Funding News - January 2026

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News, Information and Guidance
Sussex Community Foundation – Main Grants awarded

Government
Foreshore Trust (Hastings) - Large Grants Programme back for 2026
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - Listed Places of Worship
The Home Office - Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund

Lottery
Arts - Four Nations International Fund- Round Three

Trusts and Foundations
Angling Trust – Fishing Improvement Programme
Another Way Women's Foundation
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Rise Programme
Asda Foundation – Young Futures - Healthy Teen Minds
British Science Association – CREST Awards for Schools
Charles Hayward Foundation – Criminal Justice
Charles Hayward Foundation –Older People
Continuo Foundation
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Grocers Charitable Trust
Historic Houses Foundation
Hollick Family Charitable Trust
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust
King Charles III Charitable Fund - Coronation Food Project Grants
Matrix Causes Fund
MSE Charity - 2026
National Archives – Engagement Grants
Ramblers Path Accessibility Fund
People’s Postcode Lottery and Groundwork - Grassroots Grants
People's Postcode Lottery - Local School Nature Grants Scheme
Rewilding Britain - Rewilding Innovation Fund
Scops Arts Trust
Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust
Three Guineas Trust - Holiday Activity Schemes for Autistic Children and Young People
Veterans Foundation
Which? Fund 2026
William Wates Memorial Trust
Wingate Foundation

Funding Diary

News, Information and Guidance

Sussex Community Foundation – Main Grants awarded

Sussex Community Foundation’s grants programme is made up of a range of funds which help to address disadvantage and deprivation and build resilience in Sussex communities.

SCF’s Main grant programme has four themes: Reaching Potential; Tackling Poverty; Improving Health; Acting on Climate.

The programme has made grants to the following organisations and projects benefitting East Sussex and communities:

Reaching Potential:

Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC - £5000 to pilot inclusive community drop‑in groups, wellbeing woodland days for parents and carers, and strengthen infrastructure

Press Play Films CIC - £4,150 to pilot arts‑based literacy lessons, providing free inclusive arts and media education for children and young people

Liberty Choir UK - £7,443 for weekly singing sessions at HMP Lewes, fostering connection, confidence and hope for prisoners and helping them reintegrate after release

Education Futures Trust - £5,000 for forest school sessions, helping children, families and vulnerable adults overcome barriers in Hastings and surrounding areas

Hastings & Rother YMCA - £5,000 to support their ‘Y Not’ skills course, providing a safe, welcoming environment that builds self‑worth

Life Skills Education Charity - £4,000 to help young people develop life skills and avoid risks such as substance misuse, online harms, and knife crime; funding delivers age‑appropriate programmes in 7–10 primary schools in high need areas

People Matter Trust - £5,000 towards the salary of their Eastbourne Job Club adviser

Little Gate Farm - £10,000 towards support staff costs, helping adults and children with learning disabilities pursue equal aspirations through Supported Employment

Tackling Poverty:

Old Town Community Library - £500 to cover weekly travel costs for a long‑term volunteer playing an essential role in running and training new volunteers.

Eastbourne Foodbank - £ 10,000 to support staff costs for their Senior Advocacy Officer, providing emergency food and vital support to residents

Baby Bank & Beyond CIC - £4,085.50 towards core costs and equipment, helping reduce child poverty and material deprivation in South Wealden, Eastbourne and Seaford

Warming Up the Homeless- £10,000 to strengthen core poverty‑reduction work, expand support and maintain safe, warm hubs during rising demand

Now! Charity Group Ltd - £5,000 to expand its Hailsham Community Shed, scope new upcycling and repair hubs in Eastbourne and Lewes and build capacity through partnerships and volunteer development.

Lewes District Churches HOMELINK- £7,000 towards core staffing costs to continue meeting rising demand and providing vital support to those most affected by cost-of-living

Eastbourne Churches Visiting, trading as Linking Lives Eastbourne - £8,000 to sustain careful matching, training and support so volunteers can continue reducing loneliness among isolated older adults.

Sussex Prisoners’ Families - working with those affected by their loved one entering the criminal justice system. Funding supports a new website and CRM system to support development

Family Support Work- £6,000 towards FSW’s energy advice and crisis support project, helping families in crisis facing challenges such as poor mental health, financial hardship, isolation, bereavement, domestic abuse and addiction.

Fitzjohns Foodbank - £4,400 to sustain its Community Café and warm space, continue vital navigator support, and maintain emergency hardship grants

Friends of Newhaven Foodbank - £5,000 to help Seahaven Community Food reopen a hub providing meals and social connection for residents struggling with living costs

Bexhill and Rother Homelessness Unity Group -£2,052.02 to improve their kitchen space, enabling more efficient meal provision for guests in a safer, better-designed environment.

Improving Health:

Flourish Mentors (Sussex wide) £ 4500 to co-create three confidence building workshops with young women.

Rye and District Community Transport - £ 1,698 towards fuel, maintenance costs, and the purchase of a replacement vehicle

Circus for Survivors CIC - £ 5000 for workshops. Circus for Survivors is a creative trauma-informed programme empowering self-defined Survivors, including those affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse, women and individuals from marginalised genders

Mayfield and Five Ashes Community Services - £2,136.63 to fund their Volunteer Co‑ordinator, who recruits, trains and supports 140 volunteers reducing loneliness and isolation locally.

Sara Lee Trust - £5,000 to support their community therapy service, providing free counselling and therapeutic groups for people in Hastings and Rother affected by life‑threatening illnesses.

Winchelsea New Hall - £1,700 to renew one fire escape door, replacing the decayed exterior door and fire escape fanlights

Willow Tree Children's Support - £ 4800 - providing free early-intervention wellbeing support to children and young people affected by family illness and bereavement by delivering one-to-one and small-group sessions in rural Primary and Secondary Schools. Funding is to cover rising travel costs as their service expands and maintain provision at a Wealden Primary School experiencing high levels of need.

Common Cause Co‑operative, Lewes - £9,000 to expand its therapeutic gardening work, maintaining expert‑led sessions, volunteer support and biodiversity training benefiting people’s wellbeing and the local environment.

Acting on Climate:

People's Park for Nature CIC - £ 6,000 to strengthen its community-led network restoring green and blue spaces across the lower Ouse Valley

Get Bikery CIC - £4,500 to run e‑cargo bike demo and training events at primary schools, helping families shift to practical, enjoyable, low‑carbon travel

Naturebytes CIC - £4,682 to maintain and expand its Eco‑Active Youth Action Project, engaging disadvantaged 11–16‑year‑olds in outdoor activities, wildlife monitoring and climate action across Hastings and Seven Sisters Country Parks

Love Our Ouse CIC - £7,000 to strengthen core capacity through one day a week of operations management and accountancy software, supporting community work protecting the River Ouse

Government

Foreshore Trust (Hastings) - Large Grants Programme back for 2026

The Foreshore Trust is inviting applications from non-profit voluntary and community organisations to the Large Grant Programme 2026-2028 in the new year.

The Programme is open to groups operating in Hastings and St Leonards, for the benefit of Hastings residents.

The Programme focuses on the following areas:

Housing, legal, welfare, and debt advice
Support for those affected by domestic violence
Advice and infrastructure support for community organisations
Outreach services for rough sleepers
Advice and support for migrant and newly settled communities

There is approximately £181,000 per year for the programme.

The application process will be all online and applicants will need to need to register for a MyHastings account as part of the process.

The deadline for applications is Thursday 29th January (12 noon).

Email: Foreshore-Large@hastings.gov.uk

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - Listed Places of Worship

DCMS’s Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme is awarding funding towards VAT incurred in maintenance and repairs to listed buildings used primarily for public worship, or which are owned by or under the authority of organisations looking after redundant places of worship.

Listed places of worship, including those with registered charitable status, can apply for £1,000 and £25,000 which can be spread across multiple claims.

DCMS provides a list of the repair work covered by the scheme as a guide. Contact DCMS’s Helpline if the repair work you’re planning is not included in the list.

The Scheme will close on 31st March 2026, or once the £23 million budget has been reached, whichever is earlier.

Tel: 0800 500 3009

Email: grants@lpwscheme.org.uk

The Home Office - Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund

The Home Office is inviting applications for the Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF), a £1.5 million programme to help organisations provide essential advocacy support to claimants of the Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS).

For 2026/27 the Fund has £600,000, with grants ranging from £5,000 to £60,000.

Successful applicants will help claimants navigate the WCS process by offering culturally sensitive, practical assistance—such as gathering evidence and articulating personal stories—while fostering trust and creating safe, supportive environments for claimants.

Eligible costs include staffing for advocacy hours, pop-up hub delivery, training, and reasonable administrative and travel expenses. Organisations must demonstrate secure data handling and strong community trust.

The Fund’s next Information session is 23rd January 2026 (1pm). You need to register in advance by emailing the Fund. The presentation will be available to all applicants after the final session.

This fund accepts applications from registered charities, community groups, and Community Interest Companies, companies with a charitable purpose and joint venture consortiums.

Applications close on 6th February 2026 (5pm) and funded activities will run from April 2026 to March 2027.

Tel: 020 7035 4848

Email: WCSAdvocacySupportFund@homeoffice.gov.uk

Lottery

Arts - Four Nations International Fund- Round Three

The Four Nations International Fund helps artists and creative practitioners from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales collaborate with each other and with partners around the world.

The fund has a total value of £335,000, offering grants between £1,000 and £7,500.

This funding supports in-person, digital or hybrid activity including exchanges, residencies, partnership development, co-creation and networking, with priority given to applications experimenting with innovative models of international collaboration.

Four Nations anticipates making 40-50 awards across the four nations, supporting a range of art forms, including:

Multi-disciplinary arts
Literature
Music
Theatre
Dance
Visual arts
Craft
Creative Learning / Children and Young People

You can find out more at the Fund’s information session on Tuesday 3rd February at 9.30am, run through Arts Infopoint UK. More details on how to book will be available soon on the Arts Infopoint UK events page.

The Fund is open to applications from creative sector organisations and individuals based in one of the four nations of the UK.

Applications will require applicants to have at least one partner from another of the four nations of the UK in addition to at least one international partner.

The deadline for Round Three applications is 25th February 2026 (2pm).

Tel: 0330 333 2000

Email: fournationsinternational@creativescotland.com

Trusts and Foundations

Angling Trust – Fishing Improvement Programme

The Fishing Improvement Programme, managed by the Angling Trust, supports accessible angling, providing better angling access and safe facilities for all.

The Programme generally awards up to £5,000 for the following types of projects:

Angling infrastructure: new and upgraded platforms, pegs and pathways for rivers and stillwaters, considering the needs of less able-bodied anglers and health/well-being benefits
Community and urban fisheries: supporting partners to develop and manage fisheries in local areas where a need and interest have been identified (may require both habitat and access work)

It welcomes proposals from clubs, fisheries, local authorities or other community organisations involved in angling. The Programme particularly encourages proposals from small angling clubs with limited finances; usually run by volunteers and with smaller needs. It is not necessary to be an Angling Trust member club or affiliated organisation to apply.

If you do not own or manage a water, you may still apply with permission of the organisation who leases the venue.

The next deadline for applications is 6th February 2026.

Tel: 07495 433 626

Email: andy.petch@anglingtrust.net

Another Way Women's Foundation

Another Way Women’s Foundation (AWWF) enables a brighter and fairer future for women and girls through financial support, education, empowerment and advancement.

The Foundation offers two different grants:

Another Way Women's Foundation grants up to £5,000. These 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' grant 'seed funding' to kick start things on a project or service 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

The Foundation has two application windows each year, in January and September.

January’s application window is for GENERAL applications supporting women and girls in any area. September’s window will be for SPECIFIC applications supporting women and girls only in the stated focus area of that year.

The deadline for AWWF’s January funding round is 31st January 2026. This round is for general applications supporting women and girls in any area.

Tel: 07841975950

Email: hello@anotherwaywf.org

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Rise Programme

Rise is a pilot programme for small and medium armed forces charities supporting those in the UK armed forces community who have given the most.

Rise aims to help charities build strong foundations to support their beneficiaries better in the long term, with additional capacity to review governance, strategic growth, maturity of impact measurement and financial resilience.

Rise offers up to £30,000 in total towards a project delivered over a period of 6 to 12 months. In exceptional cases, the Trust will consider awarding an enhanced grant up to an additional £20,000. This is only for organisations wishing to work alongside other organisations.

This programme is a very small pilot, and the Trust is only looking to award a small number of projects.

This programme is open to small or medium armed forces charities only. Your charity must have been registered as a charity for at least three years.

The Trust defines small and medium charities as follows: Small charity – annual income £10k – £100k; Medium charity – annual income £100k – £1m.

Additionally, the support your organisation provides must have a UK-wide reach and primarily relate to the ‘special consideration’ element of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The deadline for applications is 18th February 2026.

Email: info@covenantfund.org.uk

Asda Foundation – Young Futures - Healthy Teen Minds

Asda Foundation’s Healthy Teen Minds Fund is offering £500 to £1,000 to grassroots groups supporting teenagers’ mental health and wellbeing.

This funding is for small community groups (income under £250,000) to deliver activities for disadvantaged, vulnerable teenagers - age13 years to 18 years.

The Fund’s priorities are:

Promotion of inclusiveness and access to activities for individuals facing barriers to participation
Projects addressing prevalent social issues in the community (e.g. knife crime, gangs, bullying, personal safety).

Asda’s grants can be used for a range of project costs, including:

Emotional and mental health support (counselling, therapy)
Essential items (hygiene supplies, clothing)
Awareness of the key issues facing teenagers (e.g. educational workshops)
Rehabilitation, recovery, and shelter (e.g. addiction support and youth homelessness reintegration)
Activities and events that build connections and improve wellbeing and physical health
Resources for recreational activities, e.g. craft materials, board games
Sports kit and/or equipment (up to £500)
Volunteering costs (e.g. training) capped at £100 per person

The deadline for applications is 20th January 2026 (10am). Note- the programme may close early if demand is high or if specific regions become oversubscribed.

British Science Association – CREST Awards for Schools

The British Science Association’s CREST Awards, aim to inspire children and young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers.

The scheme provides £350 to assist schools in challenging circumstances run CREST Awards with students who are from backgrounds and groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

The awards enable students (aged 3-19 years) to engage in a STEM-related project; encouraging links with industry and academia.

They are extremely flexible; are designed to enrich the curriculum and can be completed in class time. They can also link into work experience placements, after-school/lunchtime clubs or various linked schemes.

The school must meet at least one of the following additional eligibility criteria:

A minimum of 30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, or equivalent
A minimum of 30% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds*
The school is based in a remote and rural location

Their deadline for applications is 3rd February 2026.

Tel: 020 7019 4943

Charles Hayward Foundation – Criminal Justice

Charles Hayward Foundation’s Social & Criminal Justice Main Grants programme aims to prevent people entering the criminal justice system and supporting those already in the system to rebuild their lives.

The Foundation awards £15,000 to £25,000 per year for up to three years.

The Foundation focuses on:

Early intervention programmes reaching the most troubled and vulnerable families in a community
Preventative and diversionary projects for young people at risk of offending including interventions tailored to girls and young women’s needs
Programmes, particularly those for young offenders, combining prison based and community interventions dealing with rehabilitation, accommodation and support on release, maintaining family relationships, mentoring, mapping and creating pathways to employment
Viable alternatives to custody, particularly for women and young people
Support directed towards rehabilitating the victims of domestic abuse and criminal exploitation

The Foundation funds ongoing projects that can demonstrate their effectiveness, necessary additions or developments to existing projects, and new projects where the need is evidenced, and continuation is likely to occur if proven impactful.

This funding category is open to registered charities with an income between £350,000 and £4 million.

There is a two-stage application process. The Foundation’s 2026 closing dates for this Programme are: 30th January; 22nd May; and 18th September.

Tel: 020 7370 7063

Email: grants@charleshaywardfoundation.org.uk

Charles Hayward Foundation – Older People

The Foundation’s Older People Small Grants Programme is for small, local projects to improve older people’s physical and emotional health. This Small Grants programme is open to registered charities with an income less than £350,000.

This scheme awards up to £7,000. The Foundation specifically focuses on projects that:

Alleviate isolation and depression in older people, including informal day care, or regular social, physical and recreational activities
Give practical help, assistance and support for older people living in their own homes
Address the emotional and practical needs of people with dementia and their carers

This strand of funding is open to smaller, registered charities with an income of less than £350,000.

You can apply anytime.

Tel: 020 7370 7063

Email: grants@charleshaywardfoundation.org.uk

Continuo Foundation

Continuo enables musicians to build thriving careers while sharing inspiring music with people in every corner of the UK.

Foundation supports professional ensembles playing period music and instruments, particularly those performing in areas that lack access to high-quality live classical music.

The Foundation has a total of £100,000 to distribute in grants ranging from £2,000 - £6,000. These grants can be of up to a maximum of 90% total project costs.

These grants are to support projects taking place between 1st May 2026 and 30th November 2026.

The Foundation accepts applications from professional groups of at least three musicians playing period instruments, or faithful replicas, with a consistent membership of instrumentalists, year-round activity and an identity as a period-instrument ensemble.

The deadline for applications is 12th February 2026 (noon).

Tel: 02077833563

Email: info@continuofoundation.co.uk

Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust areas of supports registered charities serving beneficiaries in Sussex, active in the following thematic areas:

Youth – charities operating in areas of high deprivation: youth clubs, counselling, bereavement support, education, employability, and young carers
Elderly – tackling loneliness, isolation, and dementia support
Disability – helping people with physical, learning, or complex disabilities overcome barriers
Community –projects that move people and families out of poverty – with a focus on areas of highest deprivation in Sussex
Homelessness – immediate and rehabilitative support for those who are homeless o living in temporary accommodation
Environment – Sussex-based projects which encourage interest and activity in environmental work, educate young people on the importance of environmental work, or directly protect flora or fauna in Sussex

The Trust offers funding at the following levels:

Small grants: up to £10,000 (apply anytime)
Medium grants: £10,001–£20,000 (four rounds: Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)
Large grants: £20,001+ (for long-standing partners)

The Trust funds start-up costs, core costs, specific projects, and unrestricted funding where all activities fit its remit.

The Trust accepts applications for Medium grants four times a year as follows:

4th January – 4th February
18th April – 12th May
10th July – 13th August
9th October – 12th November

Tel: 07960 057742

Email: admin@ekct.org.uk

Grocers Charitable Trust

The Grocers’ Charity supports smaller charities (turnover below £500,000) working in these thematic areas:

Relief of poverty
Elderly
Disability and Inclusion
Military
Heritage and the Arts
Environment and Conservation
Children and Young People

The Charity provides grant giving data and examples of charities they have funded.

Their next funding round opens 30th March and closes 1st September 2026.

Tel: 020 7606 3113

Email: enquiries@grocershall.co.uk

Historic Houses Foundation

The Historic Houses Foundation supports the preservation of rural heritage buildings of architectural significance, particularly historic country houses, their gardens and grounds, and the works of art within them.

The Foundation awards £1,000 to £250,000. Grants at the upper limit are only made under exceptional circumstances. Most grants are for less than £50,000.

The Foundation’s grants are for projects ready to proceed (i.e. start within 1-2 years) but which either do not qualify for funding from any of the mainstream sources or have been awarded only partial funding and require significant further funds to complete the resource package.

The Foundation accepts applications from charities, institutions, local authorities and individuals demonstrating a sustainable commitment to the management and care of historic buildings and who open them to the public.

Applying entails a two-stage process, starting with a pre-application form which can be submitted anytime.

Email: info@historichousesfoundation.org.uk

Hollick Family Charitable Trust

The Hollick Family Charitable Trust offers grants to charitable organisations working in the areas of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Kent and East Sussex.

The Trust’s interests, posted on the charity commission, range across education and skills, human rights, housing, mental health, women and children and the arts through community-led organisations working directly with people at the margins of society and charities in the early stages of development looking for seed funding.

Funding is at the discretion of the Trustees. The trustees’ objective is to make a number of relatively small but significant donations to a range of charities each year and to identify at least one cause to which they are able to provide more substantial funding.

The Trust does not maintain a website.

David W Beech, Hollick Family Charitable Trust, Prager Metisx LLP, 5A Bear Lane, Southwark. London, SE1 0UH

Tel: 020 7632 1400

Email: dbeech@pragermetis.com

Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust

The Trust’s grants typically range from £1,000 to £10,000, with larger pledges considered for major projects once other funding is secured.

Funding can support day-to-day operations such as rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming, as well as conservation work, veterinary costs, and property improvements under certain conditions.

The Trust particularly favours smaller charities with up-to-date accounts and active rehoming policies.

Their trustees review applications three times a year.

Their next deadlines for applications are 1st April, 1st August and 1st December 2026.

Email: office@jeansainsburyanimalwelfare.org.uk

King Charles III Charitable Fund - Coronation Food Project Grants

This Fund is inviting not-for-profits to apply for grants up to £25,000, as a multi-year award over two years, or a one-off grant for one year.

The amount of funding you request for any one year should not exceed 20% of your organisation's total annual income.

The Fund focuses on projects addressing one or more of the following issues:

1. Tackling food insecurity

Feeding more people facing food insecurity
Improving knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around food, for example through a market garden facilitating learning about growing healthy food, or a public education programme
Building relevant skills – for example, cooking classes, or other programmes which improve employability skills

2. Enhancing capacity and capability in the food system

Harnessing the full capacity of the food system – this could be through increasing staff hours, increasing redistribution efforts (more vehicles, capacity to store food), establishing new partnerships
Improving capability – through upgrades to infrastructure, staffing and training, technologies

3. Building a more sustainable food system

Positive environmental impacts – enhanced use of renewable energies, promotion of sustainable food sources, circular economies
Innovation within the food system to save more edible food – this might include diverting food destined for food waste, on-farm gleaning, identifying new forms of food waste

The Fund welcomes applications from charities, Community Interest Companies, Charitable Incorporate Organisations, Companies Limited by Guarantee and unincorporated community associations.

They are keen to support organisations demonstrating collaborative working with relevant stakeholders e.g. other non-profit organisations, local authorities and local food partnerships.

The deadline for applications is 21st January 2026 (12 noon).

Tel: 020 4551 9330

Email: enquiries@coronationfoodproject.org

Matrix Causes Fund

The Matrix Causes Fund (MCF) supports charitable organisations contributing to one or more of the following objectives: Access to justice (particularly for people trying to get support to meet their basic personal needs); Equality of opportunity, or a Sustainable environment.

Matrix is keen to hear from applicants working with vulnerable groups, including:

Prisoners
Asylum seekers
People with mental health difficulties
People (particularly children) with disabilities
Women in refuges

The Fund offers either one-off grants up to £6,500 (available for those that are not a registered charity) or multi-year grants up to £4,500 a year for up to three years.

This funding is for:

Items and services which fall outside an organisation’s core activities, i.e., related to a specific and time-limited project
Project costs that benefit many people and have lasting impact
IT costs directly related to the project
Printing only where essential (e.g., prison distribution)
Training of trainers, and / or the training of people who will deliver a service to others, and where there are a large number of beneficiaries for whom the benefit is significant and long-term

The MCF is only able to fund organisations which meet all their four eligibility criteria:

Have charitable or non-profit status, and
Registered with HMRC as an exempt charity / non-profit organisation
Has an income (from all sources, including grant income and trading income) of less than £500,000 per financial year, and
Have available financial resources of less than £500,000, e.g. money in the bank

There are two funding cycles each year: Cycle 1 is open for applications until 31st March (midday). Cycle 2 will open between 1st July (10am) and close 30th September (midday).

Tel: 020 7404 3447

Email: matrixcausesfund@matrixlaw.co.uk

MSE Charity - 2026

MSE Charity offers a small number of grants twice a year to small not-for-profit organisations throughout the UK.

MSE’s grants range from £2,000 and £10,000 to help charities deliver activities which make a lasting impact on how people think, behave and manage their money.

Grants can be used for activities related to increasing personal financial capability.

Examples include:

Money management workshops
Training volunteers to deliver workshops or to provide peer-support to others
Upskilling existing staff to access financial capability training to support their clients directly
Providing access to financial inclusion activities for people who are disadvantaged in any way such as by age, disability, ethnicity or gender

MSE accepts applications from registered charities, Community Interest Companies, credit unions, not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee, and social enterprise companies.

Applicants must be established and active for at least 18 months, have a total annual income of between £10,000 and £600,000.

Applying involves a two-stage process, with Stage 1 Outline Proposals accepted during a one-week window:

MSE has two grant rounds in 2026:

Winter Round: opens 19th January 2026, closes 26th January 2026
Summer Round: opens 6th July 2026, closes 13th July 2026.

Email: info@msecharity.com

National Archives – Engagement Grants

The National Archives is offering grants of up to £3,000 to help organisations connect archives with communities and the wider public.

This funding round focuses on the theme ‘Belonging’, encouraging creative projects that use archival records to explore what belonging means. Applicants are invited to develop creative ways to engage new and existing audiences with this theme.

Engagement Grants are open to archivists and heritage professionals working with archival collections.

National Archives welcomes applications from public sector bodies, not-for-profit organisations including registered charities, and for-profit organisations including business archives.

The National Archives encourages partnership projects and consortium applications.

The deadline for applications is 19th January 2026.

Tel: 020 8876 3444

Email: archivegrants@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Ramblers Path Accessibility Fund

The Ramblers Path Accessibility Fund is inviting applications for projects that:

Open up more paths for wheeled users, including those using aids like walkers, electric rollators, mobility scooters, and trampers. Projects to remove barriers will also make paths more family-friendly, to provide ease of access for pushchairs and buggies
Innovative projects which replace stiles or barriers, such as chicanes or restrictive narrow kissing gates, with gaps or wider pedestrian gates
Accessibility improvement projects in places where people already face greater barriers to enjoying the great outdoors, including places where less well-off communities live. The Ramblers will strongly rank these applications and are keen to hear about projects which connect urban areas to green spaces or make it easier for people to walk to local amenities, work, or school

The Ramblers also continue to welcome accessible improvements in popular walking places that are well served by public transport.

There is no set minimum or maximum amount. The average award is around £2,500. However, they have awarded larger amounts for projects representing good value for money and a strong element of match funding, or in-kind funding.

The Fund is open to landowners, parish councils, community groups, and voluntary organisations – especially those willing to work with Ramblers volunteers.

The deadline for this round of applications is 14th March 2026.

Email: paths@ramblers.org.uk

People’s Postcode Lottery and Groundwork - Grassroots Grants

The Grassroots fund offers flexible, unrestricted grants between £500- £2,000 to small grassroots organisations making a positive difference in local communities.

The fund aims to support groups providing vital services in their local communities, such as:

Access to food or basic essentials
Improvements to local greenspace
Cultural, support, or wellbeing activities
Volunteering opportunities to improve the local environment or support other people

Grassroots prioritises work within communities ranking within the top 15% on the English Indices of Deprivation, and organisations working with and supporting marginalised or vulnerable groups.

The Fund welcomes applications from small, local, constituted voluntary and community organisations, including registered charities, with an annual income of less than £25,000.

You can apply anytime until the end of September 2026. Applicants will receive a decision within 10 weeks of submission.

Tel: 0121 236 8565

Email: grassrootsgrants@groundwork.org.uk

People's Postcode Lottery - Local School Nature Grants Scheme

This Scheme supports schools and early years providers promote outdoor learning and connect children with nature.

The scheme’s offering:

£500 worth of outdoor equipment for nature-based activities
A Climate Curriculum Pack (valued at £150)
Four hours of CPD training, including: two hours on a chosen topic from the LSNG training list; two hours on-site using LtL’s Climate Ready School Grounds digital tool
One-year membership to Learning through Landscapes
Access to six webinars on outdoor learning
A plaque from the players of the People's Postcode Lottery to display in your setting's reception area

This scheme welcomes applications from nurseries, pre-schools, primary schools, and secondary schools. All applications need to show that children have been included in the decision-making process. (Please note, the fund does not accept applications on behalf of the school, eg PTA's, Governors, and ‘Friends of' groups).

The deadline for applications is 13th March 2026.

Tel: 01962 392932

Email: lsng@ltl.org.uk

Rewilding Britain - Rewilding Innovation Fund

The Rewilding Innovation Fund aims to remove barriers to rewilding across Britain.

Projects must align with Rewilding Britain’s rewilding principles and rewilding at scale – that is more than 40 hectares of land (or any size of marine project).

A project area can be an individual landholding or a cluster of landholdings. If you're rewilding at a smaller scale than this, Rewilding Britain strongly encourages you to connect with others to form a local group, network or cluster to work up a project for application.

You can apply for up to £15,000 to cover costs such as business plans and strategies, community engagement activities and co-design, feasibility studies, technology and innovation. These grants are to help unlock further funding or move projects up the rewilding scale, whether you are new to rewilding or have been going for some time.

To be eligible to apply you must be a member of the Rewilding Network. If you aren’t a member but would like to be considered, please join before applying.

The network is open community, private and public landowners and managers of rewilding areas on the land and sea.

The Fund accepts applications twice a year—once in the New Year and again in the summer.

Their next deadline for applications is 28th February 2026.

Email: network@rewildingbritain.org.uk

Scops Arts Trust

The Scops Arts Trust aims to give people of all ages, backgrounds and life circumstances, opportunities to access, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts.

As a small trust, they award a limited number of grants each year to support high quality projects delivered by committed organisations. The Trust provides examples of projects and organisations they have previously supported.

They are currently inviting applications for Music Festivals. (Please note, children’s performances excluded, as are festivals where music is not the focus).

The Trust prioritises festivals that boost cultural provision in underserved areas and funds performers and performances, rather than overall festival production costs and overheads.

Grant awards start at a few hundred pounds and very occasionally, the Trust makes multi-year grants of up to £15,000 per year.

The Trust favours small to medium sized organisations and generally supports registered charities but will consider applications from social enterprises and formally constituted community groups.

There is a two-stage application process. Groups must first complete an eligibility check before being invited to submit a Stage 1 application.

Their deadline for applications is 27th January (5pm).

Email: info@scopsartstrust.org.uk

Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust makes small grants up to £5,000 to support horticultural projects for public benefit.

Grants are typically given for projects such as garden creation, development and restoration, plant study trips, publications and horticultural research and conservation.

Typical projects are as follows:

Gardeners' training schemes run by appropriate organisations
Restoring gardens of historic interest
Developing new gardens for public access and enjoyment
Exhibitions, book publications, research and educational programmes relating to horticulture
Expeditions to collect and protect plants of scientific and horticultural value
Study visits by horticulturists or botanists with strong horticultural links.

The Trust’s deadlines for applications are 15th February and 15th August 2026.

Tel: 0131 248 2844

Email: d.rae@rbge.org.uk

Three Guineas Trust - Holiday Activity Schemes for Autistic Children and Young People

The Trust’s Scheme provides grants of up to £15,000 to organisations which deliver autistic-specific activity schemes exclusively for autistic children and young people, and their siblings, which run in the school holidays. Grants are usually for part of the costs.

The 2026 round will open for expressions of interest on 2nd February 2026 with a deadline of 13th February 2026 (5pm). Please note there is a high level of demand for this programme. The 2025 grant round closed for expressions of interest a day after it opened.

Tel: 0207 410 0330

Email: grantmaking@threeguineastrust.org.uk

Veterans Foundation

The Veterans’ Foundation supports organisations providing assistance to serving and former members of the armed forces community, operational qualified seafarers and their immediate families.

A potential, qualified beneficiary “in need” is one or both of the following:

At a disadvantage compared with non-armed forces citizens due to their service
Someone who is experiencing challenges such as the following: unemployment, homelessness, mental and physical ill-health, injuries, poor welfare, a child's loss of parent, or addiction

The Foundation has the following schemes open for application:

Small grants between £500 and £5,000
Standard grants between £5,001 and £30,000. This can be for one year or a multi-year grant for up to three years (eg, £10,000 per year over three years)
Salary grants up to £25,000 per year for up to three years, for the exclusive use of salary costs

The Foundation welcomes applications from all registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations that support the Armed Forces community.

The Trust’s new Small grants scheme is a rolling funding programme with no deadlines.

Their Standard and Salary grant programmes have a two-stage application process with quarterly deadlines. The next deadline is 30th March 2026 (decision by end of June 2026).

Email: grants@veteransfoundation.org.uk

Which? Fund 2026

Which?, the UK’s consumer champion, supports research projects aiming to improve understanding of the specific consumer harms that diverse and disadvantaged communities experience and develop evidence-based solutions.

This year, Which? has £75,000 for proposals in two policy areas:

Next-generation energy business models supporting the clean energy transition
Online choice architecture

In each of these areas, Which? is interested in funding work that:

Improves understanding of consumer harms affecting diverse and disadvantaged communities in relation to these topics
Identifies and tests evidence-led, pragmatic solutions to consumer harm experienced by diverse and disadvantaged communities in these areas
Develops partnerships and encourages collaborative work around these topics.

Which? hasn’t set a minimum or maximum grant. The Fund anticipates funding a small number of high-quality projects.

Which? is open to registered charities, universities with exempt charitable status, and not-for-profit Community Interest Companies.

This Fund has a two-stage application process. The deadline to submit a Stage One application is 30th March 2026.

Email: funding@which.co.uk

William Wates Memorial Trust

The William Wates Memorial Trust Supports projects that encourage young people experiencing severe disadvantage to keep away from anti-social behaviour and criminal activity, enabling them to fulfil their potential.

The Trust primarily support projects in London and the South East.

Most grants are for approximately £30,000 over three years. However, at any one time the Trust will also have two to three grants for £30,000 to £50,000 per annum over three years.

Funding is for projects that enable young people experiencing disadvantage to fulfil their potential through the mediums of sports, arts, and education.

The Trust is interested in projects that continue to:

Have an impact after the Trust’s support has ended. For example, helping a young person get a coaching qualification is preferable to facilitating that same young person to play football once a week
Support individuals long after specific (sometimes intensive) projects come to an end. This may be done in-house or through connections with other local organisations

The Trust welcomes applications from registered charities and not-for-profit enterprises working in London or the South East of England. Note- to be eligible, applicants should have no more than 60% of their turnover from public service contracts or other commissioned work.

Their deadline for applications is 2nd February 2026.

Email: wwmt@wates.co.uk

Wingate Foundation

The Wingate Foundation’s principal areas of interest are music, performing arts, and Jewish / interfaith relations in a broad context.

The Foundation’s aim is to support activities that will create a significant impact and leave a lasting legacy.

Jewish/Interfaith (UK) Focuses on promoting peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding between Jewish and Muslim communities through joint cultural projects, and enhancing public understanding of Jewish life, history, and culture.

Performing Arts (excluding music) and Music are two separate themes. Both share an emphasis on inclusion, skills development, and creating opportunities for those who would otherwise face significant challenges to participation.

Priorities under Performing Arts (excluding music) and Music include bursaries, apprenticeships, and fellowships, as well as enabling active participation in performances by adults who are often excluded (e.g., homeless people, asylum seekers, prisoners) and children facing barriers to engagement - focusing on schools where more than 40% of students receive pupil premium funding or free school meals.

The Foundation welcomes applications from registered charities. Funding levels are at the trustees’ discretion, with no specified minimum or maximum.

Their next deadline for applications is 13th February 2026 (5pm).

Tel: 020 7433 2400

Email: admin@wingate.org.uk