This week's Funding Bulletin (June 16th - June 20th 2025)
- lewishallwcvs
- Jun 20
- 6 min read
A short summary of funding opportunities that have came to our attention this week.
The National Lottery's Solidarity Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund has launched the Solidarity Fund to support charities and not-for-profit organisations in England that address the causes of inequality, including poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
Organisations can apply for grants ranging from £1 million to £5 million for projects lasting between 5 and 10 years.
To be eligible, organisations must be led by, and accountable to, people with lived experience of the issues you’re trying to change.
Funded activities include:
Helping people build power in their communities, such as supporting local people to lead and take action on issues that matter to them.
Bringing communities together to address inequality, for example, helping different groups build relationships and collaborate on shared challenges.
Supporting communities to share knowledge and influence public conversations, including publishing ideas, leading research, or sharing stories to reshape the understanding of inequality.
In its first year, the Fund aims to support 10 organisations.
Eligible costs may include:
Staff costs, including sessional workers
Development work (e.g. staff training, governance, IT upgrades, and sharing learning)
Transport
Utilities and running costs
Volunteer expenses
Learning and evaluation
Equipment
Minor capital costs for land or building work (these should not form a significant portion of the funding request)
Translation and interpretation costs for non-English speakers
Strategic Legal Fund
Not for profit organisations and private law firms assisting young migrants can apply for grants from the Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) for Vulnerable Young Migrants.
These grants aim to support strategic legal work that benefits disadvantaged migrant children and young people (under 25 years old) who are living in poverty and facing significant disadvantage or discrimination due to their immigration status.
The SLF only supports strategic legal work carried out in the UK. This is defined as work where the impact is likely to go beyond an individual case, and to result in changes to law, policy and practice that will benefit a wider group of people.
Current deadline: 1st September 2025
To read more: About the SLF - Strategic Legal Fund
Steel Charitable Trust’s United Kingdom Under-26 Fund
UK-registered charities and exempt charities (including CIOs) can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £25,000 to improve educational outcomes for children and young people under 26 who face significant disadvantage and struggle to access vital services.
Types of activities that can be funded include:
Educational opportunities: Projects that provide learning, skills development, or access to further education for young people.
Access opportunities: Initiatives that help young people access support, services, or experiences that would otherwise be out of reach due to economic or social barriers.
Projects targeting groups or locations facing disadvantage: Work that supports young people in circumstances or communities experiencing economic hardship or social exclusion.
Capital and running costs: Funding can cover specific project costs, including salaries for stated roles, IT upgrades, building renovations, or other capital expenditures, as long as these are detailed in the application65.
Ongoing or new projects: Both new project costs and contributions towards existing projects are eligible, provided the beneficiaries are mainly under 26 years old65.
Restricted funding: All grants are for restricted use, meaning they must be spent on the specific project or purpose outlined in the application
Applicants must have at least one year of accounts and a minimum annual income of £100,000. Projects must benefit mainly under-26s across the UK (excluding Luton) and cannot be retrospective, overseas, or support individuals directly.
Current deadline: 15th July 2025
To read more: UNITED KINGDOM Under-26 Fund
Help the Homeless
Small homeless charities can apply for capital grants of up to £5,000 to help individuals rebuild their lives.
Eligible applicants must be registered charities with an annual turnover below £500,000 and less than six months of unrestricted reserves. Typically, funding is awarded to organisations running residential or training facilities designed to provide homeless people with direct support and pathways to independence.
Projects previously supported include the Booth Centre in Manchester, which received £1,500 for centre improvements, and the Amber Foundation, which was awarded £3,000 to purchase new bedroom furniture for its residential centre in Devon.
Current deadline: 15th September 2025
To read more: Applying for Funding — Help the Homeless
The Toy Trust Fund
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to small UK-registered children's charities to fund equipment and services to support disabled and disadvantaged children under the age of 13 across the UK.
The Toy Trust fund:
Helps disadvantaged children and their families to alleviate suffering
Supports children through awful experiences
Encourages achievement through adversity
Purchases vital equipment
Provides care
Bolsters existing initiatives
Initiates brand new projects
Satisfies basic needs
Groups that have carried out some form of effective fundraising by themselves are particularly encouraged to apply.
Current deadline: 20th August 2025
To read more: How To Apply - Toy Trust
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 between five shortlisted projects every three months, which will be voted for 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.
As well as established projects and charities, the Foundation wants to hear from people with innovative ideas that need some funding to get their projects up and running.
To be eligible, applicants must have earned less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.
Funding is awarded every three months and the next deadline for the next funding round is the 15th September 2025.
Current deadline: 15th September 2025
To read more: Grants for Good
Parkinson's UK's Physical Activity Grants for Marginalised Communities Fund
Parkinson’s UK has launched a pilot grant scheme to tackle the barriers faced by people from marginalised communities with Parkinson’s in accessing regular exercise. Community groups, charities, and not-for-profit organisations that work with or are part of specified marginalised communities can apply for up to £3,000 to develop and deliver tailored physical activity projects.
The Physical Activity Grants for Marginalised Communities Fund will support a variety of initiatives, including local exercise classes, adaptive sports sessions, outreach initiatives, and community engagement events. Projects should be innovative and specifically target groups not currently accessing existing physical activity opportunities.
The fund is aimed at the following groups:
Ethnic minorities (global majority)
People with physical, learning, neurodiverse or hidden disabilities
Individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds
LGBTQIA+ community members
Refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant communities
Women (anyone who identifies as a woman)
Applicants must be based in, or their project must serve, one of the specified local authority areas with high levels of deprivation, as indicated by the UK Index of Multiple Deprivation (2019).
Current deadline: 10th August 2025
Alec Dickson Trust
Grants of up to £500 are available to individuals or groups of young people aged 30 or under who aim to make a difference through volunteering or community service.
The funding is made available through the Alec Dickson Trust. It prioritises projects involving many volunteers, addresses the specific needs of disadvantaged communities and individuals, and is innovative and sustainable.
The Trust is looking for projects that identify a specific need and propose to carry out activities that will clearly help to address this need and are long-lasting and sustainable as possible.
Current deadline: 2nd July 2025
To read more: Alec Dickson Trust
Neighbourhood Learning In Deprived Communities [TENDER]
Non accredited courses for Adults aged 19+ around a range of specified themes. Courses will lead to progression pathways enabling learner to progress and develop a range of skills.
Estimated contract dates
Start date: 24/10/2025
End date: 31/08/2026
Contact details
Buyer: Wirral Borough Council
Contact: Rebecca Boulger
Telephone: 0151 666 3516
Address: Mallory Building, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2AB
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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