The Big Lottery Fund distributes over £600m a year to communities across the UK, raised by players of The National Lottery
There are funds for under £10,000 and over £10,000.
Arts Council England
We invest in art and culture for a lasting return. We’re looking for organisations, artists, events, initiatives and others to apply for our funding and help us achieve our mission of great art and culture for everyone.
The Graham Kirkham Foundation
Grants for charitable work – with particular focus on social welfare, education and the arts.
The Graham Kirkham Foundation makes grants for general charitable purposes. In 2010 it made 13 grants ranging from £1,000 to £50,000.
What can be funded?
The Foundation makes grants for activities in the following areas:
- The promotion or development of the study of literature, art, music and science
- Education for people of any age and physical education for young people at school or university
- Relief of poverty
- Relief of illness and research into the prevention of illness
- The relief of suffering of birds and animals through the support of rescue homes, hospitals, sanctuaries and other similar organisations
- The relief of poverty and hardship of people connected with the armed services
- Drug misuse or dependence
- Facilities for public recreation
- The preservation of buildings of architectural interest or sites of historical interest or natural beauty.
When can you apply?
There are no application deadlines: apply at any time.
How to apply:
Apply in writing to the administrator:
Andrew Varnham, 8 Ebor Court, Redhouse Interchange, Adwick-Le-Street, Doncaster, DN6 7FE
Suitable for:
Applications welcomed from most groups
Please note that the foundation does not have a website.
Woodward Charitable Trust
The trust likes to support small scale locally based initiatives. Schools that are successful in receiving funding tend to be from a deprived area or be a special school. Current areas of priority are: education, environment, health, arts and community and social welfare (including children’s summer holiday schemes). Please see the website for full details and applicants are advised to call the administrator to discuss potential projects before applying.
Deadline: Trustees meet in January and July each year. Applications are usually requested at least one month prior. Summer play scheme application forms will be considered in May. Please check website or contact trust for accurate dates.
Contact details
T 20 7410 0330
contact@woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk
www.woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk
Suitable for
Schools
Community groups and organisations
Esmee Fairbairn
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people and communities throughout the UK both now and in the future. We do this by funding the charitable work of organisations with the ideas and ability to achieve positive change.
The Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK. We make grants of £30 – £35 million annually towards a wide range of work within the arts, education and learning, the environment and social change. We also operate a £21 million Finance Fund which invests in organisations that aim to deliver both a financial return and a social benefit.
Education programme
The Foundation’s Education programme covers two broad areas of interest: New approaches to education and Hard-to-reach learners. We look to support imaginative and flexible approaches to learning that are unlikely to be funded through statutory education sources. Where appropriate, we will support the costs of professional and curriculum development, research and evaluation.
There is full and extensive information about the grant programmes on the website including funding priorities, guidelines and how to apply.
Deadline
No deadline
Contact details:
Esmée Fairbairn, Foundation, Kings Place, 90 York way, London, N1 9AG
T 020 7297 4700
F020 7297 4701
info@esmeefairbairn.org.uk
www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk
Suitable for
Charities or not for profit organisations
The Tudor Trust
About:
The Tudor Trust is an independent grant-making trust, which supports voluntary and community groups working in any part of the UK.
Tudor supports work that tries to meet the many different needs of people at the margins of our society. They are interested in how organisations tackle these needs, and their root causes. They want to encourage progress, development and fresh ideas rather than keeping things as they are.
Tudor doesn’t have specific funding programmes. Their focus is on smaller forward-looking groups, led by capable and committed people. Some of the other characteristics they are looking for include:
- Organisations working directly with people who are at the margins of society
- A focus on building stronger communities by overcoming isolation and fragmentation and encouraging inclusion, connection and integration
- Organisations which are embedded in and have developed out of their community – whether the local area or a ‘community of interest’
- High levels of user involvement, and an emphasis on self-help where this is appropriate
- Work which addresses complex and multi-stranded problems in unusual or imaginative ways
- Organisations which are thoughtful in their use of resources and which foster community resilience in the face of environmental, economic or social change
Suitable for:
Tudor are more likely to fund groups with an annual turnover of less than £1 million.
However, they sometimes make grants to larger groups, particularly for work which could be influential or which a smaller organisation would not have the capacity to deliver. Call them on 020 7727 8522 if you are from a larger organisation and would like to discuss making an application.
Proposals from statutory bodies including schools will not be considered.
Organisations which are embedded in and have developed out of their community – whether the local area or a ‘community of interest’
Contact:
The Tudor Trust,
7 Ladbroke Grove,
London,W11 3BD
Tel: 020 7727 8522
Fax: 020 7221 8522
Ernest Cook Trust
About:
The Ernest Cook Trust is one of the UK’s leading educational charities. Rooted in the conservation and management of the countryside, the Trust actively encourages children and young people to learn from the land through hands-on educational opportunities on its estates and by offering grants.
The Ernest Cook Trust gives grants to registered charities, schools and not-for-profit organisations wishing to encourage young people’s interest either in the countryside and the environment or the arts (in the broadest sense) or aiming to raise levels of literacy and numeracy.
A large grants programme for awards of over £4,000 and a small grants programme for awards of under £4,000 operate throughout the year.
Small and large grants programme:
The small grants programme supports state schools and small registered charities which would like to undertake projects which meet the Trust’s objectives and require a small amount of pump-priming in order for such projects to take place. The programme is a rolling one, with meetings at two-monthly intervals throughout the year – but it is wise to think well ahead. Suitable applications are allocated to the next available meeting, however due to high demand you are advised to submit an application at least six months ahead of your project start date.
The large grants programme is aimed at more comprehensive education programmes: these sometimes require support for the salary of an education officer; in such cases the ECT would always expect to be a part-funder. The range of the programme is wide; over the years education projects linked to theatres, art galleries and orchestras have been supported, as have those covering a wide range of environmental and countryside projects.
How to apply:
There are no application forms. All applicants are asked to post a covering letter on the official headed paper of the applicant organisation.
Deadline:
The Trustees consider grant applications below £3000 at meetings in February, May, July, September and December. Grants in excess of £3000 need to be submitted by 31st January and 31st August.
Suitable for:
Registered charities, schools and not for profit organisations
Contact details:
The Ernest Cook Trust, The Estate Office, Fairford Park, Fairford, Gloucestershire GL7 4JH
T 01285 713273
F 01285 711692
www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk
The Fenton Arts Trust
About:
The Trust is an arts charity, one which focuses its efforts specifically on the support of artists at the beginning of their careers. Each year there are twenty five to thirty beneficiaries.
The Trust’s overall aim is to give encouragement and financial support to those actively contributing to the creative arts in the U.K. It seeks to assist individuals and organisations who are making a worthwhile contribution to the artistic and cultural life of this country. In particular it wishes to support artists at the beginning of their careers, the often-expressed desire of our founder.
The Trust has three objectives:
- to support final year or postgraduate students through the award of scholarships or bursaries
- to provide grants which will support or reward work or performance by individuals early in their careers
- to provide grants for institutions or organisations that share these aims.
The Fenton Arts Trust Grants are available to support individual works, activities, performances or prizes in the fields of drama, painting, sculpture, ballet, music and poetry.
Deadline
The trustees meet to discuss applications 3 times per year
Suitable:
Individuals and organisations
Contact:
The Fenton Arts Trust, PO Box 68825, London, SE23 9DG
The Sutton Trust
About:
The main objective of the Sutton Trust is to improve educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and increase social mobility.
The Sutton Trust has a rich history in funding a wide range of projects and research in the early years, primary and secondary schooling and further and higher education.
Their projects have a strategic importance: they might be particularly policy relevant, fill a gap in current provision or be bold and new in content or approach.
The Trust takes a proactive approach to the work it wishes to support and tends to develop programmes itself, contacting the organisations it wants to partner with. The vast majority of unsolicited proposals we receive are unsuccessful. We are however willing to consider exceptional proposals which fit closely with our specific areas of interest.
Please note that the Trust does not, as a matter of policy, provide funding for:
- Individuals
- Educational tuition fees
- Sports or arts projects
- Capital projects (building work, equipment etc)
- Expeditions
- General appeals
- Projects based outside the UK
If you feel your organisation has a programme which might interest them, please first complete a funding enquiry on the Contact Us page, including a couple of paragraphs describing your idea. If the idea is in line with their current priorities you may be asked to submit a brief proposal.
Deadline
No deadline
Suitable for
Schools
Universities
Community Groups
Charities
Research Bodies
Contact:
The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21 – 24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7802 1660 Fax: +44 (0)20 7802 1661
Garfield Weston Foundation
About:
Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant-making trust which has been supporting charities across the UK for over 50 years. From small community groups to large national institutions, their aim is to support organisations that have effective solutions to helping those most in need.
The Foundation supports a broad range of organisations and activities that share a commitment to making a positive impact to the lives of the communities in which they work, and that are driven by a desire to achieve excellence.
The Foundation aims to be responsive to where need is greatest. They therefore support a wide range of charitable activity rather than having specific priorities for funding or regional bias. Their Trustees support excellence and, rather than predetermining where funds should be given, prefer to respond on a flexible basis to organisations that can show that they are addressing a need and that their work is high quality.
How to apply:
The Foundation appreciates how challenging it is for charities to raise funds and aims to keep the process of applying uncomplicated with a one-stage application. We have two main streams of activity:
1. Major Grants – £100,000 and above
2. Regular Grants – ranging from £1,000 – £99,999
We accept applications at any time, therefore there are no formal deadlines for submitting applications and organisations should allow approximately four months for a final outcome
Deadline
No deadline
Suitable for
Charities
Schools and educational establishments
Contact:
+44 (0) 20 7399 6565
Garfield Weston Foundation, Weston Centre, 10 Grosvenor Street
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