Funding Opportunities & Resources
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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.
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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
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Background
The Government announced in February 2025 the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) would become the future prevention commissioner for gambling-related harms in England, working alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales. It also announced a new statutory levy on gambling operators would take effect from 6 April 2025. This levy is expected to raise over £100 million and will be allocated across the three workstreams of research (20%), prevention (30%) and treatment (50%).
Objectives of Fund
The key objectives of the Gambling Harms Prevention VCSE Innovation Grant are to:
- Maintain and support sector to deliver on prevention outcomes.
- Build sector capacity and sustainability free of industry influence.
- Develop evidence and innovation.
- Demonstrate strategic responsiveness.
The funder expects VCSE organisations to be able to apply for three funding strands:
- Core Prevention Delivery Fund - this will focus on the provision of direct prevention activities to prevent or reduce gambling harms.
- Innovation and Evidence Fund - funding for new, adapted, or emerging prevention approaches.
- VCSE Resilience and Systems Capacity Fund - funding support packages to strengthen the VCSE sector’s ability to deliver sustainable prevention activities that reach intended cohorts.
Value Notes
A total fund of £30 million.
Grants are expected to range from £5,000 to £2 million.
Who Can Apply
Expressions of Interest will be accepted from voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations based and working in England.
This includes:
- Registered charities.
- Community Interest Groups
- Voluntary groups
- Social Enterprises
- Other
To be eligible, organisations will need to demonstrate the following:
- That they fall into the defined category of a third sector organisation.
- That they are intending to carry out a prevention activity under the specified categories
- Social action
- Awareness
- Education
- Campaign
- Training
- Support
- Affected others
- Gambling blocking tools
- That they can provide a theory of change to demonstrate how these services to help Government to build, evidence – based prevention services at scale in future.
- Applicants will need to demonstrate their commitment to achieving an industry free funding status for the four years leading up until 2030 and will be required to sign a Declaration of Interest agreement provided by Government.
- That they will share best practice and build partnerships across the sector.
- How they will build ‘lived experience’ into their plans.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding will support either existing work or new projects/innovation and can cover:
- Delivery (gambling prevention)
- Workforce
- Digital support / data systems
- Setting up Innovation work
- Partnership work/networks
- Other
Location
England: locally, regionally or nationally
How To Apply
Full details and the Expression of Interest form are available on the Government Grants Service (Find a Grant) website.
The deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is 9 January 2026 (12 noon).
Applicants will need to register on Find a Grant in order to apply for the grant.
Please note the following timetable is 'indicative' and could change:
- Competition window opens – 12 January 2026
- Notification of Grant Awards to successful grant applicants – 16-18 March 2026
- Payments made – from April 26 2026
- Date by which funding must be spent – 31 March 2028
Contact the Cabinet Office (OHID) for further information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- OHID
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
Email: ggms.ohidgamharmprev@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Background
Grow Wild Community Funding is provided and administered by Grow Wild UK, which is the national outreach learning initiative of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Grow Wild contributes to Kew's mission to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth.
Objectives of Fund
The funding is for groups across the UK to transform urban spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife through planting and championing UK native plants or fungi.
The funding is for projects that focus on UK native plants, transform an urban space, enhance the biodiversity of the space with planting and growing as a core activity.
Projects should be led by groups who care about the environment and will use sustainable materials and practices and have the potential to reach at least 300 people.
In addition, projects need to work with one or more of Grow Wild’s target audience:
- Young people aged 12-25.
- People experiencing some disadvantage or reduced access to services.
- People who are less engaged with others in their local community.
- People who face barriers to connecting with nature.
- Disabled people.
Project leaders will be invited to share their experiences with other successful groups and attend online events and training facilitated by Grow Wild.
Value Notes
Grants of £2,000 are available.
It is anticipated that around 23 groups from across the UK will receive funding in 2026.
Grants must be spent by the end of October 2026.
An opportunity to apply for a £500 follow-on grant for spring 2027, to help support ongoing activities.
Match Funding Restrictions
Match funding is not required.
Who Can Apply
Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations in the UK, including:
- Constituted voluntary/community organisations, groups or clubs.
- Charities
- Not-for-profit companies
- Community Interest Companies (CICs)
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIOs)
- Community Benefit Societies
Groups must:
- Have two members of staff or volunteers who can liaise with Grow Wild.
- Be able to deliver and be financially responsible for a community project.
- Hold a bank account in the name of their group and can show evidence of this to Grow Wild.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Companies that pay profits to directors, shareholders, or members, instead of reinvesting them for charitable purposes.
- Local authorities, including parish councils, though projects led by independent groups on local authority land can be funded.
- Unconstituted organisations, groups or clubs.
- Schools.
- Projects where Grow Wild funds are to be used for commercial benefit.
- Sole traders or individuals.
- Organisations and projects based outside the UK.
- Organisational costs or staff costs that are not related to the direct delivery of the projects.
- Projects delivered in rural, conservation or protected areas such as SSSIs.
- Projects requiring planning permission, due to the programme timelines.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding can cover 100% project-specific costs:
- This can include seeds, plants, soil, materials, events, workshop charges, specialist experts and contractor costs.
- Applicants can allocate up to 25% of the Grow Wild funding value towards staff costs related to direct delivery of project activities (this can include workshop preparation and delivery, volunteer support, practical sessions).
- To pay for individuals not employed by the applicant organisation and partner organisations to deliver project activities.
Location
Urban areas across the UK
How To Apply
This is an annual grants programme.
Applications for the 2026 programme are now open with a deadline of 4 February 2026 (15:00).
Guidance notes and the application form can be found on Grow Wild's website.
Contact Grow Wild for more information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Enquiries
Grow Wild
Tel: 020 8332 3842
Email: hello@growwilduk.com
Background
BlueSpark Foundation is a registered charity which supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other projects.
Objectives of Fund
The funding is for relatively small-scale projects, which might not happen at all or would only happen on a lesser scale without the support of BlueSpark.
The Foundation aims to help children and young people reach their full potential by supporting projects that have the following objectives:
- Encouraging independence.
- Developing team working skills.
- Developing self-confidence.
- Promoting creativity and individuality.
- Encouraging aspiration.
- Enhancing educational achievement.
- Widening educational horizons.
Value Notes
Grants of up to £5,000 are available.
Awarded grants must constitute a significant proportion of the costs of the project rather than being marginally incremental to its funding.
Grants will only be awarded for the amount requested in the application and will not be scaled back to a lesser amount.
Match Funding Restrictions
Match funding is not a prerequisite. However, organisations that can raise part of the cost of a project themselves will be looked upon favourably during the application assessment, particularly where the application is for more than £2,000.
Who Can Apply
Schools, community groups, clubs, societies and other not-for-profit organisations based and working in England can apply, as can individuals.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Projects for children or young people under the age of 5 or over the age of 22.
- Life-skill mentoring services.
- Counselling services.
- Holiday clubs or playgroups.
- Construction, maintenance or repair of buildings or facilities.
- Training adults who work with children or young people.
- Student fees or maintenance.
- Running costs or general activities of an organisation.
The Foundation do not normally make grants to organisations or individuals in order to enable them to provide their own services (for which they would usually charge) on a free or subsidised basis to a third party.
Grants will not be made to a single organisation on such a regular basis that they are effectively an income stream for that organisation.
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is for the costs of specific, relatively small-scale projects that might not happen at all or would only happen on a lesser scale without the support of BlueSpark.
Projects can be educational, cultural, sporting or other activities but particular consideration will be given to those that help the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people.
Projects that the Foundation support include, but are not limited to the following:
- Academic education.
- Art and design.
- Community projects.
- Debating.
- Drama.
- Educational excursions.
- Enterprise projects.
- Music.
- Public speaking.
- Sport.
- Vocational training.
Eligible costs could include:
- Educational materials.
- Sports equipment.
- Musical instruments.
- IT equipment.
- Drama tuition.
- Music tuition.
- Art and design equipment.
- Educational training courses.
- Vocational training courses.
- Educational excursions.
- Competitions.
- Educational events.
- Seed funding for enterprise projects.
- Drama production costs.
Grant applications must state exactly what the grant will be used for, for example:
- Physical assets (such as tablets, sports equipment, or lighting for stage productions).
- Services or facilities (such as sports coaching, music or drama tuition).
- Provision of experiences (such as theatre visits).
Location
England
How To Apply
Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis at approximately eight week intervals.
Applications should be submitted using the online application form, which is available on the BlueSpark Foundation website.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Enquiries
BlueSpark Foundation
84A Upland Road
Sutton
Surrey
SM2 5JB
Tel: 020 8661 9997
Email: contact@bluesparkfoundation.org.uk
Background
Another Way Women’s Foundation (AWWF) is an independent, volunteer-led, grant-making charity dedicated to enabling a brighter and fairer future for women and girls through financial support, education, empowerment and advancement.
The Foundation supports impactful projects and services with the aim of accelerating gender equality, effecting system change and advancing women’s lives, sustainably, at both an individual and community level.
Objectives of Fund
The funding supports sustainable, cooperative, community-led initiatives aimed at the root cause of gender inequality (system change) in under-represented communities and/or under-funded areas.
The Foundation offers two different grants:
- Another Way Women's Foundation grants are for any type of project, initiative, service aimed at advancing and empowering women, creating positive social change, sustainably impacting communities, or indeed anything that makes the world a brighter and better place for women and girls.
- The '£1000 for 1000 words' grants provide 'seed funding' to kick start things on a project or service aimed at advancing women's lives for the better.
The Foundation has announced that from January 2026, there will be two application windows each year:
- January will be for GENERAL applications supporting women and girls in any area.
- September will be for SPECIFIC applications supporting women and girls only in the stated focus area of that year.
The focus areas will be:
- September 2026 - Sport and Leisure
- September 2027 - Environment, Eco and Sustainability
- September 2028 - The Arts
Value Notes
There are two different grants:
- Another Way Women's Foundation grants of up to £5,000.
- The '£1000 for 1000 words' grant.
Who Can Apply
UK registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations can apply.
Eligible Expenditure
All applications must be in line with and supportive of the Foundation’s charitable purpose: to enable a brighter and fairer future for women and girls through financial support, education, empowerment and advancement, and to accelerate gender equality, effect system change and advance women’s lives, sustainably, at both an individual and community level – as well as the Foundation's values and ethos – which are to be empowering and enabling, community- and people-centric, passionate and inspiring, and trusted and respectful.
The grants typically fall into two areas:
- Project support – ‘seed’ funding for pilot or start-up initiatives to show ‘proof of concept’, with a view to enabling partner organisations to go on to apply for further/larger grants from other funders to expand/increase the project scope, or to attain self-sustainability for the project.
- Services support – aid funding to enable support organisation and service providers to pay for essential service delivery.
Location
England and Scotland
How To Apply
Applications next open on 1 January 2026 and close on 30 January 2026. This round is for general applications supporting women and girls in any area.
Guidance notes and application forms can be found on the Another Way Women's Foundation website.
The Foundation aims to respond to all applications to say whether or not they have been successful within four to six weeks of the published closing date.
Successful applicants can expect to receive funds within two to three weeks from hearing that their application has been awarded.
Unsuccessful applicants may apply again.
Contact the Foundation for further information.
Documents & links
Contacts
For further information on how to obtain this fund, please contact the following:
- Enquiries
Another Way Women's Foundation
Moss House Farm
Lowes Lane
Gawsworth
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK11 9QR
Tel: 07841975950
Email: hello@anotherwaywf.org
Previous News
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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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March/April Funding News
City of Culture Free Training Opportunity
‘Bid Writing and Budgeting’
A free Bid Writing and Budgeting course, delivered by experienced bid writer and fundraiser Laura Drane. Do you have a specific project you want to develop? Want to learn more about different funding sources? Need help on how to write proposals or funding application forms? If so this is the course for you!
Find out more here - https://coventry2021.co.uk/get-involved/community-training/(External link)
Opportunity to be a part of Common Wealth Active Games
Coventry City Council have been successful in securing funds as part of the Commonwealth Active... Continue reading
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February Funding News
WMCA Green Grants
We have some very exciting news about funding for the green fingered groups amongst you…
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) are set to release funding for local groups in January.
They are looking for bids between £3,000 and £25,000.
There are 3 themes to the funding
- Improving green spaces
- Connecting people to nature
- Enhance local improvements
If you have a project in mind which will bring people together around growing and planting or if you want to ensure that the green space that is important to you is more accessible for others look out for more information... Continue reading
Who's Listening
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Community Co-ordinator
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