What Grants are Available for Small Charities in the UK Today?

Small charities play a vital role in communities across the UK, yet many still grapple with the same core issue: how to secure consistent, mission-aligned funding. While donations and events have their place, grants remain a crucial, and often underused, source of support.

The good news is that smaller organisations have more funding opportunities than many realise. From supermarket-backed community grants to unrestricted funding for operational costs, the options are diverse.

The challenge lies not just in knowing where to look, but in understanding which opportunities align with your charity’s size, structure, and purpose.

Below, we’ve compiled a structured list of the most relevant and accessible grants for smaller charities in the UK today.

Grants for Community-Led Projects & Local Initiatives

For charities focused on place-based work, community cohesion, or grassroots engagement, there’s a wide range of funding available to support buildings, volunteers, events, and essential resources.

These grants are typically accessible to smaller organisations with limited turnover, and many are open year-round or operate in rolling rounds. Below are key funders worth exploring:

1. Tesco Community Grants – Support for community buildings, equipment, and volunteer-led projects. Ideal for improving local spaces or supporting health and well-being.

2. Truemark Trust – Funds small, neighbourhood-based organisations working on community welfare, including poverty relief and access to basic services.

3. Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts – Sixteen independent trusts offering targeted support across sectors, including education, environment, and social justice.

4. Ashworth Charitable Trust – Offers grants of up to £3,000 to charities addressing social inclusion, human rights, and marginalised communities.

5. Aviva Community Fund – Focuses on building community resilience, financial inclusion, and climate action. Funding typically prioritises innovative and measurable projects.

6. John Ellerman Foundation – Provides core funding to charities in arts, environment, and social action, helping strengthen organisational capacity over time.

7. B&Q Foundation – Grants up to £10,000 for projects improving community spaces or addressing housing insecurity. Particularly suitable for refurbishment and access improvements.

8. Leathersellers’ Company Charitable Fund – Targets small charities tackling disadvantage in deprived areas, offering support for running costs or specific project needs.

9. Woodroffe Benton Foundation – Funds charities focused on elderly care, hardship alleviation, and environmental protection. Applications are accepted quarterly.

10. Rank Foundation – Pebble Grants – Open to UK charities with projects under £150k. Supports capital items, equipment, and short-term activity costs.

11. Oak Trust – Provides funding for charities working with disadvantaged individuals, health inequalities, and environmental initiatives.

12. Community Foundation Network – A network of local funders that provide place-based grants across the UK, including unrestricted and responsive funding.

13. Ford Britain Trust – Offers grants to community groups focused on education, youth opportunity, and environmental sustainability.

14. People’s Health Trust – Active Communities – Up to £40,000 for community-led projects addressing health inequalities and social isolation.

15. National Lottery Awards for All – Provides £300–£20,000 for community-focused projects. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and funding is quick to access.

16. Asda Foundation Grants – Various grants to support UK community groups, including the Empowering Local Communities Grant, Investing in Spaces and Places Grant, and U18 Better Starts Grant. These grants fund initiatives like improving community spaces, supporting youth activities, and enhancing local wellbeing. Eligible groups can apply through their local Asda Community Champion.

Grants for Unregistered Groups, Grassroots Campaigns & Niche Causes

Not every impactful initiative starts with a registered charity number. Many funders understand this and provide support to grassroots groups, campaign networks, and underrepresented causes, especially those overlooked by mainstream funding.

Below are several options if your organisation is newly formed, not yet registered, or working in a particularly marginalised space:

1. Edge Fund – Provides core funding for grassroots organisations tackling injustice and inequality. Prioritises radical, community-led efforts over formal structures.

2. KFC Foundation – Offers up to £10,000 to local groups empowering young people aged 11–25, particularly in skills development and employability.

3. Matthew Good Foundation – Grants for Good – A quarterly £15,000 fund shared by five small projects making a measurable difference in communities or the environment.

4. Lush Charity Pot – Funds human rights, animal protection, and environmental initiatives worldwide, with a strong emphasis on activism and social change.

5. Allen Lane Foundation – Supports small, often informal groups working with marginalised communities, including asylum seekers, ex-offenders, and survivors of abuse.

Unrestricted & Core Funding for Operational Support

For many small charities, covering the basics (staff, rent, IT systems) is harder than funding front-line projects. Core funding offers flexibility: it allows you to keep the lights on while investing in your team, strategy, and infrastructure.

These grants prioritise organisational resilience over restricted outputs, making them especially valuable for long-term planning.

1. Marsh Christian Trust – Provides ongoing, unrestricted support for charities working in arts, heritage, social welfare, environmental protection, and education.

2. Sir Jules Thorn – Ann Rylands Programme – Grants up to £5,000 for charities supporting people facing serious social or health-related challenges. Often directed to core costs.

3. Newby Trust – Small Charities – Provides core or overheads funding to very small charities working in education, health, and social welfare.

4. Masonic Charitable Foundation – Offers grants of up to £5,000 for small projects to support children, young people, and older people, including for operational costs.

5. YAPP Charitable Trust – Provides long-term funding (up to three years) for salaries or running costs to charities with annual income under £40,000.

6. Lloyds Bank Foundation – Unrestricted grants of up to £75,000 for small charities tackling complex social issues, alongside capacity-building support.

7. Tudor Trust – Provides flexible, multi-year core funding to voluntary and community-led organisations addressing marginalisation and social injustice.

8. Albert Hunt Trust – Funds charities supporting health, wellbeing, homelessness, and hospice care, typically through unrestricted or capital funding.

9. Archer Trust – Supports charities working with disadvantaged communities, particularly those operating on low incomes with little public profile.

Local Micro-Grants & Funeral Sector Community Support

Smaller, more targeted grants can be a lifeline for hyper-local projects. Whether you’re refurbishing a meeting space, funding volunteer expenses, or running outreach on a shoestring, these micro-grants can help you meet immediate needs.

Many funeral sector funders now contribute directly to local well-being initiatives, often with fast turnaround and minimal application overhead.

1. Ancaster Trust – Grants of £100–£500 for projects supporting disadvantaged people or environmental improvement. Especially suitable for grassroots initiatives.

2. H D Wills – Offers £500–£2,000 to general-purpose charities. Prioritises small organisations operating at a local level.

3. Funeral Partners Ltd – Community Grants – Funds projects focused on education, employment, and poverty relief in the communities served by its funeral homes.

4. Westerleigh Group – Distributes over £500,000 annually through crematoria-based community donations. Focuses on local impact and memorial-related projects.

5. R J Bray & Son – Bray Fund – Provides support to organisations serving Wadebridge, Cornwall. Emphasis on practical local benefit.

How to Ask for Grant Funding

Most trustees we speak to know what their charity needs but find it harder to translate that into a convincing grant application.

Funders want to support good work, but they also want to see evidence of planning, governance, and measurable outcomes.

A strong application needs to be clear, honest, and structured. Here’s a practical approach that can help you put your best foot forward:

1. Understand the Funder’s Priorities

Before anything else, check the funder’s eligibility criteria, funding themes, and preferred outcomes. If your project doesn’t align with their aims, it’s unlikely to succeed, even if the need is real.

2. Define Your Project Clearly

Funders expect a concise explanation of what you plan to do, who will benefit, and why it matters. Include a clear need statement backed by data or testimonials and define your intended impact using measurable outcomes.

3. Prepare a Realistic Budget

Break down your funding request by category (e.g., staff costs, materials, venue hire) and ensure figures are reasonable and justified. Funders value transparency and financial realism.

4. Follow the Instructions Precisely

Always use the funder’s application format, stick to the word count, and submit by the deadline. Tailoring your answers shows professionalism and respect for their process.

You can find a deeper guide on funding here.