This week's Funding Bulletin (May 25th - May 29th 2026)
- eloisehallwcvs
- 16 hours ago
- 6 min read
A short summary of funding opportunities that have come to our attention this week.
Historic England’s Places of Worship Renewal Fund
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund (PWRF) supports urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship across England. A total of £92 million has been allocated to the fund over four years, with £23 million available annually to help keep historic places of worship safe, open, and in active use.
The fund is open to listed places of worship of any faith or denomination, provided they are active places of worship. Grants are available for capital works ranging from £10,000 to £1 million and are divided into three funding streams: small grants (£10,000–£50,000), medium grants (£50,001–£350,000), and large grants (£350,001–£1,000,000).
Priority will be given to projects located in areas with the greatest need for investment and those that can demonstrate significant community benefit. Funding is competitive, and applications will be assessed against Historic England’s priorities, as well as the fund’s objectives and criteria.
Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full application. Organisations should ensure their project is sufficiently developed at the EOI stage to demonstrate the need for the proposed works.
Current deadline: 14th June 2026
Henry Smith Foundation's Proud Homes Fund
Historic England is inviting expressions of interest for the next round of its Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, which supports the conservation, repair and conversion of historic buildings and sites at risk across England.
The programme is open to organisations and individuals legally responsible for eligible assets, including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, historic buildings in conservation areas, and registered parks and gardens.
The fund's objectives are to:
Repair and safeguard heritage at risk across England
Remove or significantly reduce risk and deterioration for priority heritage assets
Bring historic buildings back into safe and productive use
Target projects in England’s most disadvantaged communities
Up to £15 million will be awarded in this round, with grants of up to £1 million available.
Priority will be given to projects in areas with high levels of deprivation and need for investment, particularly where they will deliver strong benefits for local communities.
During the first year of the fund, £15 million in funding was awarded to 37 projects ranging from a medieval harbour in Cornwall to a former coal mine in Northumberland.
The programme is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with up to £60 million remaining available for allocation over the next 4 years.
Current deadline: 7th June 2026
To read more: Heritage at Risk Capital Fund | Historic England
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Not-for-profit organisations across the UK can now apply for grants of between £250,000 and £10 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for projects connecting people and communities to UK heritage.
The funding can be used to support a broad range of activities and project costs, such as:
Volunteer expenses, new staff posts and training costs
Capital works, repair, maintenance and conservation
Professional fees, event costs and activities to strengthen organisations
Acquisition of heritage and costs associated with the purchase
Costs to join Fit for the Future, a UK-wide environmental sustainability network
Projects must take into account the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s four investment principles:
Saving heritage
Protecting the environment
Inclusion, access and participation
Organisational sustainability
Partnerships are encouraged. Up to 10% match funding is required.
Current deadline: 6th August 2026
To read more: The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The 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
The Henry Smith Foundation's Early Years Parenting Fund
The Henry Smith Foundation has announced that its Early Years Parenting Fund will open for applications at 9am on 3 June 202. The Fund will offer long-term support to organisations delivering effective early-years parenting support across the UK.
The foundation is a UK grant maker that funds work aimed at reducing social and economic disadvantage. This fund is intended to improve outcomes for children most at risk of poor early childhood development by backing culturally grounded, evidence-based support for parents and caregivers.
Charitable organisations registered in and working in the UK can apply.
Eligible organisations need to demonstrate that they work closely with and understand parents of children aged newborn to 5 in the communities the fund targets. That includes Black, Pakistani, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and/or families with young children living in the most deprived 20% of areas nationally.
They also need experience of delivering early years parenting support that promotes children’s development through sustained, face-to-face work.
Applicants must have an annual income between £100,000 and £5 million, and activities must take place in the UK.
Grants are worth £56,250 a year for four years, totalling £225,000, and can be used as flexible funding towards general running costs.
Expressions of interest close at 5pm on 1 July 2026, with invited full applications due by 5pm on 21 August 2026.
Current deadline: 1st July 2026
To read more: Early Years Parenting Fund - Henry Smith
The Bupa Foundation's 2026 Green Community Grants Programme
The Bupa Foundation has announced that its 2026 Green Community Grants programme will open for applications on 1st June 2026.
The programme offers grants of between £500 and £2,000. Charities, schools, not-for-profit organisations, local authorities and social housing providers can apply for funding to improve local green spaces and support healthier communities.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK. It funds practical projects that improve community spaces, making them greener, healthier and easier for people to access.
Since 2023, the Bupa Foundation has awarded £1.4 million through Green Community Grants, supporting 794 organisations across the UK and Ireland.
This funding has helped more than 400 schools create outdoor classrooms, forest schools, sensory gardens and similar projects. It has also supported over 350 community groups, charities and food banks to develop community allotments, pocket parks, playgrounds and other green space improvements.
The grants are part of Bupa’s #HealthyCities initiative. Through this initiative, Bupa employees, suppliers and customers take part in walking activities that help release funding for charitable projects.
Current deadline: 30th June 2026
To read more: Bupa Foundation Green Community Grants
Charles Hayward Foundation's Main Grants Programme
UK registered charities working in the areas of Social and Criminal Justice can apply for funding to deliver projects that prevent people from entering the criminal justice system and to support those already in it to rebuild their lives.
Funding is being provided through the Charles Hayward Foundation’s Main Grants Programme, which supports projects over one to three years with grants ranging from £15,000 to £25,000 per annum.
The Foundation will fund projects in the following categories:
Targeted early intervention programmes aimed at reaching the most troubled and vulnerable families in a community.
Targeted preventative and diversionary projects for young people at risk of offending, including interventions identifying and addressing the particular needs of girls and young women.
Programmes combining prison-based and community interventions dealing with the rehabilitation of offenders, accommodation and support on release, maintaining family relationships, mentoring, and creating pathways to employment.
Schemes offering viable alternatives to custody, in particular for women and young people.
Charities with an annual income of between £350,000 and £4 million are eligible to apply.
Current deadline: 18th September 2026
To read more: Social & Criminal Justice - Charles Hayward Foundation
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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