Funding News - December 2025

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News, Information and Guidance
Kings Award for Voluntary Services (KAVS) 2025 – East Sussex awardees

Government
East Sussex County Council – Holiday Activity and Food (HAF)

Lottery
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Strategic Initiatives – Heritage in Need - Places of Worship
Arts Council England (ACE) New Diversity Development Programme – capacity building webinars and mentoring opportunities

Trusts and Foundations
A B Charitable Trust
Adamsons Trust
Albert Hunt Trust - Core funding
Alliance for Youth Organising
Archives Revealed - Scoping Grants
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust - Hidden Voices Round 2
Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust
BBC Children in Need
BlueSpark Foundation
Central Social and Recreational Trust
Clothworkers’ Foundation – Open Grants Programme for capital costs
Francis Winham Foundation
Green Hall Foundation – opens March 2026
Grow Wild Community Programme - 2026
Ironmongers’ Foundation
Leathersellers' Foundation – Small Grants Programme
Macmillan Cancer Support - Macmillan CARE grants
Music for All - Community Project Funding – Round 5
National Churches Trust
Percy Bilton Charity – small capital grants
Pets Foundation - Preventing Pet Relinquishment
Screwfix Foundation
Swire Charitable Trust
Theatres Trust Small Grants Scheme
Truemark Trust
Ufi - VocTech Activate
Weaver’s Company Benevolent Fund - Ex-offenders and Criminal Justice
Youth Music Catalyser Fund – Round 6
7stars Foundation

Funding Diary

News, Information and Guidance

Kings Award for Voluntary Services (KAVS) 2025 – East Sussex awardees

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) celebrates the outstanding work volunteer groups do in their community. It is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK and the equivalent of an MBE. The award was created in 2002 for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and renamed following the Accession of King Charles III.

Awarded each year to honour volunteer-led groups working across a wide range of fields including mental health, youth, environment, community, arts and heritage, The King’s Award for Voluntary Service showcases the continued range and significance of voluntary service carried out every day across the nation.

Three East Sussex groups are among 231 organisations who have received the Award:

Eastbourne Area Community First Responders provide vital life-saving care in the local neighbourhood until the arrival of an emergency ambulance
Family2Family gift hope and dignity to families in need through the redistribution of essential items
Friends of Bishopstone Station CIC for their work restoring and maintaining a listed Art Deco Railway Station, providing a popular community hub

Government

East Sussex County Council – Holiday Activity and Food (HAF)

East Sussex County Council’s Holiday Fun and Food Fund has re-opened for applications. This programme is part of the national Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) funded by the Department for Education.

The Fund aims to provide engaging activities and healthy meals to young people in receipt of free benefits-related school meals (FSM) during the school holidays.

Providers can choose to bid for funding to cover 1, 2 or all 3 holiday periods. Please note, East Sussex County Council will not be accepting separate bids for individual holidays later in the year so please submit a bid by the deadline if you wish to apply for any HAF funding in 2026.

Please apply using the Council’s Online HAF application form. You can find information on the core standards required at the beginning of the application form. However, please do contact the HAF team before the deadline if you wish to discuss your proposal, particularly if you’ve not been involved in East Sussex County Council’s HAF programme before and would like to find out more.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 18th January.

Email haf@eastsussex.gov.uk .

Lottery

National Lottery Heritage Fund: Strategic Initiatives – Heritage in Need - Places of Worship

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is planning a refreshed approach to how they reach out to those who manage places of worship to encourage them to apply.

In their latest video, members of the Lottery’s team introduce example projects and explain how to apply to ensure the heritage of churches, chapels, mandirs, mosques and more are protected and celebrated.

Arts Council England (ACE) New Diversity Development Programme – capacity building webinars and mentoring opportunities

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced a new and free way they will support volunteers, staff and leaders at diverse-led organisations.

Open to all diverse-led creative and cultural organisations, ACE’s Diversity Programme offers live webinars to increase your confidence and knowledge in areas like fundraising, finances, governance and business planning, as well as peer networking and mentoring opportunities.

The Programme is open to organisations where the majority (51 per cent or more) of the board of trustees and senior leadership team are:

Black, Asian and ethnically diverse, or:
Disabled, or:
Female, or:
LGBT+, or:
From a lower socio-economic background

Trusts and Foundations

A B Charitable Trust

The AB Charitable Trust supports organisations that work to uphold fundamental human rights and ensure that vulnerable communities receive fair treatment and justice.

The Trust supports charities whose work aligns with any one of the Trust’s four priority areas:

The Human Rights Framework - supports charities to uphold, enhance and implement the human rights protection frameworks
Access to Justice - supports work to promote access to justice through the provision of specialist legal advice and representation, with impact on the most marginalised and excluded communities
Criminal Legal System and Penal Reform - funds charities working with people either within the criminal legal system, or at imminent risk of coming into contact with the system, and that support individuals to resettle successfully in the community
Migrants and Refugees - support work to achieve a just and supportive environment for people who migrate to the UK, are refugees or people seeking asylum. This includes work to deliver services, policy, advocacy and influencing, campaigning, narrative change, and community organising

Most grants range from £10,000 to £30,000 and are awarded for one to three years to support core costs or specific projects.

The Trust welcomes applications from registered charities with an annual income between £150,000 and £1.5 million.

Their next application deadlines are 30th January, 24th April, and 31st July 2026

Tel: 020 7243 9486

Email: mail@abcharitabletrust.org.uk

Adamsons Trust

The Adamsons Trust provides support to organisations and registered charities that help cover the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children aged 3 to 17 years with physical, mental, or emotional impairments.

Each year, the Trustees allocate approximately £85,000 to £89,000 in grants.

Although the funding usually covers only a small portion of the total holiday cost, it can make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and their families.

The Trust has four application deadlines each year: 31st March, 30th June, 30th September, and 31st December.

Email: info@theadamsontrust.co.uk

Albert Hunt Trust - Core funding

The Albert Hunt Trust funds registered charities working in the following categories:

Provide Hospice Care – core funding of hospices is a priority for the Trust. Typical grant sizes range from £10,000-£30,000
Provide support for the Homeless – typical core funding grant sizes range from £4,000-£7,000. The Trust support organisations in this category with a total annual income of below £1m
Promote Health and Well-Being – core funding for areas such as family support eg Home Start, children and young people counselling services, suicide prevention, specific carers support, cancer support, prisoner support and rehabilitation, community centres, food banks and debt advice. Typical grant sizes range from £1,000-£5,000. The Trust supports organisations in this category with a total annual income of below £150,000. As this is a broad area, the Trust encourages charities contact them for guidance prior to applying

The Trust considers funding a range of purposes including core funding for staff costs and ongoing running costs for specific projects. Please note, they are currently closed to capital funding requests.

Apply anytime. The Trust aim to review applications on a rolling monthly basis subject to trustee availability.

Tel: 0330 113 7280

Email: info@alberthunttrust.org.uk

Alliance for Youth Organising

The Alliance for Youth Organising is a group of organisers and campaigners from across the UK that aims to shift power and money to young people, so they can work together to create change and organise towards social, economic, racial, disability, gender, and environmental justice.

The Alliance has launched two funds:

The Anchor Fund offers £40,000 a year for two years. These are unrestricted grants to support youth-organising organisations to strengthen, sustain and expand their work. Groups will also receive an additional £5,000 to support learning and to provide strategic insight to the Alliance to shape its future strategy. The Alliance anticipates awarding seven to ten grants.

The Explore Fund offers £15,000 to support youth organising to test new ideas that explore knowledge or action gaps in the youth organising field. These grants are to support groups and organisations that are involved in youth organising to explore important questions about how to expand the reach of youth organising on behalf of the field or wider movement. The Alliance plans to make five grants.

The Alliance is hosting an information session on the 7th January (12pm).

The Fund welcomes applications from organisations, groups and coalitions that work to support youth organising.

The deadline for applications Anchor Grants is 26th January 2026.

The deadline for applications for Explore is 16th February 2026.

Email: youthorganising@civicpower.org.uk

Archives Revealed - Scoping Grants

Archives Revealed aims to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspective of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.

Their Scoping Grants scheme awards up to £3,000 to pay for independent consultant to produce an expert collections report (or scoping report).

This is designed to enable grantees to develop a better understanding of the content of their collection, advocate for the development of their service, improve audience engagement and prepare a case for support when applying for funding.

The Fund accepts applications from not-for-profit organisations with an archival collection and regulated by the Charity Commission.

Upcoming funding rounds:

Round 5: Opens 19th January 2026 and closes 19th February 2026
Round 6: Opens 18th May 2026 and closes 18th June 2026

Tel: 020 8876 3444

Email: archivegrants@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust - Hidden Voices Round 2

The Trust’s Hidden Voices Programme supports projects that give underrepresented members of the Armed Forces community direct access to tailored mental health and wellbeing support.

Hidden Voices offers grants of £3,000 to £25,000 for projects delivered over 12 months.

Your project must achieve two outcomes:

Provide equitable, bespoke mental health and wellbeing support for underrepresented groups
Raise awareness among organisations through shared learning and best practice

Your project must be designed around serving personnel, veterans, or their families and carers who face barriers. Beneficiaries may include ethnic minorities, carers, people with disabilities, LGBT+ individuals, those for whom English is an additional language, and Foreign and Commonwealth communities.

The Trust accepts applications from registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and local authorities. Charities and CICs must have operated for at least one year. If you lack recent Armed Forces experience, the Trust suggests partnering with an experienced organisation.

Round 2’s deadline for applications is 21st January 2026 (12 noon).

Email: info@covenantfund.org.uk

Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust

The Trust supports local charities working in the fields of care for young and older people, health, education and religion in Hampshire, Surrey, West and East Sussex.

Grants range from £500 to £1,000, with a few smaller grants of £200 and larger grants of £5,000.

The Trustees review applications three times a year. Applications are reviewed by a panel of Trustees three times a year.

Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust, Thomas Eggar House, Friary Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1UF

Tel: 01243 786111

Email: shippam@irwinmitchell.com

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need (BBCiN) provides two, separate funds. Each offers £1,000 to £40,000 per year for up to three years.

Core Costs Grants for central day-to-day operations, for example: management and administration; HR and payroll; accountancy; communications and outreach; monitoring, evaluation, and learning; governance)
Project Grants - restricted funding to support the aims and delivery of a specific piece of work

Both funds share the same overarching purpose: to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people experiencing disadvantage.

All applicants must address at least one of the programme’s four key strategic outcomes:

Preventing mental health issues
Alleviating the impact of poverty and
Reducing social inequity for marginalised children and young people
Addressing the impact of family-related challenges faced by children and young people, such as caring responsibilities, bereavement, or experience of care

BBCiN also considers youth work, including activity-based clubs and detached youth work; family support and play for early years children.

BBCiN has established Local Funding Priorities tailored to specific geographical areas, including East Sussex. For full details, please refer to the Local Funding Priorities section at the bottom of their webpage

BBCiN welcomes applications from registered charities and not-for-profits, and prioritises small, local organisations.

To apply, check eligibility and local funding priorities, then book a mandatory pre-application advice session via Microsoft Teams. You can then submit an Expression of Interest. If successful, you’ll be invited to complete BBCiN’s full application.

BBCiN’s grants panel make decisions on applications twice per year; however, you can submit an Expression of Interest any time.

The panel’s next decision meeting is due to take place in April 2026. The second 2026 date will be confirmed soon.

Tel: 0345 609 0015

Email: pudseygrants@bbc.co.uk

BlueSpark Foundation

BlueSpark Foundation supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other projects.

It accepts applications from schools, community groups, clubs, and societies for small-scale initiatives that might not otherwise happen.

Grants are modest—usually under £2,000 and never more than £5,000—but can make a significant impact.

The Foundation prioritises projects that build confidence, teamwork, and employability, supporting items such as iPads, sports equipment, stage lighting, coaching, tuition, or experiences like theatre visits.

The Foundation accepts applications on a rolling basis.

Tel: 020 8661 9997

Email: contact@bluesparkfoundation.org.uk

Central Social and Recreational Trust

The Central Social and Recreational Trust supports organisations providing sport and leisure activities for disadvantaged children and young people under the age of 21 years.

The Trust typically awards up to £1,500 to cover equipment for all club members or to maintain properties owned by the club, including those with a substantial lease period.

Note, the Trustees will only pay suppliers directly. It is therefore necessary for the clubs to obtain a written quotation/invoice from the supplier.

The Trust welcomes applications from sports clubs and organisations that are affiliated to their governing body, ie Amateur Boxing Association of England, National Association of Clubs for Young People, Football Association.

You can apply anytime.

Email: beverleygold@btinternet.com

Clothworkers’ Foundation – Open Grants Programme for capital costs

The Clothworkers’ Open Grants Programme provides funding for capital costs that strengthen the infrastructure of charitable organisations serving disadvantaged and marginalised communities.

The Foundation supports work aligned with any of their Programme Areas:

Substance misuse and addiction
Disabilities (including mental health and visual impairment). Those providing support to the families and carers
Communities experiencing racial inequalities
Young people facing disadvantage
Domestic and sexual abuse
Older people facing disadvantage
Homelessness
Prison and rehabilitation
LGBT+ communities
Economic disadvantage

Organisations can apply for grants for work on buildings; equipment; vehicles and digital infrastructure.

The Foundation offers two levels of grant:

Small grants – up to £15,000 for organisations with a turnover of less than £2 million
Large grants – more than £15,000 for organisations with a turnover over £2 million

The Foundation welcomes applications from charities registered with the Charity Commission, Community Interest Companies (limited by guarantee without share capital), and Community Benefit Societies.

You can apply anytime.

Email: foundation@clothworkers.co.uk

Francis Winham Foundation

The Foundation provides grants of £5,000 to £10,000 to charities and institutions in England that aim to improve the quality of life for older people.

Eligible applicants include registered charities and organisations with charitable purposes aligned to the Trust’s objectives, including those exempt from registration.

Francis Winham Foundation, Flat 4, 2 Dovehouse Street, London, SW3 6BF

Tel: 0207 795 1261

Email: francinetrust@outlook.com

Green Hall Foundation – opens March 2026

The Green Hall Foundation aims to improve the lives of sick, elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged people.

Green Hall’s grants typically range from £1,000 - £10,000. The Foundation supports special projects or the purchase of specific equipment that will make a tangible difference to the relevant charity (for example, where the Foundation can meet a significant proportion of the funding required), and which will make a lasting difference.

The Foundation accepts applications from registered charities.

The Trustees meet twice yearly to consider applications. When they open for applications, only the first 150 applications go forward to the Trustees. Once the limit has been reached, the application cycle will be closed, which is normally within two days.

Their next funding round opens on 2nd March 2026 (9am).

Tel: 01534 487757

Email: greenhallfoundation@fcmtrust.com

Grow Wild Community Programme - 2026

The Grow Wild Community Programme, led by Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, is for groups passionate about transforming urban spaces.

In 2026, the programme will reopen and invite 23 groups from across the UK to take part.

Successful applicants will receive a grant of £2,000 to create vibrant spaces using UK native plants or fungi, enhance local wildlife, and engage their communities in meaningful ways.

Alongside funding, Grow Wild offers support through online knowledge-sharing sessions, connecting participants with experts—including special guests from Kew—and other community groups. To help projects thrive long-term, the programme also provides a £500 follow-on grant in spring 2027.

Grow Wild welcomes applications from groups of all experience levels and love receiving applications from first time growers.

Applications for the 2026 programme will open soon, with a closing date of 4th February 2026 (3pm).

Tel: 020 8332 3842

Email: hello@growwilduk.com

Ironmongers’ Foundation

The Ironmongers’ Foundation seeks to address the shortage of skilled STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workers in the UK.

It supports registered and except charities with initiatives that inspire young people to study science subjects and progress into STEM-related education or vocational training, with a particular emphasis on Materials Science.

This discipline focuses on understanding the production, properties, and engineering applications of materials, viewed through physics, chemistry, mathematics, or vocational studies.

The Foundation offers grants of up to £10,000, favouring smaller projects where its contribution can make a significant impact.

The Foundation accepts applications from registered or exempt charities. Note, the Foundation is prioritising urban areas outside London and particularly areas in the north and midlands with a manufacturing presence, so bear this in mind.

Their next funding round opens 1st January and closes 1st April 2026.

Tel: 020 7776 2311

Email: charities@ironmongers.org

Leathersellers' Foundation – Small Grants Programme

The Foundation’s Small Grants programme offers one-off grants up to £5,000 to support small, registered charities, working with vulnerable people living in geographical areas of high deprivation.

The Foundation is looking for organisations that:

Understand the needs of their local community
Are open and transparent about their work and finances
Are working in partnership with others

The Foundation’s Small Grants fund is specifically for small, registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations with an annual income under £200k.

Leathersellers’ will have 8 application rounds, with submissions accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with the total number capped at 40 per round. (This can occur with one hour of the application window opening).

Applicants who have started an application form and then find that the maximum applications have been reached can save a draft and return to their application when the next round opens.

The Foundation provides a list of key dates on their website.

The Foundation reopens for applications on 15th December 2025 at 10am. Future application windows include 2nd Feb, and 7th April 2026.

Tel: 020 7330 1452

Email: charityapp@leathersellers.co.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support - Macmillan CARE grants

Macmillan’s CARE Grants Programme supports community organisations across the UK to tackle unfairness in cancer care.

The Programme is for community-led projects that challenge the current system and create lasting change for people facing the greatest barriers to care.

The Fund has a total of £1.5 million for this first round, with grants ranging from £50,000 to £150,000 for projects lasting one - two years.

Projects should offer new insights and impact and focus on one of the following three themes:

Cultural Responsiveness in Cancer Care - Projects that help healthcare services better understand and meet the cultural needs of different communities and remove barriers to person-centred care
Shared Decision-Making - Projects that make it easier for people to understand their treatment options, take part in decisions about their cancer care, and reduce unfair differences in how this happens
Dementia-Friendly Cancer Care - Projects that support people living with both cancer and dementia, improve their care experience, and help them and their carers take part in treatment decisions

Macmillan is providing information webinars that will cover not only the Macmillan CARE Grant but also other Macmillan grants currently available for community applicants. They also offer pre-application support calls.

Their next webinar is 8th January 2026 (3:30pm – 4:30pm). You need to register.

The Programme is open to voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise organisations, including registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations, Companies Limited by Guarantee, faith-based organisations residents/tenants association and community groups, sports clubs and Recreational/Social clubs and Community benefit societies.

Their deadline for applications is 23rd January 2026 (5pm).

Tel: 020 7840 7840

Email: CommunityGrants@macmillan.org.uk

Music for All - Community Project Funding – Round 5

Music for All’s current round supports the following distinct areas:

Groups working with those facing chronic diseases and conditions affecting quality of life – grants of up to £1,500 for community groups in deprived or marginalised areas developing music education for those living in the area
Groups working with those facing financial hardship – grants of up to £1,500 for community groups in deprived or marginalised areas developing music education for those living in the area
Youth clubs and comparable organisations usually targeting 8–24-year-olds – awards £1,000 and £6,000 for mentoring/coaching as well as eight-track software, audio interface hardware, cloud subscription, studio kit, instruments with cases and amps
Pure tone classical guitar - open to applications from groups/schools using entry level half-size acoustic guitars to support communities in deprived or marginalised areas and developing music education for those living in the area
Descant recorders – this award is open to applications from groups/schools using entry-level descant recorders to support communities in deprived or marginalised areas

The next deadline for applications is 14th January 2026 (12 noon).

Tel: 0140 362 8892

Email: awards@musicforall.org.uk

Percy Bilton Charity – small capital grants

The Percy Bilton Charity provides capital grants to support the following:

Young people (under 25): Supported housing, education/training projects, and recreational facilities for disadvantaged youth
People with disabilities: Residential, respite, occupational, and recreational facilities for children and adults with physical, learning, or mental health challenges
Older people (60+): Day centres, nursing/residential homes, sheltered accommodation, and respite care for frail individuals or those with dementia

The Charity provides two funding strands:

Large Grants (£2,000–£5,000) – exclusively for registered charities
Small Grants (up to £750) – for non-registered organisations, provided they supply a reference from a registered charity or Voluntary Service Council

The Trustees prefer to fully fund specific items of furniture and equipment (excluding office items). Otherwise, the Trustees aim to complete projects rather than contribute to early stages, so requests for minibuses, building, or refurbishment works are only considered at the final stage of fundraising when the shortfall is £15,000 or less.

Please note. minibus costs are eligible only if the vehicle will be used to transport older or disabled people with mobility problems.

You can apply anytime.

Tel: 07961 918 949

Email: information@percybiltoncharity.org

Pets Foundation - Preventing Pet Relinquishment

Pets Foundation’s Preventing Pet Relinquishment Programme supports projects which aim to keep pets with their owners and out of rescue. This includes projects providing emergency pet fostering for people facing crisis, subsidised veterinary care, neutering schemes, and pet food banks.

The Programme provides one-off grants or up to three years of funding, to a maximum of £80,000 per year. The amount awarded is subject to the size of the organisation.

The Foundation accepts applications from organisations whose main charitable activity is:

The provision of temporary ('foster') care to pets for reasons including, but not limited to, their owner entering sheltered accommodation, needing hospitalisation, or escaping domestic abuse
The provision of practical assistance to pet owners struggling to care for their pet due to their own ill-health, physical disability, financial circumstances or because they are homeless or vulnerably housed

The Foundation welcomes applications registered charities and Community Interest Companies. They prioritise small and medium sized organisations.

This is a rolling programme, with decisions being made multiple times throughout the year.

Tel: 0161 486 6688

Email: info@petsfoundation.co.uk

Screwfix Foundation

Screwfix Foundation supports practical projects to fix, repair and maintain properties and community facilities.

The Foundation awards up to £5,000 to organisations working with and for people and communities in need due to hardship, sickness, or disability or other forms of disadvantage.

Eligible costs include:

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

The Foundation prioritises projects that Screwfix can fully fund.

They welcome applications from registered charities, Community Benefit Societies and Community Interest Companies.

You can apply any time. The Foundation’s trustees meet quarterly to review submissions. To align with these meetings, the next deadlines are 10th February (for a decision by 30th March) and 10th May (for a decision by 30th July).

Tel: 01935 414100

Email: foundation@screwfix.com

Swire Charitable Trust

Swire Charitable Trust supports registered charities working with some of the UK’s most vulnerable people to overcome barriers and realise their potential, and charities who are protecting the UK’s environment and heritage.

Projects must address at least one of the Trust's funding programme objectives:

Opportunity - frontline charities that deliver practical help to people most at risk of being overlooked, creating pathways to break cycles of disadvantage. This includes organisations working with ex-service personnel, victims of slavery and trafficking, and children and young people who are in local authority care, involved in the criminal justice system, or living in areas of socio-economic disadvantage
Nature Programme - The Trust is interested in supporting charities that promote nature-friendly farming, urban farms, and community green spaces, particularly in disadvantaged areas. It also seeks to fund activities that enhance the health and resilience of the UK’s ecosystems, habitats, and native species
Heritage Programme – projects that regenerate heritage sites in ways that also deliver meaningful social and economic benefits to disadvantaged communities. It prioritises grassroots organisations that actively engage with local people. The programme also supports charities working to safeguard endangered skills and knowledge essential to the UK’s heritage sector

The Trust does not set a minimum or maximum grant size but typically limits awards no more than 10% of the charity’s most recent annual income. It funds core costs, capital expenditures, and salaries.

Most grants are for one year only; the Trust will occasionally consider multi-year grants of up to three years for charities previously supported.

The Trust runs a rolling programme with regular grant making meetings.

Tel: 020 7963 9417

Email: info@scts.org.uk

Theatres Trust Small Grants Scheme

This Scheme funds small capital improvements to theatres run by charities and not-for-profit groups that will make a big impact to a theatre's resilience, sustainability or accessibility, or improve the diversity of audiences.

The Trust awards up to £7,500.

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than five years
Run a regular theatre programme of professional, community and/or amateur work presenting no less than 30 performances a year.

Their next deadline for applications is 16th January 2026 (5pm).

Tel: 020 7836 8591

Email: grants@theatrestrust.org.uk

Truemark Trust

The Truemark Trust supports small, locally based registered charities addressing social distress and disadvantage.

The fund prioritises neighbourhood-based community projects and innovatory work with less popular groups.

Most grants are between £1,000 and £5,000

You can apply anytime. The Trustees consider application quarterly.

Truemark Trust, PO Box 2, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 6YP

Tel: 07970 540015

Email: truemark.trust01@ntlworld.com

Ufi - VocTech Activate

Ufi’s VocTech Activate Fund supports early-stage projects that use digital tools and approaches to transform how people gain skills for work.

It’s designed to help you test new ideas, prove their potential, and move towards scalable solutions.

The Fund has a total budget of £900,000 and will make grants from £30,000–£60,000 for projects lasting 3–12 months. Awards offered for any individual project will depend on the problem being addressed, and the nature and scale of the proposed solution.

VocTech welcomes applications from early-stage businesses, smaller digital innovators, charities, trade bodies, learning providers, and employers.

Applications can be strengthened by demonstrating a collaborative approach, especially where employers and digital learning specialists are working together.

The funder encourages all applicants to attend a grant workshop before applying.

The Scheme opens for applications on 6th January 2026 and closes on 3rd February 2026.

Email: info@ufi.co.uk

Weaver’s Company Benevolent Fund - Ex-offenders and Criminal Justice

The Weaver’s Company Benevolent Fund offers grants to charities addressing its key priority areas:

Supporting offenders and ex-offenders into work, specifically for those looking to build skills and capability to get into sustainable work
Helping specific groups within the criminal justice sector that are less popular with funders than others.

Their secondary funding area focuses on young people (aged 16 to 25 years) involved with the Criminal Justice System, ensuring opportunities to realise their potential and participate fully in society, rather than general youth development projects.

The Fund offers two levels of support: small grants up to £5,000 and main grants with no maximum amount.

These grants fund project delivery, cover core costs such as staff salaries and training, and help organisations launch pioneering work.

Weaver’s welcome applications from registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations.

You can apply anytime. The Trustees review applications three times a year.

Their deadlines are 12th March (midday), 2nd July and 12th November.

Tel: 020 7606 1155

Email: charity@weavers.org.uk

Youth Music Catalyser Fund – Round 6

The Youth Music Catalyser Fund will re-open in February 2026.

This Fund offers grants between £30,001 and £300,000 to organisations who want to sustain work, scale-up delivery, or create change in sector practice.

Projects are to run for two to four years. The funding can support a mix of delivery costs and core costs.

Catalyser programmes must support children and young people who face barriers to make, learn or earn in music, and aim to make music activity more inclusive so everyone can access it.

Your work must meet one of their themes:

Early years
Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
Youth justice system
Young people facing barriers
Young adults
Organisations and the workforce

The Funder is open to not-for-profit organisations; these are constituted groups and organisations registered with companies house or the charity commission.

There is one Catalyser Fund application round a year. Applying involves a two-stage process, starting with an Expression of Interest.

The Fund’s portal will open for Expressions of Interest on 20th February and close 20th March 2026 (5pm).

Tel: 020 7902 1060

Email: grants@youthmusic.org.uk

7stars Foundation

7stars Foundation supports organisations working with young people (aged 18 and under) challenged by abuse and addiction, those who are young carers, and those who are homeless or without a safe space to call home.

The Foundation offers:

Project Grants up to £5,000 for projects aligned with the Foundation’s core themes. This is open to registered charities, children’s homes or schools
Bright Long-Term Grants offers up to £30,000 per year for two years, supporting innovative projects that address root causes of disadvantage. This is open to registered charities
Child Poverty Grants awards up to £30,000 per year for two years, providing unrestricted funding to strengthen organisations tackling child poverty. One charity partner is selected per year. Fund currently closed – due to open 1st March 2026)
Social Impact Grants offering up to £5,000 per year for two years, for charities addressing key societal issues affecting young people - open to registered charities
Individual Grants – these are one-off grants up to £500 for safeguarding professionals representing a young person in need
Fully Funded Apprenticeships – for staff in charities, Community Interest Companies, schools, nurseries, or children’s homes to enhance support for young people

Note - each of the funds above have specific areas of focus throughout the year. Check the funder’s website to ensure your project aligns with their current focus areas.

Their deadline for applications is 30th April 2026 (other than Apprenticeships which has no deadline, and Child Poverty Grants which opens 1st March 2026).

Email: info@the7starsfoundation.co.uk