About
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation works to understand local community issues, develop local giving and offer grants to make Cambridgeshire a better place to live, work and play. Since 2004, the Foundation has awarded over 10,000 grants totaling £32 million to support thousands of local charities, community groups, schools and sports clubs, addressing a range of community needs including mental health, homelessness, employability, fuel poverty and more.
Funding Opportunities
Wadlow Wind Farm Community Fund
The Wadlow Wind Farm Community Fund provides grants of up to £10,000 for community projects that benefit residents living within 5 miles of Wadlow Wind Farm in South Cambridgeshire. The fund supports charitable projects benefiting local communities in eligible parishes, with a focus on community facilities and resources. Projects that demonstrate a contribution of funds raised from elsewhere will be prioritized. The fund also has specific provisions for non-statutory traffic calming measures supported by Speedwatch evidence, with applications considered up to a maximum of £4,500 per parish. Eligible areas include the parishes of Balsham, Brinkley, Carlton, Fulbourn, Great Wilbraham, Weston Colville, West Wratting, Six Mile Bottom and Little Wilbraham. Applications are accepted twice yearly with deadlines on February 1st and August 1st.
Birketts Endowed Cambridgeshire Fund
The Birketts Endowed Cambridgeshire Fund is an endowed fund that makes grants each year to support small, local non-profit organisations undertaking charitable work in Cambridgeshire. The fund has two rounds per year, with an average of £5,000 awarded in each round. Applications between £1,600 and £2,000 are expected, though the fund has no fixed maximum grant size. The focus for grant making from the Fund is to support groups working with disability, mental health, children and families, and homelessness. Applications follow the General application process administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation.
Wryde Croft Wind Farm Community Fund
The Wryde Croft Wind Farm Community Fund offers grants for charitable projects benefiting local communities in eligible parishes within a 6km radius of Wryde Croft Wind Farm in Peterborough. The fund supports community projects that demonstrably benefit a material proportion of the local community in the designated area of benefit. Grants of up to £10,000 are available, with larger grants considered on exception. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and operates with quarterly deadlines throughout the year. Eligible applicants are non-profit organisations working on projects that serve residents in the specified parishes. The fund targets nine parishes in the area: Crowland, Fleet, Gedney Hill, Holbeach, Parson Drove, Sutton St Edmund, Thorney, Whaplode, and Wisbech St Mary. Projects must demonstrate clear community benefit to residents within the 6km radius of the wind farm.
Common Barn Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund
This fund offers grants for non-profit organisations delivering projects with public benefit for the residents of Southoe and Midloe, as well as Diddington, in Huntingdonshire. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and supports community projects ranging from village hall improvements to church restoration projects that serve as community hubs. Previously funded projects include village hall renovations, installation of accessible facilities, sound systems for community events, and other infrastructure improvements that enhance community spaces and services. The fund operates with biannual application deadlines and has supported numerous local organizations in creating modern, welcoming community facilities.
Cotton Farm Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund
The Cotton Farm Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund provides grants for charitable community projects benefiting residents in eligible parishes within 3km of Cotton Farm Wind Farm in Huntingdonshire. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and supports non-profit organizations working to benefit local communities in the designated area. Projects are eligible if they demonstrably benefit a material proportion of the local community living within the area of benefit. Examples of previously funded projects include village hall improvements, sports equipment purchases, and community facility maintenance.
Woolley Hill Wind Farm Community Fund
The Woolley Hill Wind Farm Community Fund offers grants of up to £5,000 for community projects that benefit residents in eligible parishes near Woolley Hill Wind Farm in Huntingdonshire. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and supports charitable projects that demonstrably benefit a material proportion of the local community living in the designated area of benefit. Grants are available to non-profit organizations for projects benefiting local communities in seven eligible parishes: Alconbury, Alconbury Weston, Barham and Woolley, Buckworth, Easton, Ellington, and Spaldwick. The fund operates on a biannual application cycle with deadlines in February and August. This is a community-focused fund that aims to support local charitable initiatives and projects that enhance the wellbeing and quality of life for residents in the parishes surrounding the Woolley Hill Wind Farm.
Burnthouse Wind Farm Community Fund
The Burnthouse Wind Farm Community Fund offers grants of up to £6,000 for charitable community projects within 5 miles of Burnthouse Wind Farm in Fenland, Cambridgeshire. Grants are available for non-profit organisations undertaking projects that demonstrably benefit a material proportion of the local community living within a 5km radius of the wind farm. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and has biannual deadlines in February and August. Eligible parishes include Benwick, Coates, Doddington, Eastrea, March, Turves, Wimblington and Whittlesey. The fund supports charitable initiatives that provide tangible benefits to these rural communities in the Fenland area.
Cambscuisine Community Fund
The Cambscuisine Community Fund offers grants to support local non-profit organisations that are undertaking charitable work with the aim of helping people that face disadvantages and to those that engage and support local people, and therefore build stronger, healthier, inclusive and sustainable communities. The key mantra of the fund is the notion of 'second chances' – helping those in need of a second chance in life. The fund has two rounds a year with an average of £30,000 awarded in each round last year. Grants will be predominantly made to assist charitable projects in Cambridge, but a wider geography may be considered for projects within a 5km radius of Cambscuisine locations. The fund aims to provide support and relief to those in need, with approximately 20% of the total fund used to support local environmental projects such as helping local charitable organisations or parish councils plant greenery and carry out other environmental projects. The average grant size is £4,000.
Cheffins Grassroots Endowed Fund
The Cheffins Grassroots Endowed Fund offers small grants for local charities providing support for people in need in specific areas of Cambridgeshire, including Cambridge City, Ely, Newmarket, Saffron Walden and Haverhill. The fund is administered by the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and is supported by Cheffins, an estate agent with a long history of working with local communities. This fund runs once a year and awards an average of £5,000 per year to non-profit organisations. The grants are designed to support grassroots charitable work that directly benefits people in need within the designated geographic areas. The fund is separate from the Cheffins Next Generation fund, which has its own dedicated application process. Cheffins works in partnership with local charities and deserving causes to empower and enrich the lives of people in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding region. Their charitable objectives are designed to improve and progress the lives of others, reflecting their responsibility as a business to support and nurture the communities where they live and work.
High Sheriff's Fund
The High Sheriff's Fund supports charitable initiatives across Cambridgeshire with a priority to provide better opportunities for children. The Office of High Sheriff is over 1,000 years old and the key elements of the role are supporting those who administer law and order and working with the local charity sector. It is an apolitical role, undertaken on a voluntary basis, at no cost to the public purse and so it is well suited to lending support and encouragement to charities, community groups and voluntary services. High Sheriffs take on a personal responsibility for fundraising for charity during their year in office. The High Sheriff's Fund was established in Cambridgeshire over 20 years ago to support this charitable work. Grants of up to £5,000 are available to non-profit organisations operating in Cambridgeshire.
S2 Partnership Community Fund
The S2 Partnership Community Fund offers grants of up to £5,000 for community projects within a 10-mile radius of Elsworth, Cambridgeshire. S2 Partnership is keen to support projects that benefit children, young people, and families, provide support for educational events and experiences, focus on STEM, health & wellbeing, and environmental initiatives, and improve local green spaces. The fund is dedicated to supporting specific project costs rather than core operating expenses. This fund runs once a year and awards around £22,000 annually. S2 Partnership is a Cambridge-based health, safety and ESG consultancy that maintains excellent client and employee relationships and prioritises the well-being of all who are connected to the company, including the local community.
Cambridge Street Aid
Cambridge Street Aid offers individual grants to help people with a background of living on the city's streets. The grants provide practical support to help people get off, and stay off, the streets. Applications can only be made by referring organisations on behalf of individuals who are or have been street homeless. There are three main criteria that people must meet in order to be eligible: the person must be, or have been, sleeping on the streets or living a street-based lifestyle; the grant must be to pay for something that would help the person get off, or stay off, the streets; and the person must be a resident of, or have links to, Cambridge City. Grants of up to £250 are available for people in emergency or temporary accommodation, while grants of up to £750 can be requested for people who have an offer of stable accommodation. The fund is not for crisis support but aims to enable change which has a longer term impact on the beneficiary's life.
Arm Community Fund
The Arm Community Fund provides small grants of up to £3,000 for projects delivered by non-profit organisations in Cambridgeshire. The fund supports projects with one or more of the following priorities: community development and engagement, children, young people and families, and adults facing life crisis. The fund awards approximately £14,000 per round across four annual rounds. Priority is given to applicants who have not recently been awarded by the fund. Applications are processed through the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation's general application process, with quarterly deadlines throughout the year.
Microsoft Research Limited Fund
The Microsoft Research Limited Fund offers grants to voluntary and community organisations in Cambridgeshire that deliver support for people facing disadvantage. The fund distributes around £23,500 annually across two funding rounds, with an average grant size of £2,900 and typically between 6 and 9 grants awarded per year. The fund prioritizes projects that provide training, support and resources for local people in need, improve employability for those facing disadvantage, enrich lives through cultural and educational events, and improve local green spaces through small-scale environmental projects. Projects that are open to the public and make use of computing in their delivery are particularly favored. The fund typically awards grants valued between £2,000-£5,000, with a maximum grant amount of up to £5,000.
Thalia WB Community Fund
The Thalia WB (formerly Amey) Community Fund is part of the national Landfill Communities Fund scheme. The fund offers grants for capital projects to improve the local environment, including public buildings and amenities, habitats and architecture. The fund can award grants for the provision, maintenance or improvement of a public park or other general public amenity; the conservation of a specific species or a specific habitat where it naturally occurs, or the repair, maintenance or restoration of a place of worship or a place of architectural importance. The application process is very detailed with a 2-stage application process requiring committed attention. Grants are paid at the end of the project when evidence of expenditure has been provided, so applicants must consider their cash flow situation before applying. Applications are accepted quarterly with projects needing to start within 6 months of submission.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fund For Nature
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fund for Nature offers grants of up to £5,000 for community organisations to improve nature where they live. The fund has been established by a generous grant from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and is being managed by Natural Cambridgeshire, the local nature partnership for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, working in partnership with the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation. Grants are awarded for capital expenditure only, where this directly increases nature in local green spaces. The fund seeks to support community-led nature recovery projects that increase biodiversity and key wildlife habitats, increase community cohesion by helping local people understand and enjoy their natural spaces, promote public health and wellbeing, create resilient countryside and communities where nature is at the heart of addressing climate change, and champion examples of best practice for sustainable development and management of green open space. Eligible capital expenses include tools and materials to create and maintain habitats, seeds, plants, bulbs, shrubs, trees, and bird and butterfly houses or bug hotels. Projects must show how they will support nature recovery in the community, including how they will help towards the development of a Local Nature Recovery Plan for the village, town or ward. Note: This fund is currently not accepting applications, as indicated on the page.
October Fund
The October Fund offers grants from £1,000 up to £10,000 for projects delivering sporting, social, educational or other community activities in Waterbeach and Landbeach. Grants can be awarded towards running costs and small capital items. The fund is administered by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and supports non-profit organisations working in these specific Cambridgeshire communities. Last year this fund awarded £11,478 across 4 funding round deadlines. Examples of funded projects include community warden schemes for older people, youth outreach programs, bicycle parking infrastructure for churches, and local arts and cultural events. The fund operates on a quarterly basis with four annual deadlines throughout the year.
Outlook Fund
The Outlook Fund supports projects which help children and young people with experience of the care system, who face additional systemic barriers as a result of this background. The Fund may occasionally support projects aimed at preventing children and young people being taken into care, but the priority is to support those who already have experience of being looked after under the care system. The average grant size for a single year project is £4,000. Projects lasting up to a maximum of three years may apply for up to £12,000 in total, with the grant paid in annual instalments and subject to satisfactory progress reports. The Outlook Fund awards an average of £28,000 per year in total, split equally across two rounds. Priority is given to work with looked after children that achieves outcomes such as increased participation in activities, increased confidence and emotional well-being, new opportunities and experiences, new skills and qualifications, healthier lifestyles, more volunteering opportunities, and engagement in new hobbies and interests. The fund aims to award at least 50% of the funding directly to organisations supporting looked after children.
D&J Lloyd Community First Fund
The D&J Lloyd Community First Fund offers grants to support voluntary and community organisations working in Cambridgeshire. This fund provides grants averaging £2,500 to support four key areas: providing support and relief to those in need (particularly those suffering financial hardship, illness, social isolation, homelessness or negative effects of old age); promoting the arts, especially helping those at a disadvantage to participate in arts activities; protecting the environment and/or sites and buildings of historic or architectural importance; and promoting learning, skills development and education (excluding statutory areas) for those marginalized or excluded from society. The Fund awards an average of £8,760 per funding round, with two deadlines per year. Examples of funded projects include outdoor therapy for vulnerable young people, theatre projects for young women at risk of isolation, and job workshops for homeless individuals.
The Denbury Charitable Fund
The Denbury Charitable Fund offers grants of up to £2,000 for projects that address need in Cambridgeshire. Projects in East Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire, as well as countywide projects benefitting people from these areas, are of particular interest. The fund will accept applications for both core costs and project costs, with a particular, but not exclusive, interest in addressing homelessness, deprivation and supporting vulnerable people. The fund does not accept applications for building and maintenance costs. Please note that this fund is currently not accepting applications.
Diddington Community First Fund
The Diddington Community First Fund offers grants in the region of £10,000 to support projects benefitting the residents of Diddington. The fund is designed to support local community initiatives that enhance the quality of life for inhabitants of the Parish of Diddington. Projects should provide and maintain local facilities for use by the inhabitants of the Parish for meetings, lectures, classes, and other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, or otherwise benefit the inhabitants of the Parish of Diddington. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from non-profit organisations operating in the Diddington area.
Olive and Jesse Palmer Fund
The Olive and Jesse Palmer Fund offers grants up to £5,000 to support non-profit organisations in Peterborough which are working to help local young people with learning disabilities. The fund aims to enable young people with learning disabilities to access positive activities and opportunities to develop their full potential. The fund supports a range of projects including educational programs, community activities, sports groups, and therapy services for young people with special needs and disabilities. Applications are accepted three times per year with rolling deadlines in February, May, and August.
Cambridge In Need
The Cambridge In Need fund offers grants to non-profit organisations working in the City of Cambridge to reduce financial need, hardship or distress of people in need. The fund provides between £5,000 and £20,000 in a single year, or up to £30,000 over 3 years. Projects are prioritised if they demonstrate a sustainable approach to poverty reduction, which means building long-term capacity and resilience whilst also relieving short-term need. The fund particularly seeks to support parents and children in need, including early years education, as well as particularly disadvantaged and under-served groups. Applications are prioritised that demonstrate tangible outcomes that would not be possible without this funding, such as the delivery of a one-off project which would otherwise not be affordable. Priority is given to organisations based in Cambridgeshire working within 5km of Cambridge City. Capital costs will be considered. The fund is significantly oversubscribed and successful applications typically meet most, if not all, of the priority criteria.
SWEF Fund
The SWEF Fund offers Start-up Grants of up to £500 and Business Grants of up to £2,000 for young people between the age of 18-30 who are working on their own business initiative in Cambridgeshire. The fund supports young people who need help with business costs that they would otherwise not be able to afford, particularly those who are not in education, employment or training. This is not a loan scheme and recipients do not need to pay the grant back. The Start-Up Grant is suitable for businesses who have only been trading for a short time and whose income is less than £500 per month, or businesses that haven't started trading yet but are very close to. The Business Grant is more suitable for businesses who have been trading for 6 months or more with an income of £500 a month or more. Applications must demonstrate that the applicant has taken steps to get their business off the ground by putting time, energy and thought into it.
Co-op Community Cares Fund
The Co-op Community Cares Fund offers grants of up to £5,000 for projects supporting people to play an active part in our communities, reducing barriers and improving social contact. Applications must address how the project is supporting community cohesion and integration, supporting people to play an active part in communities to reduce barriers and inequalities, as well as improving social contact and experiences. Projects must be within a reasonable distance from one or more of East of England Co-op's stores or branches in Cambridgeshire, and the East of England Co-op must be funding 30% or more of costs. Awards may be given either for existing services or facilities, or new initiatives and projects. The fund aims to achieve outcomes including improved access to social activities for all, reduction in feelings of isolation and improved wellbeing, supporting people into education or employment, providing information, advice or guidance to maximise income, and evidence of working in partnership or alliance formation.
Dementia Carers Fund
The Dementia Carers Fund offers grants of up to £3,000 to support charitable projects across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that provide relief, respite and support to full-time unpaid carers who are caring for a loved one with dementia. The fund aims to give caring support to unpaid carers who need to attend appointments of their own, encourage unpaid carers to recharge and stay healthy themselves by supporting them to take self-care breaks, and support volunteer befriender initiatives. Last year this fund awarded £16,540 across 4 funding round deadlines.
Warwick and Dominey Fund – General
The Warwick and Dominey Fund – General provides grants averaging £4,000 for projects working in one or more key areas including the advancement of education and tackling systemic social barriers, particularly for young people. This strand of the Fund awards an average of £26,000 per funding round deadline, with two deadlines per year. The fund is open to non-profit organisations working within Cambridgeshire. There is no maximum grant value, though the average grant size is £4,000. Previous funded projects have included inter-generational programs, youth support services, mental health support for families, and cultural activities for disadvantaged young people.
Warwick and Dominey Fund – Decarbonisation
The Warwick and Dominey Fund – Decarbonisation provides grants for projects working on decarbonisation and tackling climate change in Cambridgeshire. The donors are particularly keen to support practical initiatives such as the installation of solar panels and heat pumps. For these applications, the donor is interested in supporting match-funded options where the group has already secured or is in the process of seeking other funds for the work. This strand of the Fund makes £50,000 available to award each year. The fund is open on a rolling basis throughout the year and will remain open until the pot is depleted. Non-profit organisations based in Cambridgeshire can apply for grants of up to £15,000. Recent funded projects include solar panel installations at community buildings, farms, and arts spaces across the county.
Lovewell Blake Fund
The Lovewell Blake Fund supports community and voluntary activity in parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Applications for projects in Ely and the surrounding area are invited through Cambridgeshire Community Foundation. Grants of up to £2,000 are available for charitable, voluntary and community organisations that are addressing social need. The fund aims to benefit smaller, often lesser-known, community-based organisations where small grants can make a real difference to a particular project – making something possible that would otherwise not happen. This fund supports small local groups with an annual income of less than £50,000, activities with a high level of volunteer involvement, small capital items such as sports equipment, and larger capital items when the organisation has the majority of funding in place at the point of application.
Stay Well
The Stay Well fund provides grants of up to £400 for individuals and families living in Cambridgeshire (currently not including Peterborough) facing fuel poverty. Grants are specifically for future heating costs within the home. For those who are homeless, home items that assist with keeping warm (such as sleeping bags or blankets) will be considered, but clothing applications are not accepted. Grant applicants must be referred by an organisation, either in the voluntary sector or a local authority, that has assessed the circumstances and can verify that the individual or family are in extreme crisis and in need of immediate assistance. All payments of awards are made directly to the referring organisation and not to the energy company or fuel supplier. This grant is intended to help those in extreme and urgent crisis. Repeated or multiple requests for one family or individual are not anticipated. Recipients may only ever receive a maximum total of £1200 from the Stay Well fund (either 3 grants of £400 or more than 3 grants of smaller amounts), with only one grant allowed per 6 month period. The fund may be closed at short notice when funds are exhausted.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 46
- Active Now
- 30
- Source Domain
- cambscf.org.uk
Catalog Data
This funder profile was automatically extracted from grant listings. Information may be incomplete.
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