Where to apply for funding externally
Finding the right places for funding can be tricky, but don't worry! We've gathered some helpful ideas to make your search easier.
Check out funding opportunities below from trusts and foundations that could be perfect for your project! When applying, ensure your project aligns with their objectives, as funders often receive many applications and may disregard those that don't match their goals, potentially affecting future funding chances.
The Allen Lane Foundation funds small registered charities, voluntary groups, and charitable organisations that benefit children and young people aged 12-21 who are vulnerable, socially excluded or marginalised. The foundation funds work that takes place throughout the United Kingdom except London.
Applications are open until early April 2026 for trustee meeting in June 2026.
The Andy Fanshawe Trust run projects that give disadvantaged young people the chance to develop an existing interest in the great outdoors. There is no application form, but you need to send an email covering off the questions outlined on their website.
Alkpit Foundation particularly like to support projects that:
- Encourage responsible outdoor activity
- Have long-lasting benefits
- Introduce new people to get outdoors
- Demonstrate value for money
Trustees meet every 2 months to consider applications. There's no limit to the number of times you can receive. If possible, please apply for Alpkit Foundation at least 3 months before the start of a project so that the trustees have time to consider it at their next meeting.
Applications will open in March 2026.
The Arete Foundation provides funding for organisations supporting young people in the North West to build a sustainable future, fulfil their potential and unlock opportunity.
Applications for May round are currently open and will close March 31st.
Applications for October round will open on June 15th and close on August 31.
Asda Foundation's Young Futures Fund provides support to community groups across the UK to help them deliver activities for teenagers which improve mental health and wellbeing and create positive life opportunities.
Grants of £500 to £1,000 aim to grassroots groups supporting teenagers’ mental health and wellbeing. The application window for this fund is now closed.
The National Lottery Awards for All England provides funding for projects that bring people together to build strong relationships and improve communities in England. You can apply for a grant of between £300 and £20,000 for projects lasting up to 2 years.
The organisation is currently open to applications. Applicants will receive a decision within 16 weeks of applying.
The Berkeley Foundation's Resilience Fund offers grants and support to small-to-medium sized charities to invest in their organisational development, building resilience for the future.
The 2025 funding focus aims to funds organisations that are working to build leadership skills in young people affected by racist or Islamophobic violence, empowering them to positively impact their own lives and the communities in which they live.
Applications are currently closed.
Bupa Foundation's Green Community Grants runs as part of Bupa’s #HealthyCities initiative – where Bupa employees, suppliers and customers move to unlock money for charity. They offer grants of between £500 and £2,000 to support practical projects which benefit both people and planet health.
Priority will be given to projects that:
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Improve (or create new) green spaces in or near cities.
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Benefit and involve the local community.
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Are located in disadvantaged areas (high Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores for the postcode, or a school with a significant proportion of children benefitting from free school meals).
Applications are currently closed.
The Trust funds charities and voluntary organisations working in the areas of health, lifelong learning, community development and social care, and encourages applications from organisations where our grants of up to £10,000 can make the biggest impact.
Applications currently closed.
The Co-op Foundation's Local Community Fund supports projects that:
- Bring people together to access food
- Help improve people’s mental wellbeing
- Create opportunities for young people to be heard and make a difference
- Help people protect local biodiversity or tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions
The next application window will open in Spring 2026.
Entrust's Landfill Communities Fund is an innovative tax credit scheme that enables operators of landfill sites to contribute a portion of the monies they pay as landfill tax directly to approved organisations to fund community and environmental projects within 10 miles of landfill sites. Section D of its priorities includes grant support to public amenities.
The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust fund provide grants of work in the County of Sussex. The organisations they give funding to are listed below.
Applications from youth clubs such as the Scouts are welcomed where the charity operates in an area of high deprivation, and funding is requested to assist those who are otherwise unable to afford to take part in activities.
The trust has three grant programmes:
- Small Grants of up to £10,000:
- Applications are accepted throughout the year.
- Medium Grants from £10,001 - £20,000:
- Applications are accepted during the following date ranges:
- 4th January - 4th February
- 18th April - 12th May
- 10th July - 13th August
- 9th October - 12th November
- Applications are accepted during the following date ranges:
- Large Grants of over £20,001:
- Applications are accepted during the following date ranges:
- 4th January - 4th March
- 10th July - 10th September
- Applications are accepted during the following date ranges:
The FCC Community Action Fund provides grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to not-for-profit organisations for amenity projects eligible under Object D of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).
Only applications for projects sited within 10 miles of an eligible FCC Environment waste facility can be accepted.
Applications for the second round of funding will open on 4 March and close on 20 May.
The Forrester Family Trust's Small Grants Programme gives grants of up to £10,000 to charities with a turnover of less than £250,000. They aim to support charities that rely on volunteer support and make an impact in their communities.
Applications forms will be open from 1st December until 31st December.
The Green Hall Foundation aims to fund charities that improve lives of the sick, elderly, disabled and the disadvantaged. Trustees meet twice a year to award grants between £1,000 - £10,000.
The next application round will open on 2nd March and will close when 150 applications have been received.
The Gilchrist Educational Trust provides grants to organisations from £500 to £4,000 that support academic educational gaps or make more widely available a particular aspect of education or learning. Applications from organisations are considered by the Trustees in April or May each year and must be submitted by the end of February at the latest.
Applications are welcome from any voluntary or community organisation that is based or works in their trading areas across the south of England. Groups can apply for grants or fundraising support ranging from £300 and £3,000 to help achieve their aims.
Applications are currently closed but will re-open in Spring 2026.
The Harold and Alice Bridges Charity provide grants for capital projects to grants for village halls in the Lancashire and South Cumbria areas.
The cut-off dates for receipt of applications prior to each Trustees Meeting are 15th January, 15th May, and 15th September each year.
The Henry Smith Foundation's Holiday Grants Programme provides one-off grants for schools, youth groups and non-profit organisations to take children aged 13 and under on recreational day trips or short residential trips. We prioritise groups supporting disabled children and those with limited access to funds to go on holiday. The Programme offers grants from £500 up to £3,000.
Applications are now open.
The KFC Youth Foundation's Community Grants Programme offers two year grants of up to £6,000 to registered charities that benefit young people aged 11 - 25 years old in areas of high deprivation.
Applications are open from 30th January 2026 until 27th February 2026 (Midday).
The Landsec Community Grants Programme provide funding to local charities that address challenges specific to their local communities. The grants range from £1,000 up to £3,000.
The application window is now closed.
The Leathersellers Foundation's Small Grants Programme provides grants to charitable organisations that deliver activities to meet an identified need for vulnerable members of the community. The committee meet eight times a year to award grants and application windows will open six weeks before each meeting.
Applications are now open.
The Leslie Sell Charitable Trust provides financial assistance to Scout groups to help with the cost of making repairs, purchasing sundry items of equipment, or trips in the UK or overseas. Regular grants range between £75 and £1,000.
Applications must be received by 14 February or 14 September.
London Hearts are there to help you with funding for a defibrillator to help support your community and local area.
Independently owned stores that are partnered with Nisa can nominate a local charity within 10 miles to receive a donation. MADL is designed so the local stores can specifically support charities that are in their local communities.
Mountain Training's Skills & Training Fund supports the delivery of skills and leadership courses to people who face barriers to participation and are under-represented in the adventure activities sector.
Their funding offer includes a percentage of the course cost, a contribution towards personal assistance support (capped at £150 per candidate per course) and a contribution towards learning /teaching support (capped at £150 per candidate per course).
Applications are open year-round.
Now On Earth's Youth Adventure Grant is designed to enable applicants to undertake an adventurous expedition that will help develop self-confidence, resilience and mental wellbeing.
Grant applications need to meet the following criteria:
- For young adults based in the UK, aged 18-24 at time of expedition, who might struggle to fund an expedition without support.
- The expedition must be ‘human-powered’, involve physical exertion, have a clearly defined goal, be as original as possible and span a minimum of 3 days.
- The expedition must be self-organised.
- Applications can be for an individual or for a team of up to 4 persons (who must also meet criteria). Application to be made by a lead individual, who will receive the grant funds.
- Overall expedition cost doesn’t exceed £4000.
- The expedition must be recorded afterwards in a blog post with photographs, or in film format, for us to share on the website, with sponsors and on social media to help promote the grant.
- Applications for an adventure with purpose (environmental, social etc) will score extra points!
- Applications for a ‘close to home’ expedition (UK-based) will score extra points.
- Grants awards will generally be between £100-£500 depending on the expedition, although potentially more in a minority of cases.
- Expedition must take place within 12 months of the grant being awarded.
- On successful application you will be sent full terms and conditions which must be electronically signed.
Applications are currently closed.
The Mountain Adventure Fund offers funding for schools and other participating organisations to take children and young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to a residential multi-adventure week at Plas y Brenin.
The Paradigm Norton Trust aims to fund smaller, local charities that work in areas of poverty alleviation, child welfare, or education.
The RDC Foundation awards grants of up to £1,000 to support young people under the age of 21 in recreational and leisure activities to develop their mental, physical and moral capabilities so that they grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society. The Foundation awards grants to individuals and organisations.
Grants are awarded every 3 months.
The charity plans to work with young people in the UK aged 16-24 to help fund and support their polar project.
Applicants must be:
- An individual aged 16-24 when completing the project.
- A resident of the UK or a British citizen.
- Undertaking or planning to undertake a ‘polar project’, which can include research/technical, education, creative/artistic or an expedition/exploration. They welcome applications for polar-relevant projects of other kinds.
- Be a member of a youth organisation such as a school/university, Scouting/Guiding, DofE, charity etc.
The Robert Hall Foundation provides grants to charitable causes, with a particular focus on supporting scouting and youth projects. Grants range from £1,000 - £10,000.
Trustees of the Foundation usually meet every 6 months in Mid-February and Mid-August. Applications must be received by the end of January for the February meeting and by the end of July for the August meeting.
The Robert McAlpine Foundation gives grants to charities which aim to improve mental and physical wellbeing of children, youth, and the elderly.
This includes applications for care and carers, assistive equipment, befriending and community social activities, education, training, outward bounds and sport provision for vulnerable people.
Trustees meet annually in November to award grants. Applications are open until 7th August.
The RYA Foundation seeks to promote participation in boating by those who are disadvantaged by reason of youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances. Grants are available for:
- Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers;
- Purchase of boats and boating equipment;
- Development of infrastructure to support boating;
- Development and delivery of boating programmes, projects and activities.
Applications are reviewed on a quarterly bases, the submission deadlines are below:
- 12th Feb 2026
- 11th May 2026
- 9th August 2026
- 3rd November 2026
Sea-Changers gives one-off grants (i.e. not continual funding) to UK-based charities and other organisations (including schools) carrying out marine conservation related activities.
The projects they fund will achieve one or more of the following objectives:
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To address the root causes of marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
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To prevent or reduce negative impacts on UK coastal and marine environments and/or species.
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To add to the body of knowledge about marine conservation threats and challenges in the UK.
The Main Grants Programme award grants from £500 - £2,500. The deadlines for applications are 31st March and 30th September each year. The Small Grants Programme award grants of up to £500 and accept applications year-round.
The Severn Waste Services Community Action Fund provides grants of between £10,000 and £20,000 to charities for amenity projects eligible under Object D and Object DA of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).
Only applications for projects sited in Herefordshire or Worcestershire, within 10 miles of the eligible Severn Waste Services waste facilities can be accepted.
The Sir James Knott Trust funds small to medium-sized registered charities who are working to help people who are disadvantaged to improve their situation in the following areas:
- Tyne and Wear
- Northumberland
- County Durham
- Hartlepool
The Trust operates on a rolling grants programme. Trustees meet four times per year to award grants. Small grants of up to £2,000 are processed outside of scheduled meetings and have an average turnaround of 6 weeks. Applications for over £10,000 will probably require a visit from an assessor or a member of the Trust Staff Team.
Sport England's Movement Fund offers grants from £300 up to £15,000 to projects that focus on people who face barriers to activity and projects designed to help them join in.
Applicants can apply for grants for projects like:
- Setting up new experiences or activity sessions for people to get involved.
- Helping improve, or create new spaces for people to be active in – or providing the equipment they need to do the activity.
- Improving both environmental sustainability and providing physical activity opportunities.
- Supporting organisations to build their capacity and capability so they can help the people in their community to be active.
- Responding to emergencies that impact on people taking part in physical activity, and helping get activity happening again.
Applications are now open.
Tesco Stronger Starts invites schools, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations supporting children and young people to apply for up to £1,500 for causes that improve access to healthy, nutritious food.
The programme funds projects like:
- Growing projects in allotments/planters for use in school kitchen or for children to take home and learn about food
- Breakfast/after school clubs that provides food for pupils
- Sports clubs that provide food as part of the project
- Holiday clubs that provide healthy meals and snacks
- Counselling/mental health support projects that provide a healthy snack as part of the provision
- Projects providing SEND provision with healthy snacks/meals
- Youth clubs that provide a healthy meal/snack
- Addressing holiday hunger amongst children outside of school time
- Healthy eating projects that support families to cook healthy meals on a budget
Applications are open.
The Arnold Clark Community Fund is making a commitment to give back to the communities in which they operate. The Fund awards grants of up to £1,000. Funding continues on a rolling monthly basis.
Applications are currently closed.
The Boring Fund is a grassroots funding initiative that helps small non-profit organisations fund essential things that would normally be difficult to find funding for. The Fund awards grants of up to £200.
Applications will now open.
The Catherine Cookson Trust supports a wide range of activities including education and training, environment and conservation, arts and culture as well as general charitable purposes. The Trust is particularly interested in charities that support young or disadvantaged people within the North East of England. Grants are generally awarded between £100 - £100,000.
Applications are now open.
The Farrer Family Trust supports organisations in North Yorkshire that work to preserve buildings of architectural or historic significance and conserve the natural environment, with a focus on public benefit and education. Its funding priorities also include promoting social inclusion and providing facilities for recreation and leisure activities that enhance social welfare. Grants range from £150 - £1,750.
The Hedley Foundation supports small UK charities addressing a broad range of social needs, including youth services, disability support, elderly support, and other community-focused initiatives. Typically, the grants range from £250 - £5,000.
The Hutchinson Charitable Trust provides grants for charities within Cambridgeshire that work within the following areas:
- Agriculture
- Disadvantaged people
- Education
The National Lottery Community Fund have a range of funding opportunities for charities that bring people together and improve communities. They offer funding from £300 up to £500,000.
The Syder Foundation awards grants annually to registered charities who work on a variety of charitable causes that operate within:
- Berkshire
- Hampshire
- Wiltshire
- Surrey
- Oxfordshire
- Buckinghamshire
The Foundation awards small grants of £2,000 and large grants of £500,000 on a rolling basis.
The Thomas Farr Charity is awards grants between £1,000 - £5,000 to charities that work in the areas of education, youth, health, and the elderly in Nottinghamshire.
The Trustees meet in March, July and November each year and applications for consideration at these meetings must be received by January 20th, May 20th or September 20th respectively.
The Tree Council's Branching Out Fund actively supports community tree, hedgerow, and orchard projects that boost agricultural productivity and creating green spaces that promote physical and mental well-being. The Fund awards grants from £250 up to £2,500.
Applications are currently closed.
The7stars foundation offers grants to charities that support the most challenged young people aged 18 and under in the United Kingdom with essential support, skills, and hope for a brighter future.
Applications open in March 2026.
The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation's Small Grants Program offers single year grants between £2,000 and £10,000 for projects, salaries, and core costs to charities that address the challenges of local communities in areas of extreme deprivation.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Warburtons Community Grants provides small grants up to £400 to support charitable organisations towards broader activities which improve Health, Place or Skills for families in their community.
Applications are open until March 2026.
The Worshipful Company of Innholders offers grants from £1,000 up to £5,000 to small charities within the London area that work with the elderly, the young, or the hospitality industry. The Charity Committee meets in March, June and December each year to assess applications.
Applications are open.
The Woodward Charitable Trust provides grants of up to £10,000 to small charities supporting disadvantaged families with young children up to age 11, and organisations that work directly with children of the same age group (0-11 years).
Applications are currently closed but are expected to open May – July 2026.
Yapp Charitable Trust offer grants of up to £10,000 to registered charities working with their identified priority groups, including young people aged 5-25. Funding must be used to cover core funding, not for new projects, and charities with an annual expenditure of more than £50,000 will not be considered.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Young Explorers Trust provides grants to young people or peer groups aged 25 and under who are taking part in expeditions or other adventurous activities. Expeditions must mentally and physically challenging, as well as demand self reliance. Most of all, they must involve a genuine sense of adventure.
The closing date for 2026 awards is 1 March 2026.
The Young People Foundation Trust (YPF Trust) supports and enables place-based collaboration and partnerships focused on the needs of young people and the organisations that support them. In partnership with the Henry Smith Foundation, the YPF Trust has launched the Core Memories Fund. The fund backs organisations that support young people that have aged out of other youth-focused programmes.
Grants range from £5,000 - £25,000 for organisations that operate in Merton, Dorset, Kirklees, Stockton-on-Tees, Medway, and Staffordshire.
UK Youth and Pears Foundation have launched a new £10 million fund to champion an approach that works: providing multi-year, unrestricted funding alongside targeted capacity-building support to small youth organisations.
The aim of the Fund is to strengthen the financial resilience and capacity of small youth and outdoor learning organisations across the UK. It is open to organisations with an annual turnover of less than £500,000 that are delivering services to young people based within eligible areas in England and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Expressions of Interest for this funding are now open
Scout buildings refurbishments
A number of funders make grants to charities and groups for building refurbishments. For groups with your own facilities, this could be a favourable option to secure important funding to make improvements or necessary maintenance on your Scout buildings.
The Bernard Sunley Foundation offer one-off capital grants to projects in England and Wales which include new buildings, extensions, refurbishments and recreational spaces.
Large and medium grants are decided at the Trustees' meetings in March, July, and November. Smaller grants are decided on a monthly basis. They fund around 50% of all applications received.
The Clothworkers Foundation Open Grants Programme funds capital costs that support the infrastructure needs of small- and medium-sized charitable organisations working with:
- Communities Experiencing Racial Inequalities
- Disabled People
- Economic Disadvantage
- LGBT+ Communities
- Young People Facing Disadvantage
Eligible organisations can apply for a grant to cover the costs of a building purchases, construction or refurbishment projects, vehicle or equipment purchases, and some digital infrastructure projects (such as apps, databases and websites).
Their small grants programme offers grants of up to £15,000. They aim to provide a decision within 12 weeks.
Applications are now open.
Garfield Weston accepts applications from organisations working in the areas of Welfare, Youth, Community, Arts, Faith, Environment, Education, Health and Museums & Heritage. They recommend that you have around half of your funding identified before applying to them, so it should be for match-funding only. You can apply for capital costs (buildings, refurbishments), general running costs or project costs.
The Morrisons Foundation awards grant funding of up to £10,000 for charity projects which make a positive difference in local communities. In the main grants are available to fully fund projects, and can also be spent on building work.
The Wickes Community Programme is a dedicated product fund which supports local initiatives to maintain and renovate community areas.
Biffa UK Wide
Up to £200,000
Biffa operate a community buildings scheme, supporting new build and improvement works projects through their Main Community Buildings Scheme. Projects must be within 10 miles of a Biffa Operation. Priority is given to projects that can demonstrate innovative use of a community amenity to enhance, maintain or introduce real, community-led social, economic or environmental improvements. Must be within 5 miles of a Biffa operation or within 10 miles of a Biffa landfill site.
Keeping up-to-date
We know that funding rounds can change frequently, so we'll monitor the available funding, and update these pages every three months.
Last updated: February 2026