Community development

Question:
Community development
Answer:

Cory Group Community Fund

The aim of the Community Fund is to support groups and projects that strengthen local communities, with a particular focus on activities that support Cory’s wider goals of:

  • enhancing the local environment
  • preventing waste and growing the reuse economy
  • developing skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), sustainability, recycling, reuseand waste management, as well as on the River Thames.

Grants can be used for running costs, essential items and equipment, capital projects, one-off events, staff, volunteer or training costs.

Eligibility

  • Voluntary or community organisations
  • Registered charities
  • Constituted groups or clubs
  • Not-for-profit companies and Community Interest Companies.

Funding amount

Grants of up to £7,500 are available.

Closing date

Friday 21 November

More information

For full details and to apply, The Cory Group Community Fund webpage.


London City Airport Community Fund

He London City Airport Fund supports charities and not-for-profit organisations that improve quality of life in local communities by:

  • building stronger, safer and healthier communities
  • creating more sustainable and greener communities
  • raising aspirations of East Londoners creating pathways into employment

Eligibility

Voluntary and community organisations based in:

  • Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Epping Forest District Council 
  • Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Lambeth, Lewisham 
  • Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest 

Funding amount

Between £300 and £3,000

Closing date

Upcoming submission deadlines are:

  • 2 January 2026 (5pm)
  • 26 June 2026 (5pm)

More information

For full details and to apply visit the London City Airport Community Fund website.


North London Forensic Collaborative Small Grants (NLFC)

NLFC is offering a small grant programme to voluntary sector, faith, and grassroot organisations as part of its aspiration to build relationships and work together to tackle inequalities and improve quality outcomes for forensic service users.

The term “forensic service users” is used to describe people who access adult forensic mental health services, as an inpatient in an adult secure service, or in the community under the care of a specialist community forensic team. 

Eligibility

Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations based in North London that currently operate within one of the Integrated Care System regions (North East London, North West London, North Central London).

Funding Amount

Grants range from £500 to £4,999. For projects supporting employment pathways, including work-based placements or training leading to jobs, larger grants of up to £9,999 are available.

Closing Date

Applications are welcome until March 2026, or until all funds are spent.

More Information

Please visit the North London NHS Foundation Trust website for more information.


The Garfield Weston Foundation - Projects/Specific activity grant

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a charitable grant-making foundation. Grants can be used for running costs, for a specific activity, or for capital projects. The Foundation is flexible and funds what charities need the most.

Eligibility

UK registered charities and CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations).

Funding amount

£1,000 to several million pounds, depending on the size and scope of the work.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

For information

Please visit the Garfield Weston Foundation website.


Arnold Clark Community Fund

Grants of up to £2,500 are available to UK charities, community and voluntary organisations and CICs whose work directly supports those most affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

Applications are particularly welcome from smaller voluntary and community organisations who are working with those most affected by and vulnerable to the increased cost of living. 

Eligibility

Registered UK charities and community groups that are within a 50-mile radius of an Arnold Clark branch.

Funding amount

The following grants are available:

  • Community Support grants up to £1,000
  • Cost of living grants up to £2,500

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling monthly basis, but may be paused due to high demand. Because of this, early applications are recommended.

More information

For full details and to apply, visit the Arnold Clark Community Fund page


AB Charitable Trust Open Programme

The AB Charitable Trust (ABCT) supports work that promotes human dignity and defends the human rights of the most marginalised and excluded people. Organisations can apply under the following priorities:

Eligibility

UK registered charities with annual income between £150,000 and £1.5 million

Funding amount

Open Programme grants are usually between £10,000 to £30,000 per year and are awarded from one to three years.

Closing date

Upcoming closing dates are:

  • 30 January 2026
  • 24 April 2026

For information

Please visit the ABCT Open Programme webpage.


Matthew Good Foundation – 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.

This programme offers unrestricted funds that can be used for any costs, including core running costs.

Eligibility

UK-based local community groups, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises with income under £50,000.Applicants must have a bank account in the organisation’s name.

Funding amount

£15,000 is shared between five shortlisted projects each quarter.

Closing date

Quarterly application windows.

More information

Visit the Grants for Good webpage for more information.


Esmée Fairbairn: Creative, Confident Communities

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK. It supports people and organisations who are doing everything they can to bring about the change they want to see.

The Foundation’s grant funding is focussed on work that will deliver long-term impact and create change for the future. This means that it makes longer-term grants to organisations, rather than short-term or small-scale grants.

The Foundation’s  current priorities under “A Fairer Future” are:

  • Communities working together for change
  • Community driven enterprise and regeneration
  • Community-led art and creativity.

Eligibility

Organisations with an annual turnover of more than £100,000.

Funding Amount

Grants valued from £30,000 (no maximum) are available for core or project costs, including staff salaries and overheads. Unrestricted funding for charities is available. The majority of grants are for three to five years.

Closing Date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More Information

Please visit Creative, Confident Communities priorities | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for more information.


Sanctuary Housing Community Investment Fund

The Community Investment Fund aims to develop successful and sustainable communities in the areas where Sanctuary Housing operates.

The Fund’s current funding priorities are:

  • ‎Employment, education, skills and training‎
  • Health and Wellbeing‎
  • Community safety and Infrastructure‎
  • Environment‎
  • Financial inclusion.

Eligibility

Charities, community groups, residents’ associations and voluntary organisations operating in areas where Sanctuary Housing works are welcome to make an enquiry. Please note, match funding requirements apply.

Closing Date

Enquiries are currently welcome, with no closing date stated.

More Information

Please visit the Sanctuary Housing website for more information.


The Cooks Charity – Elizabeth Fund

The aim of the Elizabeth Fund is to provide small, one-off grants to deserving food-related and/or cooking projects or good causes, which would not otherwise be supported by the Cooks Charity’s normal annual grant-giving.

Eligibility

Qualifying projects are to be connected with the City of London, to include the City Fringe boroughs of Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and the City of Westminster in some way.

Funding amount

Up to £1,000.

Closing date

N/A

More information

Visit The Elizabeth Fund webpage for more information.


 Shanly Foundation – Core Grants

The Shanly Foundation aims to support causes that help individuals and benefit the local community, including support for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the homeless, those with mental health issues and people with physical disabilities, injury or life-limiting illness.

Eligibility

  • Registered charities, CICs, CIOs, and organisations exempt or excepted under Charity Commission guidance.
  • Funding supports core costs and unrestricted activity for groups assisting disabled individuals, the elderly, and disadvantaged communities.
  • Organisations focused on rehabilitation, homelessness, local sports and social clubs, Scouts and Guides, youth outdoor centres

Funding amount

The foundation typically awards core grants ranging from £1,000 to £25,000.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the Shanly Foundation website.


Trust for London

Trust for London, established in 1891, is the largest independent charity focused on poverty and inequality in London.

The Trust funds organisations and projects working towards Social Justice and/or Economic Justice. Click here for details about the priority areas of work that sit under each of these strategic aims.

Trust for London provides both project funding and unrestricted funding.

Eligibility

The Trust funds:

  • Registered Charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO)
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLG)
  • Trusts
  • Unincorporated Associations
  • Cooperative Societies
  • Trade unions

£500 Access Payments are available to those requiring accessibility-related support to apply.

Funding amount

Grants range from £40,000 to £80,000 per year, for up to 5 years.

Closing date

Applications can be submitted at any time.

More information

Please read the Trust’s funding guidelines, then visit the Trust for London website.


Morrisons Foundation

The newly established Morrisons Foundation is looking to award approximately £2 million a year for community projects that improve people’s lives. Funding objectives of this fund are:

  • Tackling poverty and social deprivation.
  • Enhancing Community Spaces, facilities and services.
  • Improving Health & wellbeing.

Eligibility

Registered charities with an income of less than £1m .

Funding amount

Grants are available for up to £10,000 for capital spend or direct project delivery

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the Morrisons Foundation website.


 The National Lottery Awards for All England

The funding supports new activities, ongoing ones, or organisational adaptations.

Projects must 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.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted from:

  • constituted voluntary or community organisation
  • constituted group or club
  • registered charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Not-For-Profit companies
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • school (if your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
  • statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish and community council)
  • community benefit societies.

Funding amount

£300 to £20,000 for up to two years.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the National Lottery Awards for All England website.


The National Lottery UK Fund

The fund is for organisations wanting to help communities connect better. Organisations  are encouraged to apply for funding for projects that:

  • strengthen relationships between people whose experiences of life have not been the same. For example, relationships between people of different ethnic backgrounds, generations, occupations, or geographies
  • create connections between online and offline worlds
  • help make sure people from all backgrounds can shape the future of their communities.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted from:

  • constituted voluntary or community organisation
  • constituted group or club
  • registered charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Not-For-Profit companies
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • school (if your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
  • statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish, and community council)
  • community benefit societies

Funding amount

This UK-wide funding offers £500,000 to £5 million for projects tackling national issues over 2-10 years.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the The UK Fund website.


The National Lottery Reaching Communities England

This funding supports projects and groups improving their community. The National Lottery defines community as people in the same area or with similar interests or experiences.

Projects or organisations applying for funding must 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.

This fund is flexible and can respond to your community’s needs, therefore the following funding options are available:

  • for the long or short term
  • for a specific activity, or for broader costs to help your organisation or community
  • for one organisation or to bring organisations together
  • to support people, communities, and organisations most affected by the cost-of-living crisis
  • to help organisations address the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on how they work, now and in the future.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted from:

  • constituted voluntary or community organisation
  • constituted group or club
  • registered charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Not-For-Profit companies
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • school (if your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
  • statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish, and community council)
  • community benefit societies.

Funding amount

£20,001 or more, for up to five years.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the Reaching Communities England website.


The National Lottery Partnerships

This funding is for organisations working together in partnership to help their community. The National Lottery defines community as people in one area or with similar interests or experiences.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted from:

  • constituted voluntary or community organisation
  • constituted group or club
  • registered charities
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Not-For-Profit companies
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • school (if your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
  • statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish, and community council)
  • community benefit societies.

Funding amount

£20,001 or more, for up to five years.

Closing date

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information

Please visit the National Lottery Partnerships Fund website.


The Weavers Company

Funding for projects that support offenders and ex-offenders, including supporting them into work, and for helping specific groups within the criminal justice sector, who are less popular with funders. Funding also available for projects aiding disadvantaged young people, including immigrants, in realising their potential and engaging in society.

Eligibility

Registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations, and in exceptional circumstances, community interest companies can apply. Applicants must demonstrate efforts to secure other funding and future sustainability.

Funding amount

Small Grants Programme offering up to £5,000, and a Main Grants Programme with no maximum limit. Funding covers both project and core costs.

Closing date

13 November 2025

More information

Please visit The Weavers' Company website.