Discover Funding Opportunities

UK Small Grants

The UK Small Grants programme is designed to support excellent local organisations and projects that work with disabled children and young people, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families. It provides grants of up to £10,000, although many grants are smaller than this. The programme is open to applications at any time and aims to respond with a final decision within twelve weeks. The programme supports projects including activities for disabled children and their families, activities which support siblings, bereavement support for children and families, family support and parent-led peer support, and respite which supports the whole family. It also funds equipment and materials such as renovation and upgrading of hydrotherapy pools and multi-sensory rooms, minibuses, and specialised play equipment. The Trust funds UK registered charitable organisations and CICs with annual income less than £350,000 that deliver projects in the UK. The organisation is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and is particularly keen to receive applications from organisations operating in areas of high deprivation. Recipients must adhere to the Trust's safeguarding policy and provide a report within 12 months of payment. Organisations are unlikely to be funded in consecutive years.

Learning Disability Assessment Bursary

This bursary program helps part-time or full-time students with the up-front costs of learning disabilities assessments. Up to $3,500 is available to eligible students who need a recent learning disability assessment to determine eligibility for services and/or equipment. The program is administered through StudentAid BC and requires students to be enrolled at designated public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. To be eligible, students must qualify for student funding through StudentAid BC, be enrolled in full-time or part-time post-secondary level courses at a designated public post-secondary institution in B.C., and have been recommended to have a learning disability assessment by the accessibility services office at their school.

Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities

This program helps full-time or part-time students with a permanent disability, or a persistent or prolonged disability pay for exceptional education related costs for services and equipment. The grant covers services and equipment such as notetakers, tutors, interpreters, and technical aids that support students with disabilities in their post-secondary studies. To be eligible, students must qualify for a federal student loan, be enrolled in full-time or part-time studies at a designated post-secondary institution, have a permanent disability or persistent/prolonged disability as defined by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, and have exceptional education related costs for services or equipment due to their disability. Students apply by contacting the accessibility services office at their school, who will help determine which services and/or equipment will assist in their post-secondary studies. If the disability has not yet been verified by StudentAid BC, students must complete the Appendix 8 – Disability Programs Application form.

B.C. Assistance Program for Students with Disabilities

This program helps students with disabilities pay for exceptional education-related services and adaptive equipment. Grants of up to $10,000 (or $12,000 if an attendant is required at school) are available to students attending public and private post-secondary schools in British Columbia. This grant is designed to cover costs that exceed what is provided through federal disability assistance programs, specifically requiring students to have first exhausted funding from the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities (CSG-DSE). The program supports students with permanent disabilities or persistent/prolonged disabilities who are enrolled at designated institutions in B.C.

BHF Free Community Defibrillator Programme

The British Heart Foundation offers free defibrillators to eligible non-profit community-focused groups across the UK. The programme aims to increase public access to defibrillators in areas with fewer registered devices and higher risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Each award package includes a defibrillator with pads and accessories, a non-lockable cabinet for 24/7 public access, replacement pads and batteries, and resources for RevivR online CPR training. Applications are reviewed monthly against criteria prioritizing communities that need them most. Recipients must install the defibrillator within 4 weeks, register it on The Circuit national defibrillator network, and commit to learning and teaching CPR in their community. The defibrillator must be accessible 24/7 in a non-lockable cabinet on an external wall with constant electricity supply, located at least 200 metres from the nearest public access defibrillator. This initiative is made possible through partnerships with Royal Mail, AJ Bell Futures Foundation, and Sky Bet.

Help the Homeless Small Grants Programme

Help the Homeless is a small trust that provides capital grants to small homeless charities throughout the UK. The grant programme supports registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £500,000 that work wholly or mostly with homeless people. Funding is restricted to capital projects only and cannot be used for running costs, salaries, or IT equipment. The trust offers quarterly application deadlines throughout the year and aims to inform applicants of decisions within eight weeks. With limited funds available, the trust carefully evaluates each application against strict eligibility criteria to ensure support reaches organizations directly focused on addressing homelessness through capital improvements.

Journey in Audio

Journey in Audio offers professional training and access to high-quality equipment to document travel, fieldwork or a research expedition through audio recorded in the field. This unique opportunity provides participants with a one-day, in-person workshop led by a professional audio producer at the Royal Geographical Society in London, scheduled for spring 2026. The workshop provides an introduction to soundscapes, how sound is used in storytelling, and how to build a narrative, along with practical training on using audio recording equipment and capturing sounds in the field. Participants receive the loan of professional-standard handheld audio recording equipment for use in the field, a non-commercial license for REAPER digital audio production software, and a financial contribution for travel and accommodation to attend the workshop. After returning from the field, participants will receive group and one-to-one feedback sessions online on the first cut of their audio work. The workshop is open to geographical journeys, fieldwork, or research expeditions being undertaken by individuals or small teams between mid-April and the end of October 2026. Applicants are expected to have a clear plan for their travel, fieldwork, or research expedition and the financial and practical means to undertake it. Eligible projects may focus on any geography-related topic, and applicants with all levels of experience can apply. The opportunity to share audio work through the Society's channels is available, subject to review for quality and content.

The Next Challenge Expedition Grant

The Next Challenge Grant is an annual bursary for adventures that was started in 2015 and has funded over 70 different adventures. The money comes from Tim Moss (founder), small crowdfunded donations, and contributions from other adventurers. The grant was created to give back to the adventure community, as the founder received many expedition grants when younger that helped him undertake fantastic adventures. In 2015, the website earned £200 in advertising revenue which was offered as a grant, and when announced, many other adventurers and 100 members of the public matched the pledge, raising £1,600. This process now happens every year, typically raising around £2,000. The money is distributed between winning applicants, each receiving between £100 and £800 plus equipment. The grant is primarily aimed at beginners and those who have not done lots of expeditions before. Winners also receive equipment available to borrow and email support from Tim Moss. The grant is open to all people, of all ages, and of any nationality.

McNeill-Nott Award

The McNeill-Nott Award was established by the American Alpine Club in partnership with Mountain Hardwear in memory of Sue Nott and Karen McNeill, who died on Mt. Foraker in 2006. This award preserves the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by providing grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams. The award focuses on projects with strong exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objectives, with these elements being more important than the technical rating of the climbing objective. Two or three grants between $700 and $4,000 are awarded annually to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory objective. The program is only open to female-led teams, with preference given to teams composed entirely of female or female-identifying members. Teams must climb with the highest ethical standards using a minimum of fixed ropes, camps, personnel, and equipment. Commercial, professional, and principally cause-related expeditions are ineligible.

Science Grant Scheme

The Edina Trust offers grants to support science education in primary schools and nurseries across specific local authority areas in the United Kingdom. Primary schools and special schools receive £800 per year until the end of the scheme, while infant and junior schools receive £400 each year. Local authority maintained nurseries are eligible for a one-off £550 grant. The grants are non-competitive, meaning they are guaranteed for schools located within eligible local authority areas. Schools can use their grants for science resources, gardening equipment, science weeks, science subscriptions, science visits (into or out of school), and improving school grounds for science. The application process is straightforward and involves downloading a grant form, filling it out, and submitting it by email. The Edina Trust provides pre-populated forms with themed equipment lists or schools can create their own equipment list. Schools are responsible for purchasing items or booking visits with the grant funds.

Capital Projects Grant

The Garfield Weston Foundation provides capital grants for building works, repairs, or equipment necessary to an organization's work. Capital grants are normally no more than 10% of a total project cost. For local community projects such as village halls, community centres, and places of worship, grants are unlikely to exceed £30,000 regardless of project size. Organizations applying for £100,000 or more must have annual income or project value over £1 million. The Foundation expects applicants to have around half of the total project costs raised before applying and to demonstrate local fundraising activity showing community support.

Organisation Grants

Variety's Organisation Grants provide equipment funding to youth clubs and other organizations supporting disadvantaged young people through informal education, positive activity, and skills development. The program supports youth clubs affiliated with national youth organizations to acquire essential equipment that enables young people to play, learn, have fun, develop a sense of community and participation, foster peer relationships and understand the world around them. Equipment grants cover items costing more than £1,000 including sports and gym equipment, computers and IT equipment, photography and film equipment, consoles and games, arts and crafts materials, and musical instruments and recording equipment. Note: The program is currently not accepting new applications due to increasing demand for individual grants for wheelchairs and special equipment for children.

Small Grants for CTN Resilience & Biosecurity

As part of the Growing Together programme, The Tree Council, together with partners M&G and Defra, is piloting this small grants fund to support existing community tree nurseries (CTNs). These grants are intended to support the purchase of capital items that help enhance and improve infrastructure and resilience, strengthen biosecurity, and boost tree growing capacity. The programme aims to transform communities and nature through locally grown trees. In addition to financial grants, a CTN biosecurity starter kit is available to applicants for free. This funding opportunity is specifically designed for existing community tree nurseries across the United Kingdom to strengthen their operations and capacity.

Tesco Bags of Help Community Grant

Bags of Help is Tesco's local community grant scheme, which funds thousands of community projects every year. The scheme is always open for applications from charities and community organisations. Three community projects in each local area are voted on by customers in Tesco stores throughout the UK, with projects changing every three months. The project that receives the most votes in its area will receive a grant of up to £1,000. The scheme is administered by Groundwork, working with greenspace scotland to support successful projects in Scotland. Projects must bring benefits to the community and can cover a wide range of local causes including equipment for schools and youth groups, environmental improvements, play areas, counselling services, mental health activities, equipment to reduce social isolation, sports equipment, support for health issues, and equipment for community halls. Bags of Help can fund 100% of project costs, and projects must be completed within twelve months of receiving the grant.