This week's Funding Bulletin (February 23rd - February 27th 2026)
- eloisehallwcvs
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
A short summary of funding opportunities that have came to our attention this week.
Wirral CVS Funding Opportunities
Small Grants Programme
Wirral CVS has £100,000 from Wirral Council Public Health to deliver a Small Grants Programme, offering grants of up to £5,000, with the majority of awards expected to be under £3,000.
This programme is aimed at small, local organisations that are deeply embedded in their communities. To be eligible, organisations must:
Be based and operating in Wirral
Have had an income of under £10,000 in the last year
Be a charity, social enterprise, or community group with a governing document
Have a bank account in the organisation’s name with at least two unrelated signatories, or an agreement with an appropriate organisation to hold funds on their behalf
Funded activities should contribute to one or more of the following outcomes:
Improved physical and mental wellbeing
Reduced health inequalities
Preventative approaches to health
Enhanced social inclusion and community resilience
Increased access to health and wellbeing activities
Improved self-management of health conditions
Empowered communities taking charge of their wellbeing
This programme is particularly well suited to smaller organisations delivering targeted, community-led activity with a clear health and wellbeing benefit.
Apply: Small Grants Programme
Arts & Culture Fund
The Arts & Culture Fund is open to VCFSE organisations delivering arts and cultural activities that benefit Wirral communities. Grants of up to £5,000 are available.
This fund focuses on strengthening the sustainability and resilience of organisations working in the arts and culture sector, while also increasing volunteer engagement.
Funding can be used to:
Build organisational capacity, including governance, workforce development, financial planning, and digital skills
Support innovative approaches to income generation and long-term sustainability
Enhance the ability of organisations to respond to challenges and opportunities in the sector
Enable arts and culture organisations to adapt, grow, and secure their future
Eligible applicants include registered charities, CICs, CIOs and unincorporated associations with a governing document, provided they are delivering arts or cultural activity that benefits people and communities in Wirral.
General Funding Opportunities
The Children's Alliance
The Children's Alliance has introduced a grant to enhance children's physical and mental well-being through water-based activities.
Non-profit organisations, including schools, registered charities, community interest companies, and community groups, are invited to apply for funding up to £15,000, with most grants awarded being under £10,000.
The grant aims to support grassroots initiatives that provide disadvantaged children under 18 with access to water environments, fostering essential life skills and confidence.
Eligible projects may include swimming lessons, hydrotherapy sessions, surf therapy, and the provision of swimwear or transport to aquatic activities. Applications can be made twice per year in September and March.
Interested organisations should complete the grant application form available on the Children's Alliance website (link below) and submit it to info@childrensalliance.org.uk.
Applicants must demonstrate clear, measurable outcomes related to children's development and ensure their projects align with the grant's objectives. A safeguarding or child protection policy is also required as part of the application process.
To read more: Community – Children’s Alliance
The Pink Ribbon Foundation
The Pink Ribbon Foundation has announced that it is currently accepting applications to its grant making programme for 2025.
Grants of up to £6,000 are available to UK charities and not-for-profit organisations working on practical projects and initiatives to improve the physical and mental health of individuals with or recovering from breast cancer.
This year, priority will be given to supporting organisations with limited financial resources to deliver their services.
Higher grants may be awarded in exceptional cases.
Current deadline: 31st May 2026
To read more: The Pink Ribbon Foundation
The John Ellerman Foundation
UK charitable organisations can apply for grants of up to £60,000 per year for up to three years that address the triple planetary crisis of reducing social polarisation and building trust, promoting equitable economic systems and advancing equity and justice.
The funding, which is being made available through the John Ellerman Foundation provides multi-year core funding of up to £180,000 in total to strengthen organisational capacity and long-term impact. Support can cover salaries, operational costs, monitoring and evaluation, communications, digital development and other essential core expenditure rather than one-off project costs.
The Foundation prioritises organisations that take a systems-level approach and actively involve communities with lived experience in shaping solutions.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and there is no fixed closing date. Previously supported work has included environmental restoration initiatives, programmes strengthening democratic participation, and organisations advancing social and economic justice across the UK.
To read more: Ellerman Foundation
The Schroder Charity Trust
The Schroder Charity Trust has announced that it will re-open its grants programme for applications from 1st March 2026.
The Trust is an independent UK grant-making family charity that focuses on two strategic objectives:
Enabling children and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive in education and employment
Strengthening communities through services that improve wellbeing and life outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups across the UK.
Eligible applicants are registered UK charities with annual incomes between £150,000 and £1,000,000 whose work aligns with one or both of these objectives. Funding may be requested for core organisational costs or specific project costs that directly support these priority activities.
Grants are typically one-year awards of up to £5,000. Decisions are expected within approximately 4 months of the application window closing, and grantees report on outcomes approximately 1 year after the award.
Previously funded work has included initiatives to improve literacy and school readiness for vulnerable children, youth employability programmes, community wellbeing services, and activities reducing social isolation among older residents.
Current deadline: 30th April 2026
To read more: Schroder Charity Trust
The National Lottery Community Fund's Awards for All England
The National Lottery Community Fund is inviting applications from community-led organisations for its National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment grant programme. This funding is aimed at tackling environmental challenges at the local level. It supports projects that enable people to connect with, care for, and protect nature and the local environment.
Grants of between £300 and £20,000 are available for projects lasting up to two years.
Funding can support a wide range of activities, including:
Community gardens
Rewilding
Outdoor learning such as forest schools
Tree planting
Repair and reuse sessions
Food-growing schemes
Energy-saving initiatives like solar panel installations.
Projects must deliver benefits for both people and the natural environment.
Applications are welcomed from constituted voluntary or community organisations, registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), not-for-profit companies, community interest companies (CICs), schools (if the project benefits the wider community), statutory bodies, community sports clubs, and community benefit societies.
The grant responds to the growing need for grassroots environmental action amid climate change and habitat loss.
Applications can be submitted at any time, provided they are made at least 16 weeks before the project is due to begin.
To read more: National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment | The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund's Solidarity Fund
Organisations in England that work to address the underlying causes of poverty, discrimination and disadvantage can apply for long-term funding through The Solidarity Fund from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Grants range from £1 million to £5 million and can last between five and ten years. The funding is flexible and can be used for everyday running costs and project work.
The Solidarity Fund expects to award around £50 million per year until 2030
The fund supports ambitious projects that aim to change how systems work. These projects should be led by and accountable to people with direct experience of inequality.
Eligible applicants include formally established voluntary and community organisations, registered charities and CIOs, not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee, Community Interest Companies (CICs), community benefit societies, and established partnerships.
Priority will be given to projects that go beyond short-term services and instead tackle the deeper causes of inequality, strengthen communities, and share lessons that can help improve wider policies and systems.
Because the grants are large, applications will go through a detailed assessment process. Before applying, organisations should make sure their leadership structures, financial management, and long-term plans are strong enough to manage this level of funding.
There is no deadline to apply. Decisions are made on a quarterly basis.
SUEZ Communities Fund
Not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding to deliver projects that improve communities and the environment.
The funding is made available through the SUEZ Communities Fund for projects that improve public amenities, repair religious or historic buildings, or support biodiversity in areas surrounding Suez landfill sites.
The maximum grant amount is £50,000 for projects in England and funding typically covers materials, equipment and contractors for improvement work.
Projects within England must be located within a funding zone surrounding a qualifying site owned by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK. Please use the Post Code Checker to check eligibility.
Current deadline: 16th May 2026
To read more: SUEZ Communities Fund - Grantscape
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust's Rights and Justice Programme [CLOSING SOON]
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) is now accepting applications to its Rights and Justice funding programme. The programme supports organisations across the UK that work to protect human rights and address deep-rooted inequality.
It funds work that protects human rights, helps people access the legal system, and promotes racial and religious equality. The Trust is especially interested in projects that:
Tackle discrimination built into systems and institutions
Help refugees and migrants understand and claim their rights
Strengthen communities so they can speak up for themselves
Influence national policy or public debate
Funding can support advocacy, campaigning, research, test court cases aimed at changing the law, partnership work, and other activities focused on long-term change. It is less likely to fund projects that only provide direct services, such as advice or support, without seeking wider impact.
Examples of work that can be support include:
Trans-led community building and organising which advances human rights or relieves charitable needs of the trans+ community
Advocacy and campaigning for trans+ rights and/or the charitable needs of the trans+ community within wider civil society
Infrastructure development to strengthen sustainable charitable work for the trans+ community
Strategic litigation on charitable issues impacting trans+ communities
Popular awareness-raising, education and community-based training on trans+ histories and rights.
UK-based organisations and, in some cases, individuals can apply, as long as the work qualifies as charitable under UK law and benefits the public. You do not need to be a registered charity to apply, but your work must meet the legal definition of charitable activity in the UK.
Grant amounts vary. In the past, awards have ranged from around £5,000 for smaller projects to more than £100,000 for larger, multi-year work, depending on the size and scale of the project.
The programme usually runs two funding rounds each year, with deadlines in March and September.
Current deadline: 2nd March 2026
To read more: Rights and Justice
Provision of Cheshire & Merseyside Suicide Bereavement Postvention Service [TENDER]
Wirral Council’s requirements in respect of the Cheshire and Merseyside Suicide Bereavement Postvention Service. The impact of suicide on the bereaved can vary depending on the relationship and time since the death. Adverse effects of bereavement by suicide include financial problems, unemployment, relationship break-up, deterioration in physical and mental health, substance use, increase in casual sexual relationships, suicidal thoughts and also dying by suicide. These behaviours can continue to be problematic for the bereaved well beyond 12 months after the death of a loved one.
Current deadline: 20th March 2026
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 groups@wcvs.org.uk to access bespoke advice and one-to-one support with grant funding.
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