Funding Opportunities & Resources
Top Tips - Keep it simple!
Make your application as easy to read as possible - the people who are assessing your application may not have a lot of time or much knowledge of the work you do so being clear is key.
Avoid complicated wording or acronyms if funders understand what you are asking for and how you meet their criteria, they are much more likely to say yes to funding your activity.
Don't Forget
Don’t forget if you are just starting out our get started guides have a range of information including setting up a group writing a constitution and finding and applying for funding
More information about the team and what we can offer can be found on our web pages.
Got an idea for the newsletter – we would love to hear from you!
Macmillan Care Grants
Background
The Macmillan CARE (Culture • Agency • Respect • Equity) Grants Programme is a pilot programme provided and administered by Macmillan Cancer Support as part of its work to make cancer care better for everyone, no matter who they are or where they live in the UK.
The programme is designed to test how community-led approaches can tackle deep-rooted unfairness in cancer care. Macmillan believe community organisations understand their communities best and are best placed to drive change. This programme is a first step in the journey to re-imagine how Macmillan funds community-led work. It's a learning opportunity for everyone involved, designed to help Macmillan test new approaches without the pressure of strict targets. Future programmes will build on this learning to support the introduction of larger, longer term funding opportunities.
Objectives of Fund
The funding is for community-led projects that challenge the current system and create lasting change for people facing the greatest barriers to care.
Projects should offer new insights and impact and focus on one of the following three themes:
- Cultural Responsiveness in Cancer Care - projects that help healthcare services better understand and meet the cultural needs of different communities and remove barriers to person-centred care.
- Shared Decision-Making - projects that make it easier for people to understand their treatment options, take part in decisions about their cancer care, and reduce unfair differences in how this happens.
- Dementia-Friendly Cancer Care - projects that support people living with both cancer and dementia, improve their care experience, and help them and their carers take part in treatment decisions.
Value Notes
Up to £1.5 million is available for this first round, with grants ranging from £50,000 to £150,000. Grants are for either one or two years.
Who Can Apply
Application will be considered from voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations based in the UK, including:
- Registered charities
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Faith-based organisations
- Residents/tenants association and community groups
- Local sports clubs and Recreational/Social clubs
- Community benefit societies
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be UK based (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
- Have governance appropriate to their size and the grant they are applying for (minimum three unrelated trustees/directors and two unrelated bank signatories)
- Show experience addressing health inequities or working as a trusted partner with communities facing barriers to cancer care
- Be able to deliver the project within the grant timeframe (grants are for either one year or two years)
- Demonstrate community-led, co-designed approaches
- Show how their project will make a difference for people living with cancer.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Informal support groups without a legal structure (unincorporated groups)
- Unregistered charities
- CICs that distribute dividends to private shareholders
- Individual healthcare professionals
- NHS trusts or hospitals
- Local authorities or government bodies
- Commercial businesses and sole traders
- Political lobbying
- Costs that should be covered by statutory funding
- Retrospective activities
- Core costs beyond 15% of the project budget
- Pre-diagnosis cancer care activities
A full list of restrictions can be found in the information pack.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is for community-led and co-designed projects that meet at least one of the three key themes and:
- Are designed by and with the people most affected.
- Have clear leadership and understand what partnerships are needed for success.
- Have the capacity to create change with clear goals, good plans and an understanding of the wider context they are operating in.
Grants will support:
- Staff and People costs:
- Salaries for project staff (including recruitment costs)
- Freelance trainers, facilitators and consultant
- Fees for experts by experience and community facilitators
- Training and supervision for project staff
- Project delivery costs(examples of possible activities):
- Training design and delivery
- Reverse mentoring programmes
- Action research and testing new approaches
- Awareness-raising or promotional activities that aim to influence change
- Partnership development with NHS, social care or other organisations
- Co-design workshops with communities
- Resource development (materials, tools, accessible formats)
- Venue hire, equipment hire, refreshments
- Project overheads (e.g. public liability insurance)
- Accessibility accommodations (BSL interpreters, transport, etc.)
- Evaluation and learning costs:
- Impact assessment tools and data collection
- Evaluation support (internal or external)
- Report writing and documentation
- Peer learning events and networking
- Conference attendance
Full details are in the application information pack.
Location
UK
How To Apply
The deadline for applications is 23 January 2026 (17:00). Decisions are expected in early to mid March 2026.
All relevant documents and the online eligibility quiz can be found on the Macmillan Cancer Support website.
Macmillan is providing three information webinars that will cover not only the Macmillan CARE Grant but also other Macmillan grants currently available for community applicants:
- 2 December 2025 (11:00am – 12:00pm). Registration is required.
- 11 December 2025 (18:00 - 19:00) Registration is required
- 8 January 2026 (15:30 - 16:30) Registration is required.
Pre-application support calls are also available.
Contact Macmillan Cancer Support for further information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Macmillan CARE Grants Programme team
Macmillan Cancer Support
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7UQ
Tel: 020 7840 7840
Email: CommunityGrants@macmillan.org.uk
Barclays Community Sport Fund - Female Coaches for Girls Fund
Background
The Barclays Community Sport Fund, delivered in partnership with Sported, aims to reduce inequalities in sport – with a focus on football, tennis, and cricket.
The three year funding programme, running from April 2025 to December 2027, will provide £1.4 million each year.
Objectives of Fund
The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
Currently only the Female Coaches for Girls Fund is open for applications with a deadline of 31 December 2025.
Value Notes
The programme offers:
- Female Coaches for Girls Grants to support football, tennis, and cricket coaching courses to help increase the number of female coaches delivering sport to girls. Two coaching grants per club to cover the cost of, or a contribution towards, a Level 1 or equivalent introductory qualification and any additional safeguarding and first aid requirements for the chosen sport. This is to upskill up to two female coaches at the club or group.
- Level 1 coaching grants: Football - £160 grant; Tennis - £200 grant; Cricket - £200 grant.
The Fund also offers:
- Exclusive match tickets, mascot places, and promotional opportunities.
- Access to advice and support and signposting to training and resource.
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Deliver football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls – or are applying for funding to start.
- Operate in an area of high deprivation. The Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are used to establish eligibility and only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.
Disability applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3 will be considered as long as they groups offer activities for women and girls.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Trips abroad.
- Costs associated with elite football or talent development.
- Talent development.
- Schools and other educational institutions. (Charities that support schools may be considered if they are inclusive of young people from the wider community and not just pupils from that school.)
- School curriculum-based activities.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is unrestricted and can be used for anything that will support delivery of football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls.
Typical examples of costs might include a contribution towards:
- Venue hire including floodlights and heating.
- Coaching costs
- Volunteer expenses
- Equipment
- Kit
- Marketing and communications
- Training and qualifications
- Insurances and affiliation.
Ideally the funding should be spent within a six month period.
Location
UK
How To Apply
The female coaches for girls fund remains open until 31 December 2025.
The FAQs, application guidance, and online application form can be found on the Sported website.
Groups who are not a Sported member or existing grantee will need to create an account to start their application.
Please note it is anticipated that the fund will be 'extremely popular' and thus applications may close earlier than the deadline. Groups should apply early to avoid disappointment.
Contact Sported for further information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Sported Team
Sported Foundation
House of Sport (4th Floor)
190 Great Dover Street
London
SE1 4YB
Tel: 0203 848 4670
Email: barclays@sported.org.uk
Background
Established in 1960, the Bernard Sunley Foundation is an independent grant-making charity that offers financial assistance to registered charities for a wide range of purposes.
Objectives of Fund
The aim of the foundation is to help raise the quality of life in England and Wales, particularly for the young, disadvantaged and older people.
Value Notes
The Foundation offers three levels of grants:
- Large grants of £25,000 and above.
- Medium grants up to £20,000.
- Small grants of £5,000 and under.
Grants are for capital projects of between £10,000 and £5 million.
Match Funding Restrictions
The foundation does not offer match funding. Grants are rarely more than 20% of the total budget. The foundation will very rarely fund the full costs (or even 50%) of a project or shortfall as it expects to be one of many contributors to a project.
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from the following types of organisations with an annual income of less than £10 million:
- Charities registered in England and Wales
- Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) working in England and Wales
- Specialist schools
- Scout and guide groups
- Housing associations.
- Cooperatives and community benefit societies registered with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).
Applications are considered from all areas of England and Wales, particularly from rural and isolated communities.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Charities registered outside England or Wales.
- Community amateur sports clubs (CASCs).
- Community interest companies (CICs).
- Unregistered community groups/clubs.
- Town and parish councils.
- Churches or other religious bodies with no or limited secular activity.
- NHS hospitals or charities fundraising on their behalf.
- Mainstream schools, colleges or universities, or charities fundraising on their behalf.
- Charities with an annual income of £10 million and over.
- Charities with an annual income of £1 million and over applying for a project costing less than £100,000. Special Educational Needs schools are excepted.
- Newly established charities with no previous annual accounts.
- Charities that have applied to us unsuccessfully within the previous 12 months.
- Charities applying for a new grant before an existing pledged grant has been paid.
- Individuals
- Project costs of over £5 million.
- Project costs of less than £10,000.
- Equipment such as IT infrastructure and AV systems, work tools, sports gear, musical instruments etc.
- Fittings such as electrical appliances and furniture.
- Church towers, bells or organs.
- Second hand vehicles.
- Capital fees – building surveys, planning applications or feasibility studies.
- Core costs – salaries, running and repair costs, websites and other IT, programmes, rent, utility bills.
- Heritage or conservation projects with no or limited community benefit.
- Medical or research medical equipment.
- Solar panels and/or battery storage (unless it is part of a wider project).
Following an application, organisations should not reapply for at least 12 months (from the date of the original application).
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is for one-off capital projects (not running costs) that fit into one of the following themes:
Community - projects should make a positive contribution to their neighbourhood and create a sense of belonging. These projects provide greater opportunities for families, the elderly, young people and children to get involved in sport and social activities. Churches are considered if their improvements benefit the wider community.
Community funding areas
- Churches
- Community Centres
- Rescue Services
- Sport
- Uniformed Groups
- Village Halls
- Youth Clubs
Health - projects need to provide an excellent standard of care and support in their communities. These include the creation of modern facilities for those suffering from a range of illnesses such as cancer, mental health or neurological conditions. They also include developing amenities such as gardens and outdoor spaces that provide relief and sanctuary for patients, their families and carers.
Health funding areas
- Animal Assisted Therapy
- Cancer
- Day Services for Disabled
- Hospices
- Medical Aid Overseas
- Mental Health
- Neurological
- Residential for Disabled
- Sight/Hearing Loss
Social Welfare - funding to assist the most vulnerable in society such as those seeking help with addiction, homelessness, ex-offenders and victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
Social welfare funding areas
- Animal Welfare
- Addiction and Rehabilitation
- Almshouses
- Armed Forces and Veterans
- Domestic and Sexual Abuse
- Elderly
- Ex-Offenders
- Homeless
- Poverty Relief Overseas
- Social Enterprises
Education - funding supports learning experiences and life skills for children and young people, particularly for the disadvantaged, those with disabilities or special needs. There is particular interest in projects that encourage young people to experience the outdoors and to try new pursuits.
Education funding areas
- Arts
- Countryside
- Literacy
- Music
- Outdoor Learning
- Special Needs Schools/Colleges
Location
England and Wales
How To Apply
The first step in the application process is to complete the online eligibility check. Those who are successful will be able to access the online application form.
Large and medium grant applications are considered at the Trustees’ meetings held in March, July and November.
Small grants are decided by Trustees on a monthly basis.
Contact the Bernard Sunley Foundation for further information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Enquiries
Bernard Sunley Foundation
Green Park House
15 Stratton Street
London
W1J 8LQ
Tel: 020 3036 0090
Email: office@bernardsunley.org
Previous News
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April Funding News
Lloyds Racial Equity Grants
£75,000 over three years (£25,000 per year)
Deadline: 31 May 2023 (5pm).
The funding is for organisations who are led by the communities they serve and alongside providing immediate crisis support and working with people over the longer term to help them break free from poverty and achieve their potential. They are particularly looking to fund:
In-depth services – delivering a range of services supporting individuals through a structured pathway over a prolonged period. This could include services to overcome immediate needs but will also lead to longer-term support.
Personal plans – working together with... Continue reading
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March Funding News
Magic Little Grants Fund
£5000
One-off grants of up to £500 are available in 2023.
The application is a simple 20-minute process for a £500 grant and an outcome within six weeks. The following criteria apply:
Organisations must either be in their first year of operation or have an annual income under £250,000.
Funding can be used to launch new projects, support existing ones, or cover core costs associated with ongoing work.
Organisations and the projects for which they apply must be located within England, Scotland, or Wales,
Start your application or find the answers to any questions!
Community... Continue reading
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February Funding News
Benefact Trust – Community Impact Grants
Benefact Trust’s Community Impact Grants Programme supports projects that will make a positive and transformative impact on lives and communities.
The programme supports direct capital and/or revenue costs, and funding is available under the following programme areas:
Growing congregations and Christian communities.
Addressing social challenges facing communities.
Enabling wider community use of church buildings.
Empowering Christian education.
To apply to the Community Impact Grants programme, you will need to complete this online application form. You will also need to complete a Community Impact Grant Project Budget template and submit this with your application... Continue reading
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January Funding News
National Lottery Awards For All - Celebration Funding
Up to £10,000
Whilst you may be familiar with the National Lottery Awards for All funding, you may not know they are also seeking to help communities celebrate the national events that are important to them. This includes the Coronation of His Majesty The King, The Eurovision Song Contest and the 75th anniversary of Windrush.
If you have an idea of an event or ongoing project that celebrates any of the above, get in contact with the Community Resilience Team or take a look at their website.
Lloyds Bank Foundation... Continue reading
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December Funding News
Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund
The aim of the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund is to support the modernisation and improvement of village halls, so that they are fit for purpose and can provide activities which seek to achieve one or more of the following outcomes for their communities:
- improved health and/or wellbeing and/or reduction in rural loneliness,
- positive impact on the local environment, contributes towards net zero,
- support for the local rural economy,
- promotion of community cohesion.
Grants are for capital improvements only, where projects aim to either upgrade, extend or improve facilities, or where capital items need... Continue reading
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November Funding News
Coventry Building Society
Cost of Living Fund: Community Spaces - £5,000
This is open to community spaces across the city to support them with increasing demand of their services. The funding will enable Community Centres/ spaces to deliver new or existing projects that increase access to services and support for those in financial hardship.
This funding can cover increased running costs over the winter, additional volunteer expenses, new services or activities, refreshments. This is open to the following with income below £500,000 annually.
Registered charity
Constituted Community groups
Companies Limited by Guarantee with charitable aims
Community Interest Companies
Co-operatives -... Continue reading
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September Funding News
Asda Foundation – Cost of Living Grant
£500 - £2000
Asda Foundation has created a funding opportunity for local community groups facing an increase in their running costs. This support of up to £2000 can be used to support rent, utilities and food costs, takin place before 28 February 2023.
This grant will be available until the funding pot runs out, forecast to be February 2023, so we would advise applying sooner rather than later.
To apply:
Each Asda Superstore has a Community Champion who manages all applications.
Contact your nearest Asda store (find it via... Continue reading
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August Funding News
Laptop Scheme Giveaway Scheme!The Community Resilience Team in partnership with our ICT and Digital Service have secured recycled laptops for distribution to community groups and voluntary sector organisations across the city. The laptops come with a charger and will be pre-installed with a copy of Windows, any other software required will need to be purchasedor downloaded separately by your group/organisation.
Applications for the scheme are still open for applications for groups and organisations to apply until Friday 2nd September- click here to apply
Please check the eligibility criteria before applying.
Commonwealth Games Equipment Giveaway!
Sport England is... Continue reading
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July Funding News
Available grants
Wesleyan Foundation Large Grants - £2,000 - £10,000
The Wesleyan Foundation was established in 2017 to continue to support various good causes throughout the UK.
There are large grants available between £2,000 – £10,000 and must be spent within a year.
Grants will be considered from charities, constituted voluntary and community groups that focus on:
- Education – Charities or projects that enhance learning and develop career
opportunities. - Health – Promote health and wellbeing.
- Social – Provide local solutions to meet local needs, promote community cohesion
and develop sustainable and supportive communities.
For further information and other available grants... Continue reading
- Education – Charities or projects that enhance learning and develop career
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May/June Funding News
Empowering Local Communities Grant
Grants are available to community groups in the UK to support a broad range of activities which can contribute towards transforming their community and improving the lives of people in their community. Support to help with the cost of living rise and for refugees is available.
Objectives of Fund
The purpose of the programme is to support projects and activities which are important to a community which benefit local people.
The programme is designed to support projects under four themes:
- Building Resilient Communities.
- Active Lives.
- Seasonal Celebrations & Festivals.
- Leading Healthier Lives.
Grants available are from... Continue reading
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