This week's Funding Bulletin (March 9th - March 13th 2026)

eloisehallwcvs
2 hours ago
7 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.

Apply: Arts & Culture Capacity & Resilience Fund - Application Form

General Funding Opportunities

Groundwork's Grassroots Grants Scheme

Local charities and community organisations can apply for unrestricted grants of up to £2,000 to support projects that improve the lives of local people and their neighbourhoods. Funding is available to organisations working in areas that fall within the top 15% most disadvantaged communities in England, as measured by the English Indices of Deprivation.

The funding is provided through the Grassroots Grants scheme, delivered by the environmental and regeneration charity Groundwork. The programme supports community-led projects across England that address local challenges, support vulnerable people, and strengthen social connections.

The scheme is designed for small organisations that often find it difficult to access mainstream funding but make a real difference locally. Eligible applicants include registered charities, community groups, and other not-for-profit organisations with an annual income of less than £25,000.

To read more: Grassroots Grants - Groundwork

Tesco Stronger Starts Programme

Schools and not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of up to £1,500 for projects and activities that give children across the UK a stronger start in life. Priority is given to projects that improve access to healthy, nutritious food for children and young people.

Every three months, three locally nominated good causes/projects are selected to be in the blue token customer vote in Tesco stores throughout the UK. Grants will be awarded depending on the number of votes their project receives.

Examples of eligible applications with a focus on food security, children and young people could be:

A school providing pupils with food for breakfast clubs or snacks throughout the day.
A school wanting to buy equipment for outdoor or indoor activities.
A school wanting to develop a food growing area.
A school supporting an after school club.
A voluntary organisation working with families to run a food bank.
An organisation addressing holiday hunger.
A healthy eating project that supports families to cook healthy meals on a budget.
A Brownie or Scout group needing funding for new play equipment or activities.

Schools, voluntary or community organisations (including registered charities/companies), health bodies (e.g., Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Hospital Trust, Foundation Trust), Parish/Town Councils, local authorities, and social housing providers are eligible to apply.

The funding is being made available through the Tesco Stronger Starts Programme, which is managed by Groundwork across the UK and is working with greenspace scotland to support applicants in Scotland.

To read more: Home

Weavers' Company's Benevolent Fund

The Worshipful Company of Weavers has launched a new funding round through its Benevolent Fund.

The fund mainly supports projects that help young offenders, ex-offenders and other disadvantaged young people move into employment and participate in their communities. The fund also provides support to smaller charities working with underfunded groups within the criminal justice system.

Eligible organisations include registered UK charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs). In some cases, community interest companies (CICs) may also be considered.

Current deadline: 2nd July 2026

Rowntree's Free the Fund Community Programme

Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations across the UK and Ireland can apply to the Rowntree’s Free the Fund Community Programme for grants of up to £10,000 to run summer activities that improve adult wellbeing.

Delivered in partnership with Groundwork, the programme will fund four projects that bring people aged 21 to 65 together through activities such as:

Arts and crafts
Dance
Music
Gardening
Sports and fitness

Examples of project ideas could be:

Improving a community garden or transforming an outdoor space
Running a summer art festival
Funding to support a wheelchair basketball club
Equipment or space improvement for team sports
Arts, theatre and music equipment

Grants can be awarded to registered charities, social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, hospices, sports clubs and social housing providers.

Previously supported projects include CWM TAF People First, which runs social activities for people with learning disabilities to reduce isolation, and Spectrum People’s Appletree Garden, where volunteers—many with lived experience of vulnerability—can come together.

Current deadline: 31st March 2026

Parkinson's UK Physical Activity Grants Programme

Community groups and organisations across the UK can apply for grants of up to £3,000 to help people with Parkinson's become and stay active.

The Parkinson’s UK Physical Activity Grants Programme supports new activities that encourage people affected by Parkinson’s, particularly those from marginalised or underrepresented communities, to participate in physical activity and sports.

This year, funding is focused on people who are currently inactive, helping them begin and maintain their participation. Activities could include walking groups, dance classes, or table tennis sessions.

‘Gateway activities’ will also be supported to make activities more accessible. These are movement‑based sessions that build confidence and encourage interest in becoming more active.

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: 1st April 2026

To read more: Alec Dickson Trust

Kelly Family Charitable Trust

Registered charities whose activities support and encourage the family to work as a cohesive unit in tackling problems that face one or more of its members can apply for grants of up to £5,000 through the Kelly Family Charitable Trust.

Higher grant amounts can be awarded at the discretion of trustees.

Both capital and revenue grants are available, and the Trust welcomes requests for core operating costs in addition to project-based funding. Newly established organisations are encouraged to apply, as the Trust seeks to help charities grow and establish their services.

Initiatives supported by the Trust focus on preventing the fracture of the family unit through interventions such as practical support, relationship counselling, or mediation. Proposals addressing sexual abuse, domestic or physical violence, alcohol or drug misuse, and support for prisoners and their families are also supported

Although the Trust prefers to fund charities with annual incomes below £500,000, it may consider applications from larger organisations presenting pioneering pilot projects.

The Trust has supported charities like Mosac, which assists non-abusing parents and carers of sexually abused children, and Westminster Befriend a Family, a group that trains volunteers to befriend and regularly visit families under stress in their homes.

Current deadline: 1st September 2026

To read more: Kelly Family Charitable Trust - Home

The 7Stars Foundation Social Impact Fund

The 7stars Foundation Social Impact Fund supports charities working to address key societal issues affecting vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, aged 18 years old and under, across the UK.

Funding is intended to support direct solutions and approaches that address the wider societal challenges linked to the following focus areas:

Child Exploitation
Child Mental Health
LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Support
Anti-Racism
Online Abuse

The current funding round focuses on LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Support.

One charity will receive a two-year unrestricted grant of £10,000 (£5,000 per year) to deliver LGBTQ+ inclusion and support initiatives.

Registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £1.5 million are eligible to apply.

Current deadline: 12th April 2026

Laughology's Happiness Fund

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Laughology has announced that it will be giving away £20,000 through it’s Happiness Fund this year.

The funding supports neighbourhood-based community projects that build happy, strong, resilient communities across the UK.

Small, not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding to set up new groups and activities that improve:

Mental health and wellbeing
Inclusion
Learning and skills development

To succeed, applicants must indicate how the activity/group can become self-sustainable or attract funding from other sources for the longer term.

The programme will run across two cycles, each awarding two grants of £5,000.

Current deadline: 27th March 2026

One Stop's Community Partnership Programme

Convenience store operator One Stop has announced that its Community Partnership programme has reopened for applications. The programme provides grants of up to £1,000 to community groups and other not-for-profit organisations operating within a two-mile radius of a One Stop shop.

The grants are available to support projects and initiatives that are:

Tackling food poverty
Supporting the vulnerable
Supporting the elderly
Supporting low-income families
Running youth sports teams
Reducing / recycling waste
Improving the environment

In addition to the grant, the One Stop Community Team and One Stop Store Team create a long-term, tailored support programme for successful applicants. Grant recipients then partner with the One Stop Store Team at their local shop to deliver this programme.

Applications will be welcomed from various organisations, including voluntary/community organisations, registered charities, schools, health bodies, Parish/Town councils, social enterprises, and Community Interest Companies.