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Welcome to our new website. You may still see some pages from our old site as we move things over.

What you can spend the funding on

What we can fund

We can fund direct project costs, such as:

  • running costs
  • equipment
  • one-off events
  • staff costs
  • training
  • transport
  • volunteer expenses

We can also fund some indirect project costs (sometimes called overheads). This might include:

  • rent or insurance
  • part of a salary for someone not working directly on the project, such as a senior manager or admin worker

For example, if the project you’re applying for makes up half of your organisation’s work, we may fund half of your overheads. This is sometimes known as full cost recovery. You can read more in our guide to full cost recovery.

Political activity and campaigning

We can fund some political activity or campaigning but only in certain circumstances.

Your project must:

  • not be party political. It should focus on policy, practice, or legislation not support or oppose a political party
  • support your organisation's purpose and benefit the public or society

What we cannot fund

We cannot fund:

  • retrospective costs (for things that have already happened or you’ve paid for)
  • alcohol
  • contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest
  • paying someone to write your application
  • fundraising activities (where you use our funding to raise more money)
  • VAT you can reclaim
  • religious activities (we can fund religious organisations if the project benefits the wider community and does not include religious content)
  • activities that statutory or public bodies are legally required to do
  • activities that help children or young people with schoolwork during school hours
  • overseas travel
  • projects that take place outside of the UK
  • activities that make profits for private gain
  • cash given directly to individuals

Getting help with your application

Do not use a private businesses, bid writers or consultants to write your application. We will not accept them. No one is authorised to act on our behalf or claim to be a preferred supplier.

If you're not sure on anything in the application, contact us.

You can also get help from trusted support organisations, like your local authority or County Voluntary Council (CVC). They can give advice and support with writing your application.