This week's Funding Bulletin (June 15th - June 19th 2026)
- eloisehallwcvs
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
A short summary of funding opportunities that have come to our attention this week.
Freelands Foundation's Learning Through Making Fund
Freelands Foundation has launched the Learning Through Making Fund, which offers grants of up to £25,000 for visual arts education projects in the UK. The fund will support hands-on creative work using different materials and making techniques.
Freelands Foundation supports artists, art education and visual arts learning across the UK.
The fund is open to UK-based visual arts organisations whose work has a charitable or public benefit purpose. This can include registered charities, exempt charities, local authority galleries or museums, charitable organisations based within universities, Community Interest Companies and Community Benefit Societies that meet the fund’s additional eligibility requirements. All activity must take place in the UK.
Funding can support projects that help audiences explore making and materials in creative ways. This could include:
Materials, transport, specialist expertise or access to facilities;
Research that tests new ways of working through practical activity;
Workshops, events or new learning activities;
Adding new hands-on making activities to an existing project or programme.
Projects can run from a few days to several months. They must take place between 1 January and 31 December 2027.
The fund is intended to support exploratory work, so applicants do not need to know exactly what the project will produce before it starts.
Applications are made through a one-stage process. Applicants must download the application documents and email the completed form to Freelands Foundation with the subject line “LTM Fund – Application”.
Two online application support sessions will take place on 9 July 2026 and 12 August 2026.
Current deadline: 11th September 2026
BBC Children in Need's Emergency Essentials Programme
BBC Children in Need has announced that its Emergency Essentials programme has reopened for applications. Through the programme, grants are available to support children and young people in the UK experiencing a crisis or emergency.
The grants support families with children up to the age of 17 who are living with financial, health and social difficulties by providing items that meet children’s most basic needs such as:
Cookers
Furniture
Kitchen equipment and small appliances
Children’s beds and bedding (including cots)
Washing machines and tumble dryers
Fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers
Baby equipment
Clothing
Applications must come through a registered referral agency supporting the family or young person. The programme is delivered by Family Fund Business Services.
A tiered strategy is in place to ensure the programme can achieve longevity and reach underrepresented areas. Each region or nation has a tier allocation, which may be subject to change as the current funding year progresses.
It is recommended that applicants read our tiered strategy guidance so that referrers can check for any changes to this tier allocation before making an application.
The aim is to process applications within 10 working days.
Applications can be made at any time.
Arts Council England's Creative Foundations Fund
Arts Council England has published details of Round 2 of the Creative Foundations Fund, a capital programme supporting creative and cultural organisations in England to restore, renew, retrofit or revitalise buildings and equipment. Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in arts, museums, libraries and creative and cultural activity across England.
The fund supports projects where investment in buildings or equipment is business-critical. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit cultural organisations based in and registered in England, such as charities, CIOs, CICs, charitable companies, non-profit companies, public bodies that run cultural services, and some community benefit societies.
Funding is available through two strands:
Strand 1: £100,000 to £1 million, covering Building Projects, Equipment purchases or a combination of both
Strand 2: more than £1 million to £10 million, covering Building Projects or combined Building Projects and Equipment Purchases (Equipment-only projects are not permitted in Strand 2).
The funding can be used for capital expenditure linked to cultural assets, including urgent works that prevent organisations from delivering services to the public. Museums, libraries, individuals and profit-distributing organisations cannot apply.
Current deadline: 17th July 2026
UK Government's Democratic Engagement Fund
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced that applications for the Democratic Engagement Fund will open on 22 June 2026. The fund will provide grants to civil society organisations in England to deliver politically neutral, place-based activities that help people understand, engage with and participate in democracy.
The £2.5 million fund is designed to support groups that are currently less democratically engaged and to build evidence on what works to increase participation. Priority groups include young people up to 25, ethnic minority groups, disabled people, people experiencing homelessness, regular movers and people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Eligible applicants include charities, CIOs, CICs, companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies, co-operatives and other VCSE organisations. Applicants must be UK-based, non-governmental, non-profit organisations delivering activity in England. They must be politically impartial, legally constituted, have operated for at least two years, and have an annual income between £50,000 and £1 million.
Most grants will be up to £25,000, with exceptional awards of up to £50,000 for applicants who can demonstrate greater impact and value for money. Funding can support outreach, informing and widening participation activities such as democracy days, community champions, language-accessible sessions, youth councils, mock elections, deliberative forums and democratic education in community settings.
Funding decisions are expected in January 2027, with projects able to begin from March 2027 and delivery completed by 31 October 2027.
Current deadline: 31st August 2026
To read more: Democratic Engagement Fund: Prospectus - GOV.UK
The Matthew Good Foundation's Grants for Good Fund
The Matthew Good Foundation has opened the next round of its Grants for Good Fund. The aim is to support small charities, not-for-profit groups and social entrepreneurs who are passionate about making a difference to people, their community or the environment.
The Fund will share £15,000 among five shortlisted projects every three months, to be voted on by John Good Group employees. The project that receives the most votes will receive a grant of £5,000, second place £3,500, third place £2,500, with fourth and fifth place both receiving £2,000.
In addition to established projects and charities, the Foundation wants to hear from people with innovative ideas that need funding to get their projects up and running.
To be eligible, applicants must have earned less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.
Current deadline: 15th September 2026
To read more: Grants for Good - Small Charity Funding up to £5,000
UK Government's Green Heat Network Fund
Organisations in England can now apply for capital funding to assist new and existing heat networks in transitioning to low and zero-carbon technologies.
This funding is provided through the latest funding round of the Government's £288 million Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF). The fund aims to support the deployment of low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar energy, and geothermal energy. The goal is to enable heat networks to supply clean heating to homes, offices, commercial establishments, and public buildings.
Organisations eligible to apply include:
Public sector organisations – e.g. local authorities, government departments, NHS trusts and other statutory bodies.
Private sector entities – registered companies and commercial developers, including corporate project sponsors responsible for heat network projects.
Third sector organisations – such as registered charities, community energy organisations and similar not-for-profit bodies involved in heat network delivery.
The GHNF is a capital grant fund that supports:
The commercialisation and construction of new low and zero-carbon (LZC) heat networks, including the provision of cooling.
The retrofitting and expansion of existing heat networks.
Its objective is to develop and expand the heat network market, addressing challenges associated with decarbonising the UK's heating sector.
Grant amounts for individual projects will vary, with a maximum of £1 million for commercialisation support.
Current deadline: 25th September 2026
VOLA's Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Community Grants Programme
VOLA have launched the second round of the Liverpool City Region Youth Guarantee Trailblazer community grants programme today, Friday 19th June 2026.
The programme supports 18–21-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), helping them to build confidence, overcome barriers and progress towards employment, education or training.
Funded by the UK government through the LCR Combined Authority, the programme will make £450,000 available across the Liverpool City Region.
Locally based VCFSE organisations can apply to deliver projects that support young Liverpool City Region residents to overcome personal challenges and barriers.
The grant value of the programme ranges between £10,000 to £40,000, and the delivery of programmes must be between September 2026 to March 2027.
VOLA is hosting online briefing sessions for interested organisations on Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June.
The same workshop will run on three different days/times for convenience, so you only need to attend one session. Each will last approximately 1 hour.
Current deadline: 19th July 2026
To read more: Youth Guarantee Trailblazer – volamerseyside
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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