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This week's Funding Bulletin (March 23rd - March 27th 2026)

A short summary of funding opportunities that have came to our attention this week.


General Funding Opportunities

Easy Fundraising: Impact Fund


Easyfundraising are awarding 20 unrestricted grants of £500 to UK not-for-profit organisations to help them continue or enhance their work.

The grants are unrestricted, so funds can be used wherever they’re needed most, from core costs to equipment and activities.


The application is quick to complete and open to charities, schools, sports clubs, CICs, social enterprises, youth groups and other UK not-for-profit organisations of all shape and size.


Current deadline: 5th April 2026



Arnold Clark: Gear Up For Sport


Arnold Clark, a major UK motor retailer that also operates a wider community fund supporting local organisations and grassroots activity, has announced that its Gear Up for Sport programme will reopen for applications in April.  The programme offers free sports kits to young people’s teams across Scotland, England and Wales.


The programme is open to one team per club, with eligible teams having up to 30 members aged 4 to 15. Applications must be submitted by a member of the coaching or management team, such as a coach, treasurer or secretary, rather than by a parent. A wide range of sports is covered, including football, rugby, netball, basketball, cricket, swimming, gymnastics and athletics, etc.




Barclays Access Grant


The Barclays Community Sport Fund is now open for applications to its 2026 Access Grant programme.


Grants of £1,000 are available for not-for-profit organisations. The funding aims to make football, cricket and tennis more accessible to women and girls, particularly in disadvantaged or remote communities across the UK.

The fund is delivered through Sported, the charity that supports community groups using sport to create social change.


Eligible applicants include

  • Charities

  • Community groups

  • Youth groups

  • Traditional sports clubs.


Organisations must either already provide, or be planning to start, football, cricket or tennis activities for women and girls. In most cases, applicants must be based in, or support people from, Indices of Multiple Deprivation areas 1–3, although groups working with women and girls with disabilities or affected by rural isolation may also be considered outside those areas.


Current deadline: 5pm on 27 May 2026



The Goldsmith's Foundation


The Goldsmiths’ Foundation has opened applications for its Spring 2026 Open Grants Fund. Grants of £30,000 to £50,000 are available to UK charities and charitable organisations. The funding supports work that combines vocational skills training with creative practice and social impact.


The Foundation focuses on organisations that help people develop practical skills and access opportunities, while also strengthening the creative industries.


This funding round is looking for applications from organisations involved in the craft sector. This could be core craft or craft used in another creative field, such as hand engraving in jewellery making, hand embroidery in the fashion industry or puppet-making for the theatre.

Priority is given to work that supports social justice and benefits communities that have historically received less funding. Eligible applicants include UK registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), and exempt or excepted charities.


Applicants can apply for either:

  • Core (operating) funding, or

  • Project funding


Current deadline: 11th May 2026 (10am)



The Fore


The Fore is a UK venture philanthropy fund that supports high-potential small charities and social enterprises. It has announced that the next funding round will open on 25 March.


The programme offers unrestricted grants of up to £45,000 over one to three years. This funding is flexible and can be used for core and organisational costs that help organisations:

  • grow

  • build internal capacity

  • improve structure

  • become more sustainable and efficient

  • reach new beneficiary groups


Eligible applicants include UK-registered charities, charitable CIOs, CICs limited by guarantee, and charitable or asset-locked Community Benefit Societies. Organisations must have an annual income of less than £500,000.


Organisations can be based anywhere in the UK and work in any sector. However, CICs limited by shares and non-charitable Community Benefit Societies without an asset lock are not eligible.


Current deadline: 1st April 2026



Henry Smith Foundation


Schools, youth groups, not-for-profit organisations, and charities can apply for grants of £500 to £3,000 to support recreational trips or holidays within the UK for groups of disabled or disadvantaged children (aged 13 or under).


Applications from the 20% most deprived areas in the UK will receive priority. Funded by the Henry Smith Charity, grants can cover up to two-thirds of the cost of a holiday or trip lasting one to seven days.


Previous visits supported include:

  • All Saints Catholic Primary School received a grant of £1,500 towards a two-night trip to Wales for a group of disadvantaged children from Merseyside;

  • Bridgewater School, which received a grant of £1,900 towards an overnight trip to London for a group of disadvantaged children from Newcastle; and

  • 6th St Helens (Parr) Scout Group received a grant of £1,100 towards a two-night trip to an activity centre in Lancashire for a group of children from a disadvantaged area of Merseyside.


Current deadline: 19th August 2026



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.


This funding is made available by Help the Homeless, a grant-giving trust founded in 1975 to assist people off the streets and into healthier, more independent lives.


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: 20th June 2026



Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation


Small and medium-sized charities across the UK can apply for funding from the Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation to support people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.


The Foundation offers Small Grants of up to £2,500 to UK registered charities with an annual income under £500,000 for core, project or capital costs.


In addition, Large Grants of up to £75,000 are available to charities with an income of £1 million or less based in Yorkshire or the North East, typically awarded over two to three years to support running costs, staffing and service delivery.


Funding prioritises projects that help people access or sustain a safe and secure home, including support with financial hardship, housing access, tenancy sustainment, and health and wellbeing linked to poor housing. Previously funded projects have included homelessness prevention services, supported accommodation schemes, and initiatives providing essential household items for vulnerable individuals.


Current deadline: 1st June 2026



Home Instead Grants


Community groups and small charities working with older people can now apply for grants from Home Instead Charities.


The charity, part of the Home Instead UK network, provides funding to projects that enhance wellbeing or reduce social isolation among people aged 55 and over. Grants are available to grassroots organisations, small local charities and registered charities, with Community Interest Companies also eligible.


Projects typically supported include social clubs, day trips, yoga sessions, and guest speakers. Funding cannot be used for salaries, operating costs, capital projects, or repeat applications for the same project within the same year.


Applicants must demonstrate inclusivity and hold a bank account in the same name as the applying group. Organisations with more than three months’ reserves may only be awarded up to 50% of their request.


Home Instead Charities said it aims to support small groups making a direct difference in local communities.


To apply, applicants need to contact their local Home Instead office directly to discuss their project or organisation. The local office will advise applicants on the next steps within the grant application process.



The Art Society's Charity Grants Programme


UK registered charities working in the arts, heritage and crafts can apply for funding through The Arts Society’s Charity Grants Programme.


The scheme supports smaller organisations, typically with an annual income of under £1 million, to deliver projects that increase access to the arts, develop practical skills, and engage local communities. Grants of up to £3,000 are available for activities such as community workshops, training and apprenticeships, conservation and heritage initiatives, and exhibitions or museum-based projects.


Priority is given to projects that benefit underserved groups and demonstrate clear local impact.


Previously funded projects have included craft training schemes for young people, community-led heritage conservation work, and outreach programmes that bring arts activities to isolated or disadvantaged groups. Applicants are expected to show strong planning, clear outcomes, and measurable public benefit.


Current deadline: 31st March 2026



Comic Relief Grants


Comic Relief has announced a new funding opportunity for organisations working in youth homelessness and racial justice.


The programme will have two separate funding routes.


The first route will support organisations that help young people aged 16 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This includes services such as housing advice, wellbeing support, and help to access education, training, or employment.


The second route will support organisations that work to promote racial justice within the homelessness sector. This includes influencing policy, campaigning for change, and tackling inequalities that affect racially minoritised communities.


Applicants must be UK-based voluntary or community organisations with relevant experience.


Funding amounts and application deadlines have not yet been announced.


Comic Relief has previously funded projects that provide tailored housing support for young people, specialist services for minoritised groups, and work that aims to improve policies and create fairer systems.


More details about eligibility and how to apply will be published before the programme opens.


Current deadline: 30th March 2026



The Leathersellers' Foundation's ACEs Main Grants Programme


The Leathersellers' Foundation has announced the opening of its ACEs Main Grants Programme 2025, aimed at preventing and addressing the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) across the UK. Eligible charities can apply for unrestricted grants ranging from £20,000 to £25,000 per annum for up to four years. ​


The ACEs Main Charity Grants Programme is open to UK-registered charities or charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) but not Community Interest Companies (CIC) that:

  • Expect to have an organisational income of £200,000-£2,000,000 in 2025-26

  • Have as their core focus, the goal to prevent and/ or reduce the impact of ACEs by providing services to children, young people and/ or adults (our definition of ACEs is outlined in ‘what we fund’ below)

  • Can demonstrate that the vast majority of people using the service have experienced ACEs/ are supporting people who have experienced ACEs, such as parents and caregivers

  • Use a trauma-informed approach and evidence-based interventions

  • can demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach through evaluation or external research

  • Can demonstrate that the voice of service users/ experts by experience informs service design and delivery


The Foundation is particularly interested in organisations utilising creative arts, nature, and sport in their approaches, as well as those operating in Northern Ireland.


Expressions of interest need to be submitted by 5pm on the 30 April 2026. Given the high volume of applications—498 expressions of interest were received last year, with 17 grants awarded—interested organisations are encouraged to apply promptly. ​


To apply, organisations should review the eligibility criteria and FAQs provided on the Leathersellers' Foundation website. A Word version of the expression of interest form is available for drafting purposes before online submission. For charities with an income under £200,000, information about the Small Grants Programme is also available.



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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