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How to apply

Step 1: contact us for an informal chat

Get in touch for a conversation about your project idea:

We have staff based in your communities. They’ll use their local knowledge and experience to help you apply and let you know if this funding is likely to be right for you.

Step 2: tell us about your idea online

Tell us your idea using our online form

Continue your idea form online

You can preview all the questions in the form before you start.

If it’s difficult or impossible for you to complete an online form, contact us. We’re happy to talk about other ways for you to apply.

What happens after you submit your idea

  1. We’ll contact you within 30 working days to talk about your idea. We’ll give you feedback and let you know if you should complete a full application.
  2. If we ask you to apply, we’ll send you a link to your application form (or an offline version if needed). You must start the application within 30 calendar days.
  3. Once you’ve started your application, you’ll have 60 calendar days to submit it.
  4. A funding officer will contact you to discuss your project and arrange a face-to-face assessment visit. They’ll use this to make a recommendation. Our funding panel will then decide whether to fund your project.
  5. We’ll give you a decision in approximately 4 months of receiving your application. Your funding officer will explain the outcome and what happens next. If you do not get funding, the funding officer will explain why and give you feedback.
  6. If we fund your project, you can find out what to expect next in our guide to managing your funding.

What information you’ll need to apply

We’ll ask for the following:

  • the legal name of your organisation, its address, and type
  • any registration numbers (such as a charity or company number)
  • the contact details, home addresses, and dates of birth of 2 different people from your organisation
  • a separate email address for each person

One person should be the main contact for your project. The other should be a senior member of your organisation who will be legally responsible for the funding. Both people must live in the UK and must not be related.

Related can mean:

  • related by marriage
  • in a civil partnership or long-term relationship
  • related through a long-term partner
  • living at the same address
  • related by blood

We’ll check your governance and processes

We’ll look at whether your organisation has appropriate policies and processes for its size and the amount of funding you're asking for. For example, how you manage:

  • staffing
  • finance
  • safeguarding
  • risk

See the NICVA code of good governance for more on what we look for.

Show your organisation has experience

We’ll only fund organisations that have been operating for at least 2 years. You also need to show that you’ve worked successfully in the voluntary and community sector.

We check the information you give us

Because we’re a public funder, we carry out checks on the information you give us.Learn more about our checks.

How we use your data

Read our privacy notice to see how we use the personal information you provide.