the grant. For more information about what to include, please see the 'End of Grant Monitoring - Financial Evidence' document on our resources page. A template letter for staff/volunteer costs financial evidence can also be found on this page.

  • Step 6

    Share your successes and challenges with funders and stakeholders. We love to use photos and videos to report the impact of your project, just make sure you get consent when recording any activities.

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