Grant funding is quite possibly the most integral piece of community interest and nonprofit work.

The spirit of connection stems from lending a hand to those that really need it. And this practice works best when we are vulnerable to our needs, identifying how our community partners can help us succeed.

Charities and community organizations benefit greatly from grant funding throughout the year. And so do the people that they support. From homeless services to education, a helping hand can mean the difference between thriving and barely surviving.

In many cases, nonprofit work will request a grant to pay for a caseworker or behavioral mental health counselors salary for the year for a grant-funded position. These funds set community members up for success and allow them to reach their population with tenacity and compassion.

There’s a lot to take into consideration when searching for grants that will benefit your organization. Providers will normally discuss whether or not an organization’s mission aligns with theirs. They’ll make a decision whether or not to award that group.

Start at the Beginning

With so many grant resources, it can be tough to spend valuable time doing the research for each one. And, how many eligibility tests can you take until you find the right one?

The best practice is to consider a funder that has a similar interest in the work that you’re doing. If your organization is promoting arts and heritage, consider a funding organization that would honor those requests.

We’ve done the leg work for you and dug up a few grants that are worth your time. These organizations are doing incredible work, allocating the funds necessary to stimulate change and equality throughout the world.

Each one, like your organization, brings something unique to the table. And it’s in these differences that we unite and create coverage for all walks of life. How do we fill specific needs if we don’t work as a collective?

Here are some grant opportunities to apply for and utilize in your community work.

Foyle Foundation

The Small Grants Scheme seeks to support local charities still active in their communities who are currently delivering services to adolescents, the elderly, and other unprotected community members.

1. What They Fund

This grant was established to lend a hand to grass-roots initiatives and less-established fellowship groups. This grant favors arts, heritage groups, and various community activities.

2. Criteria and Eligibility 

Any UK registered charity is encouraged to apply. Especially those working on the front line community level in any field, are welcome to apply. It should be noted that the Small Grants Scheme cannot extend support to individuals. They specifically work with charities that turn over less than £150,000 per year.

It is recommended that the organizations applying have sustainable funding for the next 12 months. Demonstrating this will help your application.

3. How Much Can You Apply For

Charities can apply for between £1,000 and £10,000.

4. How to Apply

The Small Grants Scheme is currently accepting online applications and began on June 1st, 2020 until further notice under the impact of COVID-19. 

To apply you can discuss the impact of COVID-19 on your organization to date what services you can still provide what your revised COVID-19 income and impact would look like.  The majority of grants are in the range of £10,000 to £50,000.

The National Lottery Community Fund

The mission of this program is to do extraordinary things for the world. To emulate positive change and to lead by example. This program knows no bounds, serving communities of every size and location.

1. What They Fund

The impact of COVID-19 on your organization to date, what services you can still provide, and what your revised COVID-19 income and impact would look like.  

2. Criteria and Eligibility 

Volunteer led community and public sector organizations are encouraged to apply as there are several grants for varying community programs.

3. How Much Can You Apply For

The majority of grants are in the range of £10,000 to £200,000 but some have no maximum grant amount, stating funds available for set programs could be up to £10 million.

4. How to Apply

The application deadline is ongoing, so there is no expiration date. This person-centered grant supports all community projects striving for a better climate for all of us to harmoniously exist in.

You can apply for grants under 10,000.

You can also apply for funds over 10,000

The National Lottery Community Fund provides funding between £300 and £10,000 to communities and people most adversely impacted by COVID-19.

The Small Charities Challenge Fund

The Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF) mission is to strengthen the relationships between global entities and help small projects grow resilient in their communities. To have accessibility to food, compassion, and a safe place for everyone to sit at the table together.

1. What They Fund

The world’s most vulnerable people. And we know that community everywhere, especially those marginalized, are experiencing at risk living on a level unseen in today’s world.

2. Criteria and Eligibility 

The SCCF grant provides funding that directly helps small UK-registered organizations. 

3. How Much Can You Apply For

The SCCF grants an amount up to £50,000 per available projects for up to a two-year duration. 

4. How to Apply

The SCCF is always open for project grant applications. Applications are reviewed every six months and dates are listed on the UK Aid Direct website.

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust has a program called Rights and Justice, where they award grants that promote the end of systemic racism and protecting vulnerable members in our society.

They believe in the ability to strive for a person-centered world and protect and advocate for human rights. For marginalized group leaders and organizations, but also for everyone to help represent and lift up those who are suffering the most.

1. What They Fund

The world’s most vulnerable people. And we know that community everywhere, especially those marginalized, are experiencing at risk living on a level unseen in today’s world.

2. Criteria and Eligibility 

An organization can be awarded if it meets the following expectations: 

• your organization is governed by an unpaid board
• your organization is not for profit
• your organization’s formal purposes fall within the list of charitable purposes recognized

The SCCF grant provides funding that directly helps small UK-registered organizations. 

3. How Much Can You Apply For

The SCCF grants an amount up to £50,000 per available projects for up to a two-year duration. 

4. How to Apply

The application process runs several times per year, the next registration deadline is March 5th, 2021. Click here to go to the application and eligibility page.

The Garfield Weston Foundation

The kind of flexibility and consideration The Garfield Weston Foundation honors is what makes this grant unique. There are so many umbrellas from which to step out. Organizations of many causes and missions should consider connecting to this foundation.

1. What They Fund

The Foundation supports UK registered charities supporting community health, wellness, education, heritage, environment, and more. Its base is so broad that it’s difficult to cover each path they pave for the world.

2. Criteria and Eligibility 

The funding can be used for capital, project, and revenue expenses.

3. How Much Can You Apply For

This grant application is open all year round for grants under £100,000. 

4. How to Apply

To apply, you’ll need to send an email to Grants Administrator, Ciara Molloy at cmolloy@garfieldweston.org. She will discuss eligibility and further processes with you from there. Feel Free to visit the Application Page.

Help and Support

If you have any questions or need help with applying online,
please give us a call on 020 7399 6565 or email us at
admin@garfieldweston.org.

The Allen Lane Foundation

The Allen Lane Foundation focuses on funding “unpopular causes,” stretching to reach the uncommon or those who slip through the cracks.

1. What They Fund

The Allen Lane Foundation funds charities and other organizations that fall into 7 different at-risk categories of people:

• Asylum seekers and refugees
• Gypsies and Travellers
• Migrant communities
• Offenders and ex-offenders
• Older people
• People experiencing mental health problems
• People experiencing violence or abuse

2. Criteria and Eligibility  

To help organizations create fluidity by helping them become sustainable, to have flexibility, and help adults through charitable causes.

3. How Much Can You Apply For

Throughout a normal year, the Allen Lane Foundation provides around 150 grants. This totals out somewhere between £750,000 and £800,000. 

4. How to Apply

To apply for funding, you’ll head over to their website to take an eligibility quiz for your organization. Processing these applications takes around two to six months per application.

The board of trustees meets three times per year to discuss applications, generally in February, June, and October. Applications submitted now will be considered in the June 2021 meeting.

Finding Grants for Your Organization

Community is the beginning and end of everything.

The good news is, there are so many avenues to funding your organization’s needs. People around the world are interested in supporting these important, groundwork causes and don’t necessarily know the best way to help.

So, donors and funders around the globe band together and contribute funds to the meaningful work grassroots organizations continue to do. It takes the entire community and then some to pull off the greatest support.

When you’re searching for the right grant to connect to, you may want to research what their core values are. Does their mission align with yours?

It would have to be three parts heart, two parts resilience, and five parts vulnerability. The willingness to sit in community with those who need guidance cannot be measured.

The simple gesture of showing up where it is most needed speaks a billion words without saying anything at all.

Grant Funding uk

There are so many opportunities for your organization to receive the funding it needs to flourish. To reach its community with ease and fortitude. An impressive, everlasting marker of resilience and togetherness.

From the arts to humanitarian work, people across the world are filled with resources and looking for the exact mission to align their funding with. That person and that organization could be you.

When you’re looking for grant guidance, you want the best of the best guiding the way. Connect with us to learn more about grant funding and support for your community.

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Categories: Charities, Charity, CIC, cic grants, Community Interest Companies, Coronavirus, Grant Funding uk, Social Enterprises

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