A short summary of funding opportunities that have came to our attention this week.
Peter Harrison Foundation's Active Lives grant scheme
The scheme aims to provide opportunities for sport and physical activity at a grassroots level that enable people who are physically, mentally, socially, or economically disadvantaged to develop personal and life skills and fulfil their potential.
The grants can be used for a variety of purposes, such as funding new sports programmes, improving existing sports facilities, or providing training and support for sports coaches.
The Trustees welcome applications for physical activity initiatives that:
Provide a focus for skills development and confidence building.
Have a strong training and/or educational theme.
Provide specialised sporting equipment or facilities required to open opportunities.
Have a high degree of involvement from beneficiaries and those with lived experience.
Have a plan for sustainability and seek to deliver a lasting legacy.
The Foundations provide two levels of funding:
Major grants: between £5,001 and £30,000.
Small grants: up to £5,000
Current deadline: 2nd April 2025
To read more: Active Lives | Peter Harrison Foundation
The Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme
The Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme has launched its eleventh funding round, offering £40 million in grants to support charities and community energy groups across England, Scotland, and Wales. This initiative aims to assist households vulnerable to cold homes and high energy bills, as well as projects facilitating a just transition to net zero and addressing the climate change impacts of energy consumption.
Eligible organisations can apply through five distinct funding streams, including the Main Fund and Small Fund for charities, and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund, Innovation Fund, or Just Transition Fund for community energy groups.
Current deadline: 20th March 2025
To read more: Energy Redress scheme
The Veolia Environmental Trust
The Veolia Environmental Trust, which provides grants for community and environmental projects, has announced the opening of its next funding round. Grants are available to enhance community facilities and natural habitats across England.
Constituted not-for-profit organisations, local authorities, and Environmental Bodies (EBs) are invited to apply for funding through two primary schemes:
The Community Grants Scheme
The Habitat & Biodiversity Grants Scheme
Under the Community Grants Scheme, applicants can request between £10,000 and £75,000 to develop or improve publicly accessible spaces that promote community action, inclusivity, and environmental sustainability.
The Habitat & Biodiversity Grants Scheme offers a minimum of £10,000 for projects focused on creating or enhancing natural habitats to support native species and biodiversity. The total funding available for these schemes has not been specified.
Current deadline: 3rd April 2025
To read more: The Veolia Environmental Trust
The Asda Foundations Young Futures Fund
The Asda Foundation has announced that its Young Futures Fund has opened for applications. A total of £500,000 is available to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 13 to 21 and create positive life opportunities across the UK.
Community groups and charities who are looking to deliver activities for teenagers and young people can apply for grants ranging from £500 to £1,000 to provide services supporting, educating, and empowering young people, facilitate peer connections, offer rehabilitation, recovery, and shelter services and promote physical health and wellbeing.
Current deadline: 13th March 2025
To read more: Young Futures Fund | Asda Foundation
Sport England’s Movement Fund
Sports clubs, charities, local authorities, schools, and other not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants for projects that align with Sport England's objectives of increasing activity levels and addressing inequalities in sports participation, particularly for individuals facing barriers to activity, such as:
People living on low incomes
Disabled individuals or those with long-term health conditions
Older adults
People from culturally diverse communities
Pregnant women and parents with very young children
Girls aged 5-16
LGBTQ+ individuals
Individuals in foster care
Unpaid caregivers
Eligible projects can receive up to £15,000 to cover a wide range of costs and items, including the purchase of new or improved equipment, refurbishment or upgrading of facilities, development of new capabilities and leadership skills, and covering delivery costs for projects that encourage community engagement in physical activity.
To read more: The Movement Fund | Sport England
Sea-Changers' 2025 Coastal Fountain Fund
Sea-Changers has announced the launch of the 2025 Coastal Fountain Fund. The purpose of the fund is to reduce the impact of single-use plastic water bottles on coastal habitats by funding communities to purchase water drinking fountains and install them for public use in busy or environmentally important areas.
Now in its fifth year, the fund provides grants of up to £2,500 per to support the purchase and installation of public water drinking fountains. To date, the initiative has funded 40 fountains across the UK.
Not-for-profit organisations that have identified a need and can secure necessary stakeholder involvement are encouraged to apply. Applications from Wales, Scotland, East Anglia, and the Northeast and Northwest of England are particularly welcomed, as these regions have been under-represented in previous funding rounds.
Current deadline: 25th April 2025
To read more: Coastal Fountain Fund 2025 | Sea-Changers
Laughology's Happiness Fund
Funding is available for grassroots, neighbourhood-based community projects that build happy, strong, resilient communities across the UK. Small, not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding to set up new groups and activities that improve:
Mental health and wellbeing
Inclusion
Learning and skills development
To be successful, applicants will need to indicate how the activity/group can become self-sustainable or be able to attract funding from other sources for the longer term.
The funding is made available through Laughology’s Happiness Fund, which will make one award of £5,000 twice a year, allowing up to two different projects per year to be supported.
Current deadline: 28th March 2025
To read more: The Happiness Fund
The DofE Awards Access Without Limits
The DofE Awards Access Without Limits Funding for Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations has been extended. We have grants available for organisations, working with young people between the ages of 14-25, who would like to become Directly Licensed Centres, able to offer the DofE Award to their service users, or to those young people who live in the neighbourhoods and communities, where they are based.
Through this funding, our ambition is to build more links with voluntary and community organisations that work with young people experiencing marginalisation and to create more opportunities for them to access the DofE outside of formal education settings.
The DofE is the world’s leading youth achievement award, currently being delivered in over 130 countries, with the purpose of developing young people for adult life. The programme we offer has transformed the lives of millions of young people for over 60 years. Our vision is to reach more young people from marginalised backgrounds and to provide opportunities for personal development and recognition of personal achievements.
Current deadline: 1st January 2026
To read more: Access Without Limits
Our past Funding Bulletins will also have grant opportunities that are still open!
Need support applying to any of the above? Get in touch with us at info@wcvs.org.uk to access bespoke advice and one-to-one support with grant funding.
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