Discover Funding Opportunities

Coastal Capacity Building Fund

The Coastal Capacity Building Fund enables communities to take action in Welsh coastal areas to support nature recovery and sustainability. The fund aims to build capacity for community partners, helping them to deliver sustainable action that supports growth and recovery in local marine and coastal areas. It encourages collaboration between stakeholders, such as communities, businesses, local authorities and other public bodies, and builds networks that foster nature recovery and rejuvenation in coastal areas. All projects must meet at least one of the fisheries objectives of the Fisheries Act 2020. Funding is distributed via the Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) and projects are run in partnership with the local LNP Co-ordinator. The scheme is funded by Welsh Government for 2025-27, building on its investment in local nature recovery through the Local Nature Partnerships.

Step Change Fund

The Step Change Fund focuses on capacity building and strengthening of Oxfordshire's charitable sector. This fund is for charities with visionary leadership that realise they need to transform the way they are organised in order to create a more solid basis for delivering their core work. The Step Change Fund enables the local charitable sector to be stronger and more sustainable, and therefore better equipped to deal with the hard-hitting social problems faced by Oxfordshire communities. Step Change offers a unique proposition to grant applicants, with the support of a volunteer project manager included with every grant. The project manager, usually someone experienced in business strategy or management, will help you to develop a clear and fully costed plan to realise the step change that you desire. They will work alongside you through the duration of your project to support you in hitting targets and milestones. This fund does not offer core funding simply for the continuance of existing services; grants will be given for projects that can demonstrate realistic plans for increasing reach and impact and for building longer-term resilience for the future. The fund is particularly interested in projects that enable a 'step change' in impact or financial terms, and only funds projects that can demonstrate they bring substantial benefit to the lives of people in Oxfordshire who are facing disadvantage. The Step Change Fund has a three-stage application process, starting with an Eligibility Questionnaire, followed by an Expression of Interest Form, and finally a Detailed Bid Form before any grant is awarded.

Major Grants

The Forte Charitable Foundation's Major Grants programme provides funding to voluntary sector organisations working in family support in areas of urban and rural deprivation. The programme offers single year grants between £10,000 and £50,000 for core costs, salaries, running and project costs, or multi-year grants for a maximum of 3 years not exceeding £100,000 in total. Organisations must focus on family support, which may include early intervention, families coping with addiction, and prisoners' families. The foundation's preference is for front line organisations working directly with families in need, and they are unlikely to support campaigning, fundraising, organisational development or capacity building. Eligible organisations must have a turnover up to £500,000 and their postcode or project area must be ranked within the most deprived 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation for urban areas or within the most deprived 50% for rural areas. The programme uses a two-stage application process and organisations cannot reapply for two years after completion of a grant.

Small Grants

The Forte Charitable Foundation offers Small Grants to support community-focused organizations working in deprived areas of the UK. These single-year grants range from £2,000 to £10,000 and can be used for core costs, salaries, running costs, and project costs. The program specifically targets organizations located in areas identified by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation - either in the bottom 15% most deprived urban areas or bottom 50% most deprived rural areas. The foundation's preference is for front-line organizations working directly with people in need, providing essential community support services. Applicants must have an annual income not exceeding £250,000 and be able to secure 50% of the total project costs from other sources. The grant will cover a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the project, salary, or core running costs. Successful applicants can re-apply for funding for up to two additional years, allowing for a maximum of three years of support. Organizations must be embedded in their local community and able to start spending the grant within 1-2 months of receipt. Capital projects are not funded under this program. The foundation does not support campaigning, organizational development, capacity building, or work that represents a significant shift away from an organization's existing core aims and experience. However, they will consider new work if it is a logical extension of existing activities.