Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust: Ann Rylands Small Donations

Unrestricted donations of up to £5,000, typically £2,000 to £3,000, for smaller UK health and care charities supporting older people, disabled people, people with serious or chronic illness, those needing palliative care and people facing mental health challenges. Applicants may ask for core costs or a specific project. Faith-based organisations, CICs, one-off events, feasibility work, medical research and charities with 12 months or more of free reserves are excluded.
Where: UK wide.
Deadline: None. Rolling
Eligibility: Charities registered with the Charity Commission or the equivalent regulator elsewhere in the UK for at least three years, with income of £100,000 to £2 million. Not CICs, community groups, religious organisations, village halls, uniformed groups or charities funded in the last 12 months.

The National Lottery Community Fund: National Lottery Awards for All

UK wide, one programme for each nation
Four programmes with one shape: between £300 and £20,000 for projects lasting up to two years that bring people together, improve local places and spaces, help people reach their potential early or ease cost of living pressures. Running costs, staff and training, equipment, transport, utilities, volunteer expenses and small land or refurbishment projects can be funded. Scotland adds an arts and sports strand of up to £10,000 over 12 months; Wales covers the costs of delivering in Welsh and English; Northern Ireland does not fund projects focused on sports, arts, heritage or pre-school provision. Decisions take 12 to 16 weeks. Programme pages: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Where: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, through its own programme in each.
Deadline: None. Rolling
Eligibility: Constituted voluntary or community groups, registered charities, CIOs, not-for-profit companies, CICs, community benefit societies, schools (community benefit only) and statutory bodies including councils, and at least two board or committee members who are not related to each other. Not individuals, sole traders or for-profit companies.

Music for All: Schools and Community Groups Awards (Round 4)

Mostly gifts in kind rather than cash: five electro-acoustic or electro-classical guitars, or sets of up to 12 acoustic guitars, up to 30 ukuleles or up to 30 pBuzz instruments, for groups in deprived or marginalised areas facing barriers to music-making, plus up to three Arturia Analog Lab licences for groups already working with music technology. One strand is a cash award of up to £1,500 for groups and schools in those areas giving children aged 0 to 4 chances to make music. Retrospective costs are not funded.
Where: UK wide; applications from within the UK only.
Deadline: 12 noon, Monday 30 November 2026; witness statements by 12 noon, Friday 4 December 2026
Eligibility: UK-based schools, educational establishments, community organisations and similar not-for-profit groups in deprived or marginalised areas. Legal forms are not specified on the awards page.

Sport England: Movement Fund

Grants or crowdfunding pledges of £300 to £15,000 for community physical activity projects lasting up to 12 months, aimed at people who face barriers to being active. Fundable work includes new sessions, small-scale improvements to spaces and equipment, green activity projects, building an organisation’s capacity and responding to emergencies. Coaches, sessional workers, facility hire and volunteer expenses can be paid. Existing salaries, rent and utilities, retrospective costs and children’s play are not funded.
Where: England. Activities for people outside England are not funded.
Deadline: None. Rolling
Eligibility: Not-for-profit sports clubs, community groups, charities, local authorities, not-for-profit companies and schools (where the wider community benefits), with a governing document and three unrelated trustees or directors. Not individuals or companies limited by shares.

Paddle Trust grants

The Paddle Trust funds projects across that improve public access to water for all forms of paddlesport. Projects may create accessible launching and landing sites while also protecting natural blue spaces, including rivers and coastlines.

Projects could include platforms or ramps for launching and landing. Other examples include steps and accessible paths to the water’s edge, extra parking for water users and signage promoting safe and responsible use of waterways.

The Trust is particularly interested in projects that benefit multiple user groups and provide opportunities for a wide range of paddlers, rather than facilities restricted to club members. Projects that improve access while protecting the waterway or riverbank environment are also encouraged.

Applications are welcomed from paddling clubs, community groups, parish councils, local authorities and other individuals or organisations with an active interest in improving access to water and protecting the environment. Partnerships with local paddlesport groups that can support the ongoing use of facilities are also encouraged.

Grants of between £500 and £10,000 are available and the deadline for applications is 7 December 2026.

Funding window now open until 7th December 2026! – Paddle Trust

Small grants programme – Theatres Trust

Theatres Trust’s Small Grants Programme, supported by The Linbury Trust, funds small projects that make a big impact to a theatre’s resilience, sustainability, accessibility or improving the diversity of audiences.

This scheme provides grants of up to £7,500 for essential works to enable not-for-profit theatres across the UK to be viable and thrive in the future.

Eligible projects include small capital works, the installation of key plant and machinery and works which make theatre buildings digital-ready.

This scheme will prioritise improvements to buildings that protect theatre use and remove barriers to participation and attendance.

Priority will also be given to projects where the total project costs are less than £250k or where the grant is the sole external funder and / or achievable within the total fund awarded.

The deadline for applications is 15 January 2027.

Small Grants Programme supported by The Linbury Trust

Building grants for churches – Benefact Trust
This programme supports projects that strengthen the long-term sustainability of church buildings across the UK and Ireland. They prioritise funding for:

Essential church repairs and building works
Supporting church growth
Improving accessibility
Enhancing community use and social impact
Carbon reduction and environmental sustainability
Conservation of historic buildings
Grants can be of varying size and the programme is open to applications throughout the year.

Cash4Clubs

Cash4Clubs, funded by Flutter UKI, aims to help 250 grassroots sports and community clubs across Ireland and the UK. In partnership with UK charity Sported, these small grants of £2,000 to clubs and organisations that help keep adults engaged with sport, particularly in areas that need it most.

Grants are available for community sports clubs and organisations to use as they see fit, whether that’s to purchase new equipment, gain coaching qualifications or invest in the sustainability of their club.

Applications are open until 1 January 2027.

Connecting Communities grants – Morrisons Foundation

The Connecting Communities grants offer up to £20,000 to charities who provide placed-based services to the entire community or specific groups.

Funding is available to support capital projects that:

Breathe new life into local spaces: Upgrade and revitalise buildings and outdoor areas.
Bring people together: Reduce social isolation and foster a strong sense of belonging.
Secure the future: Ensure vital local services remain open and accessible for generations to come.
There is no fixed deadline to apply for a Connecting Communities grant, they process applications monthly.

Morrisons Foundation Connecting Communities Grant Request

Screwfix Foundation

The charity supports projects that improve, repair and maintain buildings and facilities used by people in need throughout the UK.

The Screwfix Foundation currently offers local registered charities and not for profit organisations funding in the region of £5,000.

The types of projects they fund are:

Improved energy efficient lighting & heating
Installation of new kitchen, bathroom etc.
Installation of a sensory room
General painting & decorating
Improving safety and security of a building
The next deadline for applications is 10 November 2026.

Improving digital presence grants – Fat Beehive Foundation

The Fat Beehive Foundation awards small grants of up to £2,500 to help charities improve their digital presence.

They support UK-based charities with an annual turnover of under £1 million, offering funding for a wide range of digital projects. Whether that’s building a new website, developing online resources, or improving digital accessibility, our aim is to help you reach more people, raise more funds and deliver more impact.

The Foundation can only support a limited number of projects based on the funding available for distribution in any given year. The Trustees are particularly keen to support traditionally hard-to-fund organisations, such as those supporting prisoners, refugees, or disadvantaged youth.

The next deadline for applications is the end of March 2027.

Thank you to Rural Services Network & Involve for the information contained in this article.