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.

Rural England Prosperity Fund

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a capital-only fund offering support to small businesses and community infrastructure projects in rural England. The fund aims to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities. It provides grants of up to £10,000 per application for businesses and organizations within Babergh and Mid Suffolk districts, with exceptional grants of up to £15,000 for projects strongly supporting Net Zero Infrastructure or Farm Diversification priorities. The fund is a top-up to and complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. The fund operates at a 50% intervention rate, meaning projects must be match-funded at 50% of total project costs. All payments are made as reimbursements at the end of the process, so projects must be fully funded upfront. Priority areas include investment in net zero infrastructure, SME investments and diversification, farm diversification outside of agriculture, and visitor economy business expansion. For 2025/26, Babergh received £186,377 and Mid Suffolk received £246,455 in REPF allocations. All projects must be completed and grants claimed by 1 March 2026. Available funds are now extremely limited and close to fully committed. Potential applicants must first contact the Economic Development team on an invitation-only basis if their project meets the mandatory grant criteria, though funding availability cannot be guaranteed.

Travel Award for Bands

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has designed this rolling programme to provide support to enable established Bands based in Northern Ireland to travel outside of Northern Ireland. The programme aims to develop bands' performance skills, networks and audiences via opportunities to showcase outside of Northern Ireland, and to contribute to the growth of equality of access to and opportunities in the arts for groups within the bands sector in Northern Ireland. Particular priority will be given to applications which can demonstrate high quality musicianship, a commitment to training and musical education (particularly of young people), and a commitment to repertoire and technique development in relation to the band's existing repertoire and technical standards. Eligible bands include Accordion Orchestra/Band, Brass Band, Concert Band, Flute Band, Pipe Band, and Wind Band. Applicants must provide evidence that they have been invited to showcase or perform by a relevant organisation, event, festival, promoter, or tour operator in the location to which they intend to travel. The scheme covers travel costs including flight, boat, train, and bus tickets, vehicle hire, and fuel costs.

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.

The Rob George Foundation Grant

The Rob George Foundation provides support to young people in two distinct areas. First, it offers practical and/or financial support to young people with life threatening or terminal illnesses who find themselves struggling to access financial assistance during their treatment. The Foundation was established in memory of Rob George, who died aged 21 following a battle with leukaemia and experienced frustration with the process of seeking financial support during his illness. Second, the Foundation provides financial support to young people who demonstrate exceptional commitment and/or ability in the worlds of sport or the performing arts but may be held back by their financial situation from pursuing their goals. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. The Foundation operates in partnership with Essex Community Foundation and accepts applications from young people within specific geographical areas in the UK: Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, and any London Borough. The Foundation aims to make a difference one individual at a time by removing financial barriers that prevent young people from pursuing their goals or accessing support during serious illness.

Dudley Stamp Memorial Award

The Dudley Stamp Memorial Award offers grants of £500 for PhD students or postdoctoral researchers to support geographical research. Preference is given to research that leads to the advancement of geography and to international co-operation in the study of the subject. Applications are particularly welcome for projects which will strengthen links between geographers in the United Kingdom and those overseas. The award was established in 1967 to enable geographers in the early stages of their careers to travel in support of their research. It honors Lawrence Dudley Stamp (1898-1966), an internationally renowned British geographer who served as President of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Institute of British Geographers. His Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain in the 1930s and 1940s sought to classify land use in Britain with the help of teachers and school children. Dudley Stamp worked to popularise geography and played a key role in promoting the teaching of the subject in schools. He travelled widely, assisting in the setting up of numerous land use surveys, while his reputation drew postgraduates from around the world to work on his projects. In 2016 the Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund became a linked charity of the RGS-IBG. The award is administered through the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Research Awards scheme.

Andrew Croft Memorial Fund Grants

The Andrew Croft Memorial Fund was established in 1998 to preserve and promote the life, spirit and hopes of Colonel Andrew Croft DSO OBE, Arctic explorer and wartime commando. The Fund provides grants annually for expeditions and research in the Arctic regions, as well as supporting other initiatives within its charitable objectives. The Fund advances education of young people below the age of thirty in subjects which can be advanced by research and field work particularly in the Arctic, by providing grants to enable participation in scientific expeditions. The Fund also supports charitable purposes for the benefit of Arctic communities and assists members of Her Majesty's Constabulary with the cost of further education and training to enhance their effectiveness within the community. Grants are approved annually in March/April each year. The Fund operates as a registered charity (number 1078106) and evaluates applications at the discretion of its Trustees, supporting expeditions and initiatives that align with Colonel Croft's legacy of developing talent, leadership, and Arctic exploration. Applications are welcomed from young people seeking to participate in Arctic research and field work, as well as from police officers pursuing further education and training opportunities.

Community Buildings Grant Programme

The Biffa Award Community Buildings theme provides grants to improve buildings at the heart of their communities, such as village halls, community centres and church halls. The programme funds renovations of community rooms, refurbishments of toilet facilities and kitchens, replacement doors and windows, extensions to create additional space, replacement of damaged floors and roofs, and new central heating systems. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate wider community benefit and need, with buildings used by many groups regularly each week, benefiting people of different ages and demographics. The project must be located within five miles of a significant Biffa Operation or within 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill Site, and also within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site. Applicant organisations must be fully constituted, charitable or not-for-profit with no share capital.

The Yapp Charitable Trust Grant Programme

The Yapp Charitable Trust provides grants exclusively to small registered charities with total annual expenditure of less than £50,000. The Trust funds ongoing core costs associated with regular activities or services that have been operating for at least a year. Priority is given to charities working with elderly people, children and young people, people with physical impairments, learning difficulties or mental health challenges, people overcoming life-limiting social problems such as addiction or abuse, and education and learning particularly for the educationally disadvantaged. The Trust prioritises charities delivering services in areas of high deprivation, work that is unattractive to the general public or unpopular with other funders, services helping marginalised, disadvantaged or isolated people, and applicants demonstrating effective use of volunteers and elements of self-sustainability through user fees or subscriptions.

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.

The Thomas Farr Charity Grant

The Thomas Farr Charity is a grant-making trust established in 1989 following the sale of the Home Brewery. The charity supports charitable projects and activities in Nottinghamshire, focusing on areas where the Home Brewery had a historical presence. The main areas of giving include education, youth, health, and the elderly. The charity operates as a general charitable trust, allowing the Trustees to apply income for charitable purposes at their absolute discretion. Trustees meet three times each year in March, July, and November to review applications. Grant amounts distributed annually depend on the income generated from the charity's investments. Applications are welcomed from organizations working in community healthcare, health education, lifelong learning projects, community development, personal social services addressing social deprivation, crime prevention schemes, and community social activities promoting engagement for vulnerable people. The charity does not support individuals, large national charities based outside Nottinghamshire, loans or business finance, campaigning or political work, activities that have already taken place, or general mail shot appeals.