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!
Background
The McCarthy Stone Foundation was launched in 2020 and is an independent registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation governed by a board of volunteer trustees from McCarthy Stone and independent members from outside the organisation. The Foundation aims to deliver a grants programme, longer-term charity partnerships and volunteering opportunities.
Projects should focus on initiatives to support people with dementia over 65 years old in Great Britain. Funding has been prioritised to organisations able to demonstrate they are working in specified locations across certain regions: locations have been selected based on data from the ONS, Age UK, and the Centre for Ageing Better, with a key focus on areas where income deprivation and loneliness affect people with dementia is most acute. Applicants should check the Foundation website for full details of the specified regions.
Objectives of Fund
The programme aims to support organisations providing services for people over 65 years old with dementia in areas of deprivation affecting older people in Great Britain. Memory cafes and dementia clubs are supported.
Value Notes
Grants up to £7,500 are available. It is anticipated that over 20 dementia clubs and memory cafes will be supported.
Match Funding Restrictions
Match funding is not a specified requirement.
Who Can Apply
Community organisations, registered charities and CICs limited by guarantee working in England, Scotland or Wales may apply. Exempt charities will also be considered.
Organisations must have:
- An annual income less than £250,000.
- A governing document.
- A registered bank account in the name of the organisation.
Organisations must be working with adults with dementia over 65 years of age and specifically be providing services which assist people with dementia and/or their carers. This might include services like the provision of Dementia Memory Café’s or Carer courses.
In addition, organisations must be working in deprived areas of Great Britain. Only applications from deprived areas are accepted and applicants should refer to the list of specified areas at the McCarthy Stone Foundation website for eligibility.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
- Groups with an annual income over £250,000.
- Connector or infrastructure services e.g. citizens advice or community transport.
- Individuals.
- Contributions to general appeals or circulars.
- Religious activity which is not for wider public benefit.
- Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations.
- Activities which solely support animal welfare.
- Activities which have already taken place.
- Grant-making by other organisations.
- Privately owned and profit-distributing companies or limited partnerships.
CICs cannot apply for core cost funding.
Eligible Expenditure
Funding is available for core and project costs (for e.g. dementia clubs, memory cafes, carer support courses) in Great Britain to assist older adults with dementia.
Location
Great Britain
How To Apply
The closing date for applications is 13 March 2026 for review in late April.
Guidance and an online application form are available from the Foundation website.
Contact the McCarthy Stone Foundation for further information.
- Where Screwfix is funding the project in full.
- Where the project will directly benefit people in need and will have a lasting impact.
- Registered Charities with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- Registered Charities with OSCR
- Registered Charities with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
- Registered Community Benefit Society with the FCA
- Registered Cooperative Society with the FCA
- Registered Community Interest Company (CIC) with Companies House.
- Be supporting people in need in the UK by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability or other disadvantage or distress. The main beneficiaries could be:
- People suffering from sickness or disabilities.
- People from diverse groups.
- Disadvantaged or vulnerable people.
- People suffering from financial hardship.
- People suffering from mental health issues.
- Other.
- Be looking for funding to support projects that relate to the repair, maintenance, improvement or construction of homes, community buildings and other buildings.
- Have suitable governance to manage funds, eg, financial reporting, committee meetings, etc.
- Items that are easily removable from a property such as soft furnishings, curtains, tables, chairs etc.
- White goods or electronic items.
- Grants for research.
- Purchase of vehicles.
- Purchase of garden machinery or removeable furniture such as lawnmowers, chairs or plants.
- Repayment of loans.
- Annual Rent or service charges.
- Sponsorships.
- Salaries.
- Organisations that support wildlife or animals as their main beneficiary.
- Groups that have received funding from the Screwfix Foundation within the last two years.
- Projects that will benefit the general public ie, community centres, sports clubs and associations, uniformed groups such as scout and girl guide groups.
- Improved energy efficient lighting and heating
- Installation of new kitchen, bathroom etc.
- Installation of a sensory room.
- General painting and decorating.
- Improving safety and security of a building.
- 11 November to 10 February for the March meeting with a decision by 30 March.
- 11 February to 10 May for the June Trustee meeting with a decision by 30 July.
- 11 May to 10 August for the September Trustee meeting with a decision by 30 September.
- 11 August to 10 November for the December Trustee meeting with a decision by 30 December.
- Applications need to be submitted by 15 March 2026 at midnight.
- We will assess applications and let all applicants know the outcome by the 27 March 2026.
- Projects will need to be delivered by the end of May.
- A coffee morning where you offer practical advice on how people can raise concerns about their property and tenancy.
- Door knocking and sharing flyers with private tenants in your area.
- Pop up stands at local events or in high footfall locations where you can share information and signpost tenants to support.
- You will be asked to sign a grant agreement form.
- Payments will be made in instalments with 50% granted on the signing of the grant agreement form and the remaining 50% granted upon the successful completion of your project.
- You must share a breakdown of:
- Where the funding will be spent, including links to items where possible.
- Key metrics and performance indicators you will use to measure your project.
- Once you have spent the grant, you must provide receipts (can be photocopies of originals).
- Share your story for a case study with photos to showcase your work to others, noting the relevant photo consents.
- Complete our short monitoring and evaluation online questionnaire.
- You can apply as a community group, community organisation or as a charity operating in the West Midlands metropolitan area. This includes Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.
- Have an idea that is connected to achieving the funds key aim of getting private renters to feel empowered to raise issues about their accommodation and get action taken now and in the future.
- You must deliver your project between the 1 - 30 May 2026.
- Spending must be complete by 30 May 2026.
- Your organisation must have a bank account to receive the grant funding.
- Which community you will support and why they need better awareness of the Renters Rights Act
- What difference your project will make - how it will benefit your organisation and your local community
- How you will deliver the work
- Registered charities
- Other not-for-profit organisations
- Sports clubs and teams
- Schools and education settings
- Social enterprises and CICs
- After-school and youth groups
- Churches and religious organisations
Background
The Screwfix Foundation is a grant-making charity which was created by trade retailers Screwfix in 2013.
The funds for the grants programme are raised throughout the year with an eye to supporting causes that will change people's lives.
Objectives of Fund
The funding is intended for both national and local charities across the UK so that they can fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities specifically for those in need (by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability or other disadvantage or distress) in the UK.
Due to the very high number of applications received each quarter, Screwfix will give priority to the following projects:
Value Notes
Grants of up to £5,000 are available.
Funding needs to be spent within 12 months from receipt of payment.
Who Can Apply
Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations based in the UK (including specialist not-for-profit schools) can apply.
Applications will be accepted from:
To be eligible, applicants must:
Both national and local charities can apply.
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
Eligible Expenditure
The funding is for projects which improve a physical building (or land attached to it) that is used by people in need.
The funding is to be used for the following types of projects:
Location
United Kingdom
How To Apply
The guidelines and online application form can be found on The Screwfix Foundation website.
The trustees meet to review applications in March, June, September and December. The cut off date for applications is 12pm on the 10th of the month prior to the Trustee meeting.
The application windows are:
All projects that are successful will be listed on the Screwfix Foundation website.
Contact The Screwfix Foundation for further information.
Background
Everyone deserves a safe, secure, and decent home. The new Renters Rights Act aims to make this a reality for over 200,000 people living in private rentals across the West Midlands.
We need your help to spread the word of these transformational changes. Together we can empower private renters to raise issues with their property and get action taken.
The Renters Rights Act Campaign Fund will provide between £1,000 and £2,500 to community-based organisation across the West Midlands to run activities that raise awareness of these new rights for tenants, with a total funding pot of up to £30,000.
These grants are to support community groups and organisations who want to test new ideas or progress an existing project. The funding can be spent on one specific idea or can be used to fund multiple ideas.
We encourage applications from small community groups and welcome joint applications from local organisations working together.
Training sessions (open to all)
Free Renters Rights Act training sessions are available to all groups and organisations. The training will increase your understanding of the new legislation and help build your confidence in supporting renters.
You do not need to apply for the campaign fund in order to attend a training session. We do, however, encourage all fund applicants to attending a training session to help you design and plan your sessions.
Dates will be announced shortly.
For more information and to express your interest, please visit our Training Resources webpage.
Key dates
Ideas for activities
Here are some ideas that we have thought of, but we would be keen to hear other ideas or initiatives:
Applying for the fund
If you are successful, the following will apply:
Eligibility Criteria
Judgement criteria
Each application will be scored across these three criteria. Please also note that consideration will be made to ensure projects funded are spread across the region.
Deadline for submissions is the 15 March 2026 at midnight.
We will assess applications and let all applicants know the outcome by the 27 March 2026.
If you have any questions or want to run an idea past us before applying, please email rentersrights@wmca.org.uk.
How to apply
Apply for the Renters Rights Grant
Easyfundraising Impact Fund : 20 x £500 unrestricted grants
The new easyfundraising Impact Fund is now open with 20 unrestricted grants of £500 for UK not-for-profit organisations to help them continue or enhance their work. The grant is unrestricted, so it can be used wherever the money is needed most to support your work.
When to apply: 23 February – 5 April
Who can apply:
The fund is open to UK based:
How it’s awarded: The application form is straightforward. Grants will be awarded to organisations that best explain how they would use the £500. The grants will be awarded across a mix of categories and locations, and the fund is open to organisations of all sizes and structures.
Apply here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/impact-fund
About easyfundraising:
easyfundraising is a simple way for your organisation to raise extra funds from everyday online shopping. When your community shops with over 8,000 retailers through easyfundraising, the retailer makes a donation to your organisation — at no extra cost to anyone. From a weekly grocery shop to booking a holiday, it all helps generate free donations.
Donations are paid to you every three months, and because they’re unrestricted, you can spend the money on whatever your organisation needs most. Register for free funding with easyfundraising here https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/community/
Previous News
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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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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 Resilience Lead Officer
JR -
Team
