Our 2023 State of the Sector Report told us that 75% of organisations in Tower Hamlets see funding as the biggest challenge they face. At Tower Hamlets CVS we are trying to address that need by providing information and supporting voluntary and community groups with their funding search. Below is a list of current funding opportunities.
We also offer a free funding search – simply complete this simple form and we will get back to you with a short list of relevant funders. This should save you time, and one of our experienced team will then offer you more support with preparing and reviewing your bids. If you already have a bid that you would like support with please email us on info@thcvs.org.uk.
You can also check Tower Hamlets Council’s website for information about current funding opportunities.
City Bridge Foundation closed it’s rolling grants programmes to new applications for one year, on Tuesday, 8 October 2024. This is due to an unprecedented surge in funding applications, with more applicants than they can support.
The pause in funding will enable the City Bridge team to process hundreds of outstanding applications, while they continue to support and work alongside more than 1,150 grant holders.
Organisations which they currently fund will not be affected.
Collaborative funding programmes such as Propel and strategic funding programmes such as the Anchor Programme and the suicide prevention funding are not affected.
Sanctuary Housing aim to build resilience and connection with their customers and their communities, by supporting people and communities to:
Projects will fit within one of the five priority themes, which are:
Who can apply? Charities, community groups, residents’ associations and voluntary organisations can apply for funding, however applications for projects only benefitting individuals are not accepted. For more information, please email ayaann.yusuf@thcvs.org.uk.
AB Charitable Trust (ABCT) – Migrants and Refugees
AB Charitable Trust fund organisations working in their priority areas. They support work that promotes human dignity and defends the human rights of the most marginalised and excluded people.
The Grants Committee meets four times a year to decide upon grant applications. The application deadlines for meetings in 2024/25 are as follows:
The Thomas Wall Trust is an inclusive charity, welcoming proposals which target people experiencing multiple deprivation or other groups demonstrably facing major hurdles to employment especially; women, people with physical, mental, or learning disabilities and refugees.
The trust offers grants up to £5,000 for specific projects rather than general organisational costs that improve communication skills for disadvantaged adults and supports NEET people into employment. Beneficiaries must gain at least one accredited vocational qualification during delivery or within two months of project completion.
Deadline 6 January 2025.
Make It Big with Pathway Fund will provide eight selected charities and social enterprises with £25,000 in grant funding, along with tailored support and capacity-building resources. Our goal is to help your organisation strengthen its financial resilience and operational capacity, paving the way for future social investment.
Deadline: 14 January 2025.
This Small Grants Scheme is for community-based charities operating exclusively in the London boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark, and Tower Hamlets.
Any charity applying to the Small Grants Scheme needs to work with people who are in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or some other form of disadvantage.
If you apply for £3,000 or under, The Merchant Taylor’s Foundation will be able to provide a decision on your application within two months following the end of the application window. However, if you apply for over £3,000 you will not receive a decision until up to 5 months after the end of the application window.
Deadline 15 January 2025 @12 noon
To be eligible, venues must:
Grant value: £100 – £5,000
The Small Grants Programme supported by The Linbury Trust focuses on enhancing the resilience, sustainability, accessibility, and audience diversity of not-for-profit theatres across the UK. It provides funding for small-scale projects that empower theatres to improve the physical structure, operational efficiency, and capacity to engage diverse audiences, and have a significant impact on the theatre’s future viability.
Eligible projects include small capital works, the installation of key plant and machinery and works which make theatre buildings digital-ready.
Deadline: 17 January 2025
Grant value: £2,000 – £10,000
The Foundation can consider applications to the Small Grants Scheme from registered charities with annual turnover below £150,000.
They can consider applications towards digital costs such as equipment and core costs.
Deadline: 31 January 2025
The Allen Lane Foundation award funding for charitable purposes across the UK. Their focus is on funding specific groups that experience marginalisation and/or discrimination. They aim to fund work within each of their funding programmes which:
Their programmes include:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
As an independent charitable foundation funded by Asda, The Asda Foundation supports the small, grassroots groups at the heart of their communities. They work closely with In-store Asda Community Champions to understand the needs of the people living and working locally in the communities surrounding Asda stores and fund vital community projects. The grant categories are as follows:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Barchester’s Charitable Foundation’s funding focus is about connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community. They support applications from community health professionals, community groups and registered charities that combat isolation and loneliness and enable older people and adults with disabilities to be active and engaged.
Barchester’s Charitable Foundation help individuals with:
Grants for individuals range from £100 up to £1,000. Please note that all applications for named individuals must be completed by a third party who knows the individual in a professional or community-based capacity.
Barchester’s Charitable Foundation also help small community groups and small local charities. Grants for groups range from £100 up to £2,500. They can help groups with:
It takes us up to 10 weeks to process an application.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Barclays Community Football Fund
In partnership with Sported, the Barclays Community Football Fund is providing grants, training, and exclusive ticketing offers to make football more accessible in communities across the UK.The Barclays Community Football Fund is helping to reduce inequalities in football by supporting community sports groups who need it most. The programme focuses on groups operating in areas of high deprivation and supporting young people from the following underrepresented groups: women and girls, racially diverse communities, young people with disabilities, from the LGBTQ+ community, and from lower socio economic areas.
Community sports groups can apply to receive:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances, and is delivered by Family Fund Business Services. The programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing. All applications must be made by a registered referrer.
Who can they help?
They can deliver or fund critical items such as:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Grants are available to charities, specialist schools, Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIOs), and other not-for-profit organisations including scout and guide groups, and housing associations, that are working to raise the quality of life for people in England and Wales.
The Bernard Sunley Foundation aims to provide greater opportunities for the young, elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
BlueSpark Foundation is a registered charity who support a wide range of projects initiated by many different organisations and individuals. They value academic, vocational, artistic and sporting endeavour in equal measure but are particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people.
Projects which they support include:
This list is illustrative and not exclusive as to the types of project that thay support.
Deadline: They review applications on a rolling basis at approximately 8 week intervals.
The CLA Charitable Trust support charitable organisations that access the benefits of the countryside to pursue the health and wellbeing of people and to provide opportunities for education about the countryside in England and Wales.
Priority areas: Children and young people, disadvantaged financially, physically, mentally, or from areas of deprivation.
Who can apply: Small and medium sized charities and not for profit organisations such as CIC’s with clear social purpose based in England and Wales, who have not been in receipt of a grant from CLACT in the previous three years and have a current safeguarding policy.
What they fund: Applications for running costs, project works and capital works. Evidence of need should be demonstrated.
The CLA Charitable Trust make one-off grants and applicants can reapply after three-years. Occasionally, multi-year funding may be awarded at the discretion of the trustees.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis
The Clothworkers’ Foundations Open Grants Programme accepts applications from UK registered charities or not-for-profits and who meet their eligibility criteria, for funding towards capital projects. The work of the organisation must fit within one or more of our specified programme areas:
They award grants to UK registered charities, CICs, and other registered UK not-for-profit organisations (including special schools). Grants are awarded towards capital projects, which we define as:
The Clothworkers’ Foundation fund both large and small projects. The size of grant awarded will depend on a number of factors including the size of your organisation and the cost and scale of your capital project.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Esmée Fairbairn foundation make unrestricted, core, project, and delegated grants for charitable work in the UK. Grants from £30,000 to £1,000,000 are available.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funds charities and social enterprises, and supports work that focuses on The Arts, Children and Young People, Environment, Food and Social Change. Funding is targeted at larger organisations, with a turnover of over £100,000. This fund supports core costs.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Family Fund – Helping disabled children
Funded by the Department for Education and managed by Family Fund, the Support for Families with Disabled Children (SFDC) programme provides a wide range of grant items to families in England raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person, and living on a low-income.Grants are provided for a wide range of items, such as washing machines, sensory toys, family breaks, bedding, tablets, furniture, outdoor play equipment, clothing and computers.
The Foyle Foundation awards funding in three main areas:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The National Databank provides free mobile data, texts and calls to people in need via Good Things Foundation’s network of local community partners. Think of it like a ‘food bank’ but for internet connectivity data. Community organisations can apply to access the databank, enabling them to provide data to people in their communities who need it.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Grants of £1,000 are available to support people of colour in the UK to develop and deliver a wide range of creative and cultural projects. The funding is made available by the Grand Plan, which awards ten grants every two months to support projects for which £1,000 would make a huge difference, ranging from poetry, paintings, fashion, zines, music, food, flowers, and photographs to workshops or events. It can cover the cost of equipment, courses, your time, materials, travel, whatever your project needs.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Hargreaves Foundation is a grant-making charitable foundation with funding available for projects that give under-18s, those living with a mental health condition, disability, or growing up in poverty, the opportunity to fulfil their potential, improving wellbeing, self-esteem and independence.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Hodge Foundation supports charities:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The John Ellerman Foundation gives money to UK charities that make between £100,000 and £10m. Funding is available to charities that focus on the arts, environment, and social action. The grants it gives are usually between £10,000 and £50,000 each year, for up to three years.
The foundation’s goal is to make people, society, and the natural world better by giving money.
Eligibility: UK Registered Charities.
Funding amount: Between £10,000 and £50,000 per year, for up to three years.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Fund is primarily a grant making organisation, running both ‘large’ and ‘small’ grants programmes. The Trustees oversee all grant making, awarding grants across six funding themes.
The Fund has invested more than £100 million in charitable causes in the UK and overseas. Grants are awarded to a wide range of good causes across our funding themes: Environment, Countryside, Social Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Heritage and Conservation and Education.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Through the Later Life Inclusion grants, Masonic Charitable Foundation is supporting local and national charities that help older people to overcome whatever barriers they face and actively participate in their communities.
Whether financial hardship, care responsibilities, or a decline in physical or mental health, older people can face social isolation for many reasons. Our support aims to make sure that services are available to support the physical and emotional needs of people as they age, including access to healthcare, transport and technology.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Social connections and community activities are at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society. That’s why National Lottery Awards for All England support amazing community-led projects. They offer funding from £300 to £20,000. And can support your project for up to two years. You can apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges.
National Lottery Awards for All can fund projects that’ll do at least one of these things:
Application deadline: Ongoing. Apply at least 16 weeks before you want to start the activities or spend any of the money.
The National Lottery Community Fund funds projects and organisations that work to make positive changes in their community. By community they mean people living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences. They offer funding that starts at £20,001.
They can fund projects or organisations that will do at least one of these things:
They want to be flexible and respond to your community’s needs. So they will offer funding:
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Is this the right programme for you?
If you answered yes to these questions, then National Lottery Heritage Grants could be for you.
Four investment principles guide all grant decision making under National Lottery Heritage Grants 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033:
You must take all four principles into account in your application. The strength of focus, and emphasis on each principle, is for you to decide and demonstrate.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Newby Trust funds local, regional or national charities registered and operating in the UK within the broad categories of education, health and social welfare. Through the Education programme, the Trust provides grants to enable people to benefit from educational opportunities and to support excellence.
Eligibility: The Trust is more likely to fund smaller or medium-sized charities with an annual income of less than £1,000,000.
Funding amount: Grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 are available
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Do you run a community group or any small organisation that supports One Housing or Riverside residents? One Housing Community fund has made £275,000 available in 2023/24 through their new Community Fund (small and large grant programmes) to help fund projects that promote opportunities and wellbeing and tackle poverty in our communities.
If you’ve got an idea that could make a difference, they want to hear from you.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation are a small charity making a big difference in your local community to the lives of older people and other adults with a disability or mental health conditions. We help individuals, small community groups and small local charities.
The Migration Funds focus is about connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation supports applications that combat loneliness and enable people to be active and engaged.
They help individuals, but please note that all applications for named individuals must be completed by a third party who knows the individual in a professional or community-based capacity.
We help individuals with:
Grants for individuals range from £100 up to £1,000.
They also help small community groups and small local charities.
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation help groups with:
Grants for groups range from £100 up to £2,500.
It takes us up to 10 weeks to process an application.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Assistance is given to organisations and individuals in need throughout the U.K.
Charities assisting disadvantaged youth, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems and older people may apply for grants towards furnishings and equipment (excluding office items).
Social Workers, Community Psychiatric Nurses and Occupational Therapists within Local Authorities or NHS Trusts may apply on behalf of individuals in financial need who have a disability or severe mental health problem, or who are over 65 on low income, for basic household items including white goods, single beds, flooring and clothing vouchers.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
As an independent grant making trust, the Portal Trust funding enables charities and education providers to help young Londoners fulfil their potential. Beneficiaries of your project must:
– Be under the age of 25
– Come from low income or disadvantaged backgrounds and
– Permanently live in one of our named inner London boroughs.*
Your project must also address at least one of our six stated grant making priorities.
The Portal Trust don’t have a minimum or maximum grant amount that can be applied for. Sometimes they fund projects in their entirety, while other times they support a proportion of a project’s costs and look for match funding. It is recommended that applicants look through their list of recent grants to better understand the types of projects they support.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The Screwfix Foundation is passionate about making a difference to communities across the UK. Screwfix Foundation aims to support projects that improve, repair and maintain homes and community facilities used by those in need throughout the UK. Screwfix Foundation is offering grants of up to the region of £5,000. Registered charity or not for profit organisations can apply. The types of projects Screwfix supports include: to improve energy efficient lighting and heating, installation of new kitchen, bathroom, etc, installation of a sensory room, general painting and decorating, and improving safety and security of a building,
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis – the review dates are in March, June, September and December.
Grants are targeted to further the potential and opportunity of children and young people who are surviving abuse, at risk of or experiencing homelessness, caring for a loved one, and challenged by addiction (either personally or through a member of their family).
All of the programmes look to support young people experiencing challenges related to these funding priorities. The 7Stars Foundation will always look to promote happiness and a feeling of safety amongst the children the charities look after – reminding them that they are cared for and not alone.
The trustees meet four times a year to review grant applications and to make grant awards.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation aims to improve the wellbeing, welfare and education of children and adults in communities throughout the UK by making donations of up to £6,000 to registered charities whose purpose is to:
The trustees meet quarterly: at the beginning of March, June, September and December. Submission deadlines for each meeting can be found here.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Sport England fund projects and organisations, small and large, that help people get more people active. Every penny they spend ties into their vision that everyone in England should feel able to take part in sport and physical activity.
The Movement Fund provides crowdfunding pledges, grants and support to help projects that get more people active. If you’re eligible and your project aligns with their goals, you could receive up to £15,000 to cover a wide range of costs and items that will help deliver positive change in your community.
If you have an idea to tackle inequalities and help get more people active, they want to hear from you.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Established in memory of the celebrated comedian Victoria Wood, the Victoria Wood Foundation fosters Arts initiatives throughout the United Kingdom. Their funding prioritises arts projects in London and the North of England.
Eligibility: Arts organisations and groups are invited to submit funding applications for consideration by the Foundation’s trustees, who convene twice annually in July and December. To ensure timely review, applications should be received at least two weeks before the relevant meeting date.
Funding amount: Grants of up to £5,000.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
This five-year programme aims to invest £10 million into the local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest. This project will provide new jobs, learning, training and educational programmes through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative place making.
The programme aims to transform and catalyse the lives and careers of people in East London by putting funding, resources and support straight into local people’s hands. Capital Grant Scheme has a pot of £100,000. Proposals will be accepted from £3,000 upwards.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
