Funding Opportunities in May

Energy Saving Trust – Roots and Routes Fund

The Roots & Routes Fund is now open for applications from youth-led organisations in England seeking grant funding for their climate justice projects.

The Fund is dedicated to supporting youth-led climate projects and encourages applications from young people in underrepresented groups.

Potential applicants can register for a webinar on Monday 28 April, 5.00PM to 6.00PM. This will provide additional guidance on the fund and application process. 

Applications for this first round of funding, with grants of up to £20,000 available, will close at 11.59PM on Monday 2 June.

The Roots & Routes Fund webpage includes information about:

How young people and youth-led organisations can apply to access the fund.
The eligibility requirements for the fund.
The criteria that applications are assessed against and when applications will be reviewed.
Expected timeframes for decision-making.
Updates on the webinar on Monday 28 April that will support applicants through their application.
FAQs and contact details for enquiries.
Roots & Routes Fund opens for applications – Energy Saving Trust

Deadline: Monday 2nd June

Turning Point – Community Innovation Fund

Our Community Innovation Fund is open to Turning Point services and the organisations, enterprises and groups that we are connected to in areas where we are located. If you have an idea for a project that would improve wellbeing for people in your local area, you can apply for up to £2500 to bring your idea to life.

For general queries or to learn more please contact us at: innovations@turning-point.co.uk

Barclays New Community Sport Fund

About Us: This new fund, delivered in partnership with Sported, aims to reduce inequalities in sport – with a focus on football, tennis, and cricket. The three-year funding programme, running from April 2025 to December 2027, will provide £1.4 million each year.
Criteria: The funding supports community groups and grassroots sports organisations who are working within the most deprived areas of the UK and are making sport more accessible to women and girls, as well as engaging people from other under-represented groups including people with disabilities, from racially diverse communities and from the LGBTQ+ community.
Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional sports clubs.

To be eligible, applicants must:

Deliver football, cricket, or tennis activities for women and girls – or are applying for funding to start.
Operate in an area of high deprivation. Only organisations located in or supporting people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.
Disability applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3 will be considered as long as they groups offer activities for women and girls.
Grant Size: £1,000
Deadline for applications: 22nd June 2025

Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation

About Us: Crowdfunder and Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation have teamed up to make £100,000 available for sustainable community projects based across England, Scotland and Wales. Eligible projects will be supported by Mortgage Advice Bureau staff or their customers.
Criteria: To access the match funding, you must:
Be located in England, Scotland or Wales
Have a Sponsor who is a Mortgage Advice Bureau member of Staff, customer or approved business partner.
Be an existing registered Charity or Community Interest Company
Grant Size: up to £5,000
Deadline for applications: Rolling programme

Tesco Stronger Starts – Cooking For All Fund

Tesco Stronger Starts Cooking for All Fund offers grants for organisations and schools educating children and young people on the importance of healthy food and how to cook. 150 grants of £1000 are available nationally.

Application deadline: 30th May (noon)

Pets Foundation – Pets Assisting People Grants

Provides funding to charities who help children and adults through the provision of specially trained assistance animals, or through the provision of structured animal assisted learning and therapy.

Application deadline: 31st May 2025

The Hugo Burge Foundation – Creative Grants

The Foundation’s first round of grant funding this year will support projects, people, and organisations that align with three key areas: Creative Education, Creative Communities, and Creative Individuals.

Application deadline: 31st May 2025

The Eloise and Katie Memorial Trust

Awards grants to: Make a real difference to young people including education, disability, recreation, music and sport. Support causes important to Eloise and Katie’s family – particularly cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

The Albert Hunt Trust

Core funding for areas such as family support eg Home Start, children and young people counselling services, suicide prevention, specific carers support, cancer support, prisoner support and rehabilitation,community centres, food banks and debt advice.Typical grant sizes range from £1,000-£5,000.

Deadline for Applications: 30th May

Grants for Good

The Mathews Good Foundation – Grants for Good 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.

Deadline for applications: 15th June

Asda Foundation – Local Community Spaces Fund

Grants from £10,000 – £20,000**

We know accessible community spaces can be a lifeline for local people, and many of these spaces require funding to repair, renovate and develop them so that they can continue delivering vital activities and services. In addition, loneliness and isolation continue to be highlighted through our Community Insight Survey as top areas of concern for local communities throughout the UK.

To be eligible to apply for this fund, your community space must be an accessible place where members of the community can interact, seek support and access a variety of services and activities.

Through our Local Community Spaces Fund, we will continue playing our part in helping to fund safe and welcoming community spaces that bring people together, connect communities and address loneliness and isolation. We have invested £2.5million in community hubs since 2022, and for 2025, will commit a further £1.25million.

Thank you to West Berkshire Volunteer Centre, Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve, Small Charities Co-alition and Slough CVS for the information contained in this article.


Join Connecting Communities in Berkshire: Supporting Rural Communities Across the County

We are pleased to extend a warm invitation to parish and town councils to become members and support the vital work we are doing to strengthen and sustain communities throughout Berkshire.

CCB is dedicated to empowering rural communities through a variety of impactful initiatives. We help enable affordable rural housing, improve rural health and wellbeing, and address rural disadvantage. Additionally, we offer support and guidance to the volunteers who run village halls and community buildings, helping them to navigate challenges and maximise their impact. We also advise families across the county on how to reduce their utility bills, making life a little easier in these challenging times.

For more information on our work and how we are supporting communities, visit our website project pages.

Why Become a Member of CCB?

As a member of CCB, your parish or town council will join a network of communities working together to make a real difference in rural areas. Membership provides access to a range of valuable services and support that can help your community thrive. The benefits of membership include:

  • Free or discounted access to a wide variety of training courses designed to strengthen and support local communities.
  • Opportunities to participate in focus groups, giving you a direct voice in shaping the charity’s future priorities and work.
  • Exclusive invitations to our annual workshop/event and Annual General Meeting, with one vote per membership.
  • Regular e-bulletins providing updates on services, funding opportunities, and events that can benefit your community.
  • Promotion of your community events, news, or facilities through our e-bulletin, social media, and website.
  • Direct support from the CCB team for issues affecting your community.
  • Free job postings for local positions.

The membership fee for 2025 is £42 (£35 + VAT) for parish and town councils, as well as voluntary or community organisations. Your membership will help shape the direction of our work, ensuring that the needs of rural communities in Berkshire are heard and addressed.

Individual Membership: Free, but with a Request for Support

In addition to organisational memberships, CCB is also open to individual members. Individual membership is completely free, but we encourage members to consider making a small donation to help support our ongoing efforts and the essential work we do to improve the lives of rural communities.

We believe that by working together, we can create stronger, more resilient, and sustainable communities. Your support helps us continue providing essential services, from offering advice on energy efficiency to addressing health and wellbeing challenges, and much more.

We would be delighted to welcome you as a member of CCB and look forward to the opportunity to work alongside you.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. To join us, simply complete the online membership form .

Thank you for considering supporting Connecting Communities in Berkshire. We look forward to hearing from you soon.


Funding Opportunities in April

Newly Opened: Lloyds Bank Foundation – Local Collaborations Programme

This programme will support collaborations led by small charities seeking to influence and achieve local or regional change around improving the social security system, improving access to suitable accommodation, and support for asylum seekers and refugees. Collaborations can apply for grants of £100,000 over two years.

We would expect your influencing work to align with at least one of these themes:

making the social security system work better for those facing the greatest challenges;
making sure people facing complex issues have access to suitable accommodation;
improving support and services for asylum seekers and refugees.
This funding cannot be used to fund direct delivery of services and is exclusively to support partnerships to influence locally and regionally.

Apply for funding under our local collaborations programme.
Deadline: Complete the Expression of Interest by 30 April 2025

Newly Reopened: One Stop Community Grants

Successful applicants will receive an initial grant of up to £1,000 and begin a partnership with their local One Stop store.

This programme is designed to support community groups or organisations operating within two miles of a One Stop store and which are;

Tackling food poverty
Supporting the vulnerable
Supporting the elderly
Supporting low-income families
Running youth sports teams
Reducing / recycling waste
Improving the environment
Please note we cannot support food bank/breakfast club projects that are requesting funding to purchase food items. However please contact your local One Stop store manager as it may be possible to discuss setting up food bank donation point at your local store. Funding can be awarded to food banks for equipment such as fridges, freezers or to purchase storage units.

The programme provides partnership as well as financial assistance. Alongside a grant of up to £1,000, and the opportunity to create a long-term tailored programme of support for successful applicants with their local One Stop Store Team. Grant recipients then work in partnership with the One Stop Store Team at their local shop to deliver support to the community.

The tailored support from the store teams will help community causes to increase or improve their service by assisting in areas such as, but not limited to, volunteering support, fundraising and awareness-raising.

Please only submit one application, so please prioritise your key project and do not submit applications for more than one project and do not submit multiple applications but with different store postcodes. If you have received funding from One Stop Community Partnerships in the last 12 months you are ineligible to apply for funding on this occasion. If you have received funding for a project more than 12 months ago, you are welcome to apply.

Deadline:

Applications open Applications close Decision Date W/C
3 March 31 March 12 May
2 June 30 June 11 August
1 September 29 September 10 November

Eling Estate

The key objectives for the Trust and Estate include:

The advancement of the Christian religion and the teaching and usage of Orthodox Churches of the East;

The relief of sickness and/or poverty;

The long-term maintenance of the character of the Estate, and the local environment, and:

Management of the woodlands and other features of the Estate for the public benefit and to facilitate public access where appropriate.

The Trustees meet three times a year to consider applications for donations to charities. Applications are generally considered where they meet all of the following criteria:

An applicant must be an established registered charity;

The grant should relate to activities in West Berkshire or neighbouring counties;

We are not able to give to overseas charities or funds;

Grants for projects rather than general running costs are favoured;

Grants should fit into one or more of the following categories:

The advancement of the Christian religion and particularly the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches;

Community or Education facilities and provision of support;

Social and Welfare support and therapy.

Applications should be made in writing, including a copy of the most recent charity accounts. Send to:

Shoosmiths Foundation

About Us: The Shoosmiths Foundation is a grant-making body working to help address societal issues, to empower sustainable change and to improve the lives of the people and the environment in the UK.
Criteria: Offering UK-based registered charities grants for projects that advance access to justice in Shoosmiths locations across the UK. Proposed projects should achieve one of the following:
Sustaining or improving community access to specialist legal advice.
Leveraging organisation’s and educational institution’s pro bono programmes to increase access to justice.
Projects must address underrepresentation and support intersectionality more broadly. For example, projects that not only support access to justice prospects but also address other factors of underrepresentation such as:

Characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010.
Ex-military personnel.
People with convictions.
People experiencing homelessness.
Long-term unemployed.
Refugees.
Care-experienced individuals
Grant Size: Between £25,000 and £50,000
Deadline for applications: 4pm on 18th April

Matthew Good Foundation

About Us: 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.
Criteria: To be eligible, applicants must:
Be a local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise that has a positive impact on communities, people or the environment.
Have an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.
Have a bank account in the organisation’s name
Grant Size: Up to £5,000
Deadline for applications: Ongoing

CLA Charitable Trust

About Us: We support charitable organisations that access the benefits of the countryside to pursue the health and wellbeing of people and to provide opportunities for education about the countryside in England and Wales.
Criteria: The CLA Charitable Trust awards grants to small and medium sized charities and not for profit organisations such as CICs that access the benefits of the countryside to pursue the health and wellbeing of people and to provide opportunities for education about the countryside in England and Wales. The Trust prioritises organisations working with children and young people and those disadvantaged financially, physically, mentally, or from areas of deprivation.
Examples of eligible activities engaging young people and communities in these areas include, but are not limited to:

Farms providing day or residential experiences for disabled or disadvantaged young people.
Growing projects including horticultural therapy and community projects supporting people through outdoor activities and gardening.
Forest school type activities giving people the opportunity to utilise their outdoor spaces for the benefit of their mental and physical wellbeing.
Conservation and environmental projects giving people the chance to learn about the natural environment and how to care for it.
Grant Size: Up to: £5,000
Deadline for applications: Ongoing

Libraries Improvement Fund – Arts Council England

This fund will enable library services across England to invest in a range of projects to upgrade buildings and technology so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them.

Local authorities can apply for capital expenditure between £50,000 to £500,000.

Expressions of interest will open on 6 May and close on 30 May 2025.

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 between 18 April and 31 October 2025. The deadline for applications is 14 July.

Physical Activity Grants Programme – Parkinson’s UK

This programme supports activity providers, communities, networks, organisations and others to develop opportunities for people with Parkinson’s to become and stay active.

Projects must run for a minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of 52 weeks and must start within 12 weeks of receiving the grant.

Applications can be made for a minimum of £500 up to a maximum of £3,000. Up to 100% of costs are available if required,

Applications opened on 10 March and will remain open until all funds are allocated.

Football Foundation grants

Football Foundation grants are available to football clubs, schools, councils and local sports associations under the following categories:

Goalposts
Storage containers
Portable floodlights
Changing pavilions and clubhouses
3G pitch maintenance machinery and equipment
Fencing
3G pitches
Creation of new grass pitches
Small-sided facility improvements
Grass pitch improvement
Grass pitch drainage
Grass pitch maintenance machinery and equipment
Premier League defibrillator fund
Premier League stadium fund
Looking for funding | Football Foundation

Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation

The Charitable Foundation has identified two focus areas through which it aims to drive social impact.

Helping people experiencing hardship and/or underserved groups to:

access a place to call home.
and improve financial wellbeing.
The trustees will select charities based on their alignment with one or both focus areas. The Foundation has committed to fund UK registered charities, where successful, up to a maximum of £10,000.

The current application round will close on 1 May 2025.

Community Tree Planting Fund – Network Rail

The Tree Council and Network Rail work in partnership to deliver a programme of community tree planting. Together, they have already planted more than 300,000 trees in 108 communities across the UK.

Funding for projects is awarded in three bands:

Main Grants – Projects between £2,500 and £5,000
Large Grants – Projects between £5,000 and £10,000
Flagship Grants – Projects over £10,000 and up to £15,000
Flagship Grants will be awarded in limited numbers to those projects that deliver a significant impact across our programme priorities.

Funding is now open and all details are on the website.

Network Rail Community Tree Planting Fund – The Tree Council

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 North: 7 May to 4 June
England South: 16 July to 13 August
Healthy Heart Grants – Heart Research UK

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 deadline for applications is 11 April 2025.

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.

Neighbourhood Planning Grant Funding – Locality

Government has confirmed the continued importance attached to supporting neighbourhood planning and on 1 October 2024 launched the procurement process for the new contract for Neighbourhood Planning Support Services for 2025 to 2027. Government intend to sign the new contract in April 2025 for the new services to open from July 2025.

To read more on funding opportunities, click the Rural Services Network April 2025 Funding Digest.

Home Instead Charities

Money raised from our dedicated network of Home Instead Offices and external supporters fund groups who support the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of ageing adults.

If you are a small grass roots organisation you can apply for funding up to £500. If you are a small local registered charity you can apply for funding up to £1,500. If your group is a registered charity, you must attach a copy of your governing document AND your last set of accounts. If either of these documents are missing, we will not be able to process your application.

Most of your group members must be over 55 years old or the project you are requesting funding for must benefit people aged over 55. The project must support its members through activities and projects that support wellbeing or reduce social isolation and/or loneliness. Your group must be open and inclusive irrespective of race, religion, disability, sex or sexual orientation.

We will only fund individuals if it is to provide access to your group, i.e. transport costs or communications devices to access your groups activities. We will only fully fund grant requests from organisations who hold no more than 3 months operating costs in reserve. If you have more than this, the charity will only co-fund your project up to a maximum 50% of the funding required.

We will consider applications from groups, associations and charities that do not service the over 50s directly but the project they require funding for does, i.e., a local school wishes to hold a special afternoon tea for its local care home residents.

If you are a registered charity your application must be accompanied by a copy of your constitution and annual accounts.

The National Lottery – Reaching Communities

About Us: With this funding we’ll help strengthen communities and improve lives across England. Our funding is available to all communities. But our priority is the places, people and communities that need it most.
Criteria: Voluntary or community organisations in England. Our 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.
And your project must achieve one of our missions. Which are to support communities to:

Come together, through inclusive places, spaces and activities (either physical or virtual). Especially for communities where people are least able to come together.
Help children and young people thrive, by developing positive social and emotional skills.
Be healthier, by addressing health inequalities. And helping prevent poor health.
Be environmentally sustainable. By engaging with climate issues and having a positive environmental impact. And improving access to quality natural spaces.
Grant Size: £20,001 to £500,000
Deadline for applications: Rolling

Thank you to RSN Online, Volunteer Centre West Berkshire, Slough CVS and Wokingham & Bracknell InVOLve for the information contained in this article.


Village and Community Halls: Your Essential Guide to Building Surveys

Volunteers managing over 10,000 rural community halls across England are now receiving expert guidance to help them commission the right type of building survey.

This valuable resource was developed by ACTion with Communities in Cumbria, who, through their work with rural halls across the region, discovered a gap in knowledge among funders, surveyors, and village hall committees. There was often confusion around the specifics of what’s required when commissioning and carrying out surveys on village halls and similar community spaces.

The guide has been expertly crafted by Ben Stagg, Director of Stagg Architects, who also authored ACRE’s Net Zero Design Guide in 2024.

The comprehensive guidance takes hall committees step-by-step through the process of obtaining a building survey, explaining the various types of surveys available, and offering advice on how to engage with a surveyor. A dedicated section for surveyors provides useful insights that committees can share when commissioning their own surveys. There’s also an in-depth chapter focusing on energy surveys, ensuring your hall can be both sustainable and efficient.

Why Surveys Matter

Surveys play a crucial role in maintaining the condition of your hall and ensuring that any alterations or improvements are both appropriate and beneficial. They not only provide an accurate description of the current state of the building but also help identify areas for improvement and assess potential recommendations for future work.

Julie Minns, Member of Parliament for Carlisle and North Cumbria, commented:

“This guide is absolutely invaluable. Community buildings are essential hubs for local people across the country, and particularly so in rural areas where isolation—both social and geographical—can be a significant challenge. The diverse range of activities taking place in community centres across North Cumbria demonstrates just how crucial resources like this guide from ACRE are.”

Support from the National Lottery Community Fund

The guide has been made possible thanks to the support of the National Lottery Community Fund, through their Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria Community Places initiative. The Fund has long been committed to supporting projects that enhance local community spaces.

The National Lottery Community Fund provides grants to hundreds of village halls each year. Duncan Nicholson, Regional Head of Funding for the North East and Cumbria, said:

“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, we’re able to support the vital and innovative work carried out by projects like this. Communities across Northumberland, Durham, and Cumbria will continue to benefit from well-maintained, accessible community venues that are not only fit for purpose today, but are also safeguarded for future generations.”

Download the Guide

To access the full guide, click here.


Who’s your local hero?

For the fourth year, BBC Radio Berkshire wants to celebrate and say thank you to people living in our villages and towns who make where we live a better place.

Every day we hear stories of people doing incredible things for each other and their communities. Now it’s time to recognise them for all their hard work.

Whether it’s caring for someone in need, being a brilliant neighbour, or inspiring children in the classroom, if you know someone who is really making a difference to your life or where you live, then you can nominate them for an Award.

There are 8 categories:

  1. The Volunteer Award – awarded to an individual who makes a notable difference to their community by giving their time voluntarily to help others.
  2. The Young Hero Award new – awarded to someone under 16 who has made a positive impact in their community or achieved something exceptional.
  3. The Great Neighbour Award – awarded to an individual who helps to make the neighbourhood a better place to live or work in, either on a regular basis or through a single act of kindness.
  4. The Active Award new – awarded to an individual or group of people who have used physical activity or sport as a way of improving the lives of those in their community.
  5. The Animal Award – awarded to either a remarkable animal that improves people’s lives, or an individual or group of people who improve the welfare of animals.
  6. The Green Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who improve or conserve their local environment.
  7. The Fundraiser Award – awarded to an individual or group of people who have gone the extra mile to raise funds for a good cause.
  8. The Community Group Award – awarded to a group of people who have helped to change the lives of others within their community.

Nominations are now open and will close on 31st March 2025 at 5:00pm.

The winners will be announced at our Make a Difference awards ceremony in September.

You can nominate someone you know here http://www.bbc.co.uk/makeadifference, where you can also see full Terms and our Privacy Notice.