Awards for All, and Reaching Communities – The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF)

Awards for All:

TNLCF offer funding from £300 to £20,000 and can support your project for up to two years. You can apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges.

They can fund projects that’ll do at least one of these things:

• bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
• improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
• help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage
• support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.

Reaching Communities England:

TNLCF fund projects and organisations that work to make positive changes in their community. By community they mean people living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences. They offer funding that starts at £20,001.

Their priorities are to fund projects that:

• support places, people or communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination, and
• support people and communities to shape the decisions that affect their lives.

Funding programmes | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk) 

Creative Foundations Fund – Arts Council England

This is is an open-access capital fund that supports creative and cultural organisations in England in revitalising, restoring, retrofitting, or renewing cultural assets, including urgent work to address issues which prevent organisations from effectively delivering work for the public.

Applicants must demonstrate that the investment in buildings and equipment is business-critical to delivering creative or cultural activity, minimising the risk of asset failure and increasing the economic sustainability of the creative and cultural sectors.

The fund is split into two strands:

Strand 1: grants of £100,000 up to and including £1 million.
Strand 2: grants above £1 million up to and including £10 million.
The online expression of interest form opens on 30 June and the deadline for expressions of interest is 25 July 2025.

Grants to connect communities to nature – The Naturesave Trust

Creative Foundations Fund: Guidance for applicants | Arts Council England

 Grants to connect communities to nature – The Naturesave Trust

The funder states: “Fresh air and exercise have long been recommended as a way for many to feel better, physically and mentally, but a connection to nature can also have a profound impact on our ability to create positive action for climate change.”

They are looking for grant applications up to £5000 from charities, community groups, and organisations who are working to connect communities to nature through:

Arts and cultural activities
Community gardening
Green gyms
Eco anxiety and mental health
Training a community with green skills
Conservation volunteering
Urban nature programmes
Social prescribing
Access to nature
Community wildlife surveys
Nature mindfulness
They are also open to other nature connection initiatives.

The deadline for applications is 15 July 2025.

The Naturesave Trust – Naturesave Insurance

NFU Mutual Charitable Trust grants

The objectives of Trust focus on the areas of agriculture, rural development and insurance in the UK and in particular:

Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to agriculture
Advance the education of young people within rural areas
Relieve poverty within rural areas
Promote the benefit and social welfare of inhabitants of rural communities by associating together with the inhabitants and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations to advance education and leisure
Promote research into agriculture associated activities
Advance the education of the public by means of research and dissemination of information in relation to insurance provided that the charity may also promote, facilitate and support any such other purposes as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales
The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.

The Trustees meet twice a year to consider applications received. These meetings are currently held in June and November. Applications for the November meeting must be submitted by 10 October 2025. Most grants fall within the range £1000 to £50,000.

NFU Mutual Charitable Trust: What do we do | NFU Mutual

Access without limits grants – DofE

This fund is open for applications until January 2026. Grant funding of up to £10,250 is available for eligible community and voluntary organisations to set up and deliver the DofE, as well as the enrolment costs for young people taking part.

DofE not only offer grant funding but support organisations every step of the way. This includes training for your staff and volunteers.

Access Without Limits – Community – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The Big Bike Revival – Cycling UK

The Big Bike Revival is an intervention for adults aimed at encouraging an uptake in cycling. By providing solutions to perceived barriers, adults are enabled to learn to how to cycle and to increase their cycling levels for short, everyday journeys. Events focus on presenting cycling as a practical, normal and habitual way to get around locally.

The Big Bike Revival is delivered across England by a wide range of community-embedded partners. Typically, these are volunteer-led groups, not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises that are rooted in local communities and working to address a range of local needs. Such groups can apply for grants to run events as part of Big Bike Revival.

Grant funding is available for any amount up to £3,500.

For Grants of £2,000, partners should be able to deliver at least 6 events.
For Grants of £3,500, partners should be able to deliver at least 10 events.
Events must take place by 31 October 2025. The deadline for applications is 14 July 2025.

Youth Music Trailblazer Fund

The Youth Music Trailblazer fund offers grants of £2,000 to £30,000 to organisations in England to run projects for children and young people (25 or under) to make, learn and earn in music. The project should trial work or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme or disrupt the status quo (or all three!).

Your work must meet one of the Fund’s themes:

Early years
Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
Youth justice system
Young people facing barriers
Young adults
Organisations and the workforce.
The next round of applications will open on 1 August and close on 29 August 2025.

Trees Outside Woodland Fund

About Us: The fund’s purpose is to establish trees outside woodland to create or enhance green spaces using a range of tree types and planting methods.
Criteria: Who can apply:

Local authorities based in England (county council, unitary authority, metropolitan or London borough, combined authority, district or city council)
Registered charities planning to undertake a project in England (with a turnover of more than £100,000)
Grant Size: Between £10,000 and £40,000
Deadline for applications: Expressions of interest will be accepted between 10 June 2025 and 31 October 2025, or until all funding has been allocated.

The National Lottery – Awards for All Environment

About Us: We fund community-led projects that improve the environment and help people connect with and enjoy nature where they live.
Criteria: Suitable for: Voluntary, statutory or community organisations. You can use the funding to:

start a new activity or continue an existing one
help your organisation adapt to new challenges
run one-off events that have a clear environmental benefit.
Grant Size: £300 to £20,000 for up to two years
Deadline for applications: 17th December 2025

Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund

About Us: To support larger improvement projects to rural community buildings in England such as full refits and extensions.
Criteria: The scheme is for those responsible for rural community buildings who wish to make substantive improvements to their building, whether that be extensions or improving energy efficiency and contributing to Net Zero. The funding aims to support the modernisation and improvement of village halls, so that they are fit for purpose and can provide activities which seek to achieve one or more of the following outcomes for their communities:

Improved health and/or wellbeing and/or reduction in rural loneliness.
Positive impact on the local environment, contributes towards net zero.
Support for the local rural economy.
Promotion of community cohesion.
Grant Size: Awards can be made to cover 20% of eligible project costs, from £7,500 to a maximum amount of £75,000.
Deadline for applications: There is currently no set deadline for completion of the Stage 1 form. However, there is no guarantee the application will be processed should the Fund be oversubscribed. ACRE will process applications in order of receipt.

Bracknell Forest Household Support Fund

The aim of the scheme is to support Bracknell Forest residents who are facing unexpected costs, need emergency help, and/or who have a low income and are most in need. The scheme provides a short term and one-off form of support and is offered in the event of an emergency or crisis when family, friends, charities, or insurance cannot help. It aims to help minimise the risk of harm to vulnerable residents and their household as well as ease the financial pressure for residents in Bracknell, who have low income and are most in need. Please note that only one application is allowed per household and, although the fund is open until March 2026, it may close earlier than advertised if the funds have been exhausted.

Bracknell Forest Community Conversations Fund

Bracknell Forest’s Community Partnership is developing a long-term plan to help local communities grow and thrive. This 10-year strategy is being created by the community.

Organisations can apply for a grant of up to £250 to host community engagement conversations. These conversations will help inform the 10-year communities strategy.

The National Archives – Spaces, Places and Belonging

The ‘Spaces, Places and Belonging’ Community Hub is a new national programme led by The National Archives in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries, the National Library of Wales, and the Community Archives & Heritage Group. Funded by the AHRC (UKRI), the Hub will support inclusive, community-led research across the UK’s galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) and heritage sectors.

It will offer three grant schemes—Seed Corn Grants, Skills Bursaries, and Project Grants—totalling £550,000, alongside a programme of training, digital skills development, and network-building. The Hub will also create a permanent digital platform to share resources, learning, and best practice, ensuring that community engagement becomes a lasting part of the national collection. Designed to empower underrepresented communities and build confidence across the sector, the Hub will be a collaborative, flexible, and sustainable space for innovation and inclusion.

Seed Corn Grants offer between £500 and £5,000 to support early-stage, exploratory projects that spark new ideas and approaches to community engagement with heritage. These grants are designed for community groups and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) organisations looking to test concepts, build partnerships, or pilot activities. With a high tolerance for experimentation and learning, Seed Corn Grants provide a flexible and low-barrier entry point into the Community Hub programme, encouraging innovation and inclusion from the ground up.

Skills Bursaries provide up to £1,000 awards to individuals seeking to grow their expertise in community heritage work. Open to practitioners at any stage of their journey, these bursaries can be used for training, mentoring, attending workshops, or other professional development activities to be determined by you.

Offered on a rolling basis, the bursaries are designed to be accessible and responsive, helping to build confidence and capability across the sector—particularly among those who may not have had access to such opportunities before.

Project Grants of up to £30,000 to fund substantial, collaborative projects between at least one GLAM organisation and one community group. These grants support in-depth research, skills development, and the creation of lasting resources that reflect diverse voices and experiences. Projects should be co-designed and community-led, with a focus on inclusion, sustainability, and impact. Whether building upon a Seed Corn project or starting fresh, Project Grants are intended to create meaningful change and long-term value for both communities and institutions.

Tree Council – Branching Out Fund

Branching Out is designed for community groups, schools, not-for-profits, residents associations, Tree Warden Networks, charities and many more. The Tree Council is pleased to reopen our Branching Out small grants fund to support a new season of community tree planting. Over the past 20 years, we have supported community groups, volunteer Tree Wardens and many others to plant hundreds of thousands of trees across the UK, thanks to generous Tree Partners and other supporters.

Successful applicants will be notified within 5-6 weeks of a completed submission. Applications for grants under £500 are likely to be processed more quickly.

Grants will be paid after planting has taken place, upon submission of a claim form, receipts and evidence of planting (photos).

All projects must have planted and submitted a claim form before midnight on Sunday 15 March 2026.

Grants of between £250 and £2,500 are available per application.

Deadline: Midnight, 14 November 2025

Grants for Good

Grants for Good is funded by the John Good Group and is designed to direct funding only to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that are making a big impact on communities, people or the environment.

We appreciate that it can be really hard work and a steep learning curve when you are starting out a new charity or project. A funder that is right for you can often be difficult to find and manage due to demanding applications processes and inflexible funding restrictions.

This programme, funded by the John Good Group, offers unrestricted funds that you can use for any of your organisation’s costs, including core running costs, and our applications process is a short and as simple as possible, which is great for those looking to make their first steps into applying for their first funding opportunity. We do get a lot of applications though – so please read though our advice section – which will help you give your application the best chance of being shortlisted.

To be eligible, applicants must:

Be a UK-based local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise.
Have an annual income of less than £50,000.
Have a bank account in the organisation’s name.

Deadline: 16 June – 15 September. Applications for funding announced in November/December

SNG Thriving Communities Fund

SNG offers place-based grants that empower local groups to take action and deliver cohesive, sustainable and resilient communities which people are proud to be part of.

Who is eligible to apply?
Projects must be taking place in an SNG community and be actively promoted to SNG customers.

What are the funder priorities?
​1) The Strengthening Place Grant will support projects that focus on a broad range of themes, including Health, Wellbeing & Social Isolation, Ageing Well, Young People, Community Safety, Environment & Sustainability, Youth and Ageing Well for community groups. ​

​2) The Skills & Learning Grant will focus on Community Digital Support, Financial skills and resilience &  Family Learning and Food Education. ​

How much can organisations apply for?
£1K – £7.5K

Healthy Heart Grants – Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Grants of up to £15,000 are available for community projects aimed at supporting adults to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, helping them to live healthier, happier and longer lives. The grants are available to charities and community interest companies across the UK.

The application windows for 2025 in England are:

England South: 16 July to 13 August

Community support small grants – Trusthouse Charitable Foundation

Single year grants between £2,000 and £10,000 are available to charities and not for profit organisations for core costs, salaries, running and project costs. Projects must have a focus on Community Support and address urban and rural deprivation in the UK.

if you are located in a rural area, you must be in the bottom 50% most deprived areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Your annual income must not exceed £250,000 and you can secure 50% of the total project costs.

This is a rolling programme with no deadlines.

Thanks to the following organisations for the information contained in this article; Slough CVS, Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Reading Voluntary Action and Rural Service’s Network.