This week's Funding Bulletin (July 13th - July 17th 2026)
- Eloise Hall
- 1 minute ago
- 9 min read
A short summary of funding opportunities that have come to our attention this week.
The National Autistic Society's Boshier Grant Scheme
Registered charities can apply for grants of up to £25,000 for projects that improve the lives of autistic people across the UK.
The Boshier Grant Scheme, established by Thea and Peter Boshier in partnership with the National Autistic Society, awards funding each year to support projects benefiting people with autism.
This year’s theme is “Making a society that works better for autistic people.”
Projects must address at least one priority area:
Public understanding and representation
Education
Work and employment
Diagnosis
Public services and specialist care
Families and support networks
Eligible activities could include improving educational access, providing vocational training, reducing diagnosis waiting times, developing community support groups, offering respite activities or making services and public spaces more autism-inclusive.
Applicants must demonstrate that their project enables at least one of the following:
Values autistic individuals
Guarantees support
Is free from discrimination
Maximises autistic power
Adapts public spaces and services
Current deadline: 24th July 2026
Read more: The Boshier Grant Scheme
The Pets Foundation's Rescue Centre Grants Programme
Animal rescue and rehoming organisations across the UK can apply for funding through the Pets Foundation Rescue Centre Grants Programme. The Pets Foundation is a UK animal rescue and pet adoption charity, launched by Pets at Home in 2006, which helps abandoned and vulnerable pets get a second chance.
The programme supports organisations whose main activity is the rescue and rehoming of pets in the UK. Grants start from £250, with funding available for a wide range of costs linked to animal welfare, rescue operations and rehoming activity.
Eligible costs can include
Vet bills
Boarding fees
Trap and neuter schemes
Food
Animal care equipment
Vehicles
Building work and utility bills
The Foundation has previously made significant awards through the programme, with the largest rescue grant last year providing £150,000 towards a kennel build.
One-off grant requests of under £50,000 are reviewed and decided throughout the year. Applications for more than £50,000 will be considered in January 2027.
The National Lottery Community Fund's Solidarity Fund
Organisations in England that address the root causes of poverty, discrimination and disadvantage can apply for long-term funding from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Solidarity Fund.
Grants range from £1 million to £5 million and can last five to ten years. Funding is flexible and can cover running costs and project activities.
The fund expects to award around £50 million each year until 2030.
It supports ambitious work that aims to change the policies, institutions and decision-making processes that contribute to inequality. Projects should be led by, and accountable to, people with direct experience of the issues.
Applications must show how the proposed work will:
Help communities gain influence, develop leaders and take part in decisions.
Change systems that contribute to poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
Bring communities together to act on shared concerns.
Ensure people directly affected by the issues lead the work.
Share learning to influence decision-makers, improve policies and strengthen collective action.
Eligible applicants include:
Voluntary and community organisations
Registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations
Not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee
Community Interest Companies
Community benefit societies
Established partnerships
Priority will be given to projects that tackle the deeper causes of inequality rather than only providing short-term services. Projects should also strengthen communities and share learning that could improve wider policies and systems.
Applications will go through a detailed assessment process. Organisations should therefore have strong leadership, reliable financial management and realistic long-term plans.
There is no application deadline. Funding decisions are made every three months.
Sasha Love Foundation
UK-based registered charities and grassroots organisations are invited to apply for funding from the Sasha Love Foundation.
The Foundation offers grants of up to £10,000 for projects supporting young people affected by depression, mental health challenges, and drug-related issues.
Funding is also available for overseas education and healthcare initiatives, with a particular focus on improving access to education for young women in developing countries.
Previously funded projects include the Liss NEET Project, which supports young people who are not in education employment or training, and Malaika Kids, which provides support for children and families in some of the poorest parts of Tanzania. Grants may cover up to 50% of total project costs.
Current deadline: 1st October 2026
To read more: The Sasha Foundation
The Youth Endowment Fund's Violence Against Women and Girls Prevention Programme
The Youth Endowment Fund, in partnership with the Department for Education and the Home Office, has launched a new round of its Violence Against Women and Girls Prevention Programme.
The Foundation will fund and evaluate interventions responding to inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours on gender norms and relationships in educational settings amongst children and young people aged 10 to 18 (up to 19 in SEND settings).
This round focuses on secondary prevention: early, targeted support for children and young people who are beginning to show emerging concerns, before behaviours escalate to the point where statutory services such as children’s social care, policing or youth justice are required.
Activities may include training and support for teachers and school staff, tools and resources to support early identification, and approaches that help educational settings respond safely and appropriately.
Registered charities, companies, community interest companies and statutory bodies are eligible to apply.
There is no minimum or maximum grant amount, but budgets must be proportionate to the proposed delivery and evaluation.
Current deadline: 2nd September 2026
To read more: Youth Endowment Fund
The Bernard Sunley Foundation
The Bernard Sunley Foundation awards education grants to support capital projects at schools, colleges and educational charities in England and Wales. The Foundation is a family grant-making charity that gives around £5 million each year to capital projects across education, community, health and social welfare.
Funding is available at three levels:
Small grants of £5,000
Medium grants of up to £20,000
Large grants of £25,000 and above
Education grants have supported projects including outdoor learning centres, special needs schools and colleges.
Applicants must be seeking support for eligible capital costs, such as a new building, extension, refurbishment, recreational space or freehold purchase. The Foundation does not fund core costs, salaries, training, rent, utilities, IT infrastructure, individuals, or projects outside England and Wales.
Recent school and education projects funded include:
£5,000 for a new sensory garden at Ravenshall School
£5,000 for new play areas at Fairfield School
£5,000 for a new outdoor classroom at Kemball Special School
£5,000 for a new learning kitchen at Destination Pond Meadow
£5,000 for a new minibus at John Chilton School
Applications are made online after completing the eligibility check. There is no deadline.
To read more: Grants - Bernard Sunley Foundation
The National Churches Trust Large Grants Programme
Grants of up to £50,000 are available through the National Churches Trust Large Grants programme for churches, chapels, meeting houses and cathedrals. The National Churches Trust is a UK charity that supports church buildings and helps keep them open and in use.
The programme supports major urgent structural repairs costing over £80,000, and projects to install or upgrade kitchens and/or accessible toilets costing over £30,000. The average grant is currently around £21,000.
Applicants must be Christian places of worship in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands, originally built for worship more than 30 years ago. Buildings must hold at least six public services a year and be open to the public beyond worship for at least 100 days a year, or commit to this after completion.
Key points include:
Applicants must have raised at least 50% of project costs
Works must not have started
Projects must be deliverable within two years
Permissions and safeguarding policies must be in place
Current deadline: 3rd November 2026
To read more: Large grants | National Churches Trust
The Thomas Wall Trust
Grants of up to £5,000 are available from the Thomas Wall Trust for UK registered charities delivering projects that improve communication skills for disadvantaged adults and support NEET people into employment. The Trust was created in 1920 to support educational work and social service, and today provides grants to individuals and organisations.
Funding is available for charities registered with the Charity Commission for at least three years, with annual turnover between £25,000 and £500,000. Projects should support disadvantaged people of working age, usually 18+, and beneficiaries must gain at least one accredited vocational qualification during delivery or within two months of completion.
The Trust will consider pro-rata staffing and operational costs where appropriate. It prioritises match-funded projects and organisations with a strong track record, clear evidence of need and a focus on people facing major barriers to employment, including women, disabled people, people with mental health or learning disabilities, and refugees.
Key exclusions include:
Capital costs
ESOL courses
Organisations working outside the UK
Political or lobbying organisations
Subsidiaries or franchises of larger charities
Current deadline: 11th September 2026
To read more: Grants for Registered Charities | Thomas Wall Trust
The Wooden Spoon Society's Capital Grants Programme
Schools and not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding through the Wooden Spoon Society's Capital Grants programme. Wooden Spoon is a British and Irish Rugby charity that supports projects that help mentally and physically disadvantaged children under the cognitive age of 25. Each year, the charity supports around 70 projects.
Through the programme, funding is available for:
Buildings and extensions
Equipment and activity aids
Sensory rooms and gardens
Playgrounds and sports areas
Soft playrooms
The funding available is for capital items only and will not support revenue costs such as staffing and other ongoing costs. There is no maximum grant limit; however, it is unlikely that a project of a physical nature that is under £2,000 will have sufficient substance and scale to qualify.
Wooden Spoon’s contribution may be up to 100% of the cost, though beneficiary organisations will be encouraged, where practicable, to raise a proportion themselves.
Since its founding in 1983, the Wooden Spoon Society has awarded over £31 million in grants to more than 1,400 projects.
If a project is educational, health and wellbeing or disability sports-focused, a key sport (preferably rugby) element must be used to engage children and young people.
Projects funded in the past have included:
Ashmount School in Leicestershire received a grant of £13,500 towards a sensory room.
Enfield Heights Academy in London received a grant of £23,000 to improve its play areas.
The Colehill & Wimborne Youth & Community Centre received a grant of £8,000 towards a wheelchair lift.
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Read more: Wooden Spoon
The Access Foundation's Digital Divide Grants Programme
Grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 are available to UK charities, CICs and other not-for-profit organisations working to tackle digital exclusion in their communities.
The Access Foundation’s Digital Divide Grants programme funds projects lasting up to twelve months that aim to improve digital access, skills and support for disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
The types of projects that can be funded include:
Digital skills training programmes for adults or young people with low digital confidence, such as IT basics, online safety, business tech skills, or essential digital qualifications.
Provision of technology and connectivity — funding to purchase laptops, tablets, mobile data SIMs or Wi-Fi access so people on low incomes can get online.
Outreach digital inclusion services, such as mobile IT training units or “travelling trainer” projects that bring support directly to visually impaired or disadvantaged adults.
Community digital hubs or digital suites where people can access computers, internet, training and support in one place.
Tailored programmes for specific groups — for example, digital confidence and job-ready skills for homeless young people, women with English as a second language, or neurodiverse adults.
Collaborative projects with educational institutions that use technology to widen participation, such as scholarship programmes or digital support for students from underserved backgrounds.
Support services that use digital tools to improve wellbeing, such as technology-based advocacy support or community link-up projects that integrate digital engagement into broader support services.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for services, activities, initiatives or projects that show clear, measurable outcomes, such as digital skills training, improved access to equipment, or support to help people move into education or employment.
Funding decisions are typically made within 16 weeks of submission.
To read more: Apply - The Access Foundation
The National Lottery Community Fund's Change Makers Programme
The National Lottery Community Fund has announced that its Change Makers programme is open for applications, with grants of £1 million to £5 million available for organisations supporting community leaders in England.
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes National Lottery funding to community projects across the UK. This programme aims to support community leaders who are making change in and for their communities, including leaders from under-represented groups and those with lived experience.
Relevant examples could include community leaders from (the list is not exhaustive):
Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions
LGBTQ+ communities
Refugees, asylum seekers and migrant communities
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
People with experience of homelessness
People with experience of the criminal justice system
Applicants can apply alone or as part of a partnership. They must have experience supporting community leaders, working with places and communities facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination, and established relationships with local organisations. They must also operate in at least two English regions and have a combined gross annual income of more than £1 million.
Projects should:
Enable community leaders to shape the future of their communities
Support leadership across communities and organisations
Help leaders influence wider systems change
Share learning with the wider sector
Most grants will run for five years, although three or four year projects may be considered in exceptional cases. The funder expects to support up to 12 projects.
Current deadline: 5th August 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.