Who can apply

What types of organisation can apply

You can apply if your organisation works with communities and is a:

• constituted voluntary or community organisation
• registered charity
• charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
• not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
• community interest company (CIC)
• community benefit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority
• co-operative society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority

You can also apply as a partnership, but only if you’ve worked together before on projects that support communities to lead change and address the root causes of inequality.

You need at least 2 unrelated board or committee members

At least 2 members of your board or committee must not be related to one another.

By related, we mean people who are:

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

If you're applying as a company, you must also have at least 2 directors who are not related. This includes companies that are also registered charities.

We value all kinds of experience

To make the biggest impact, we recognise that other kinds of experiences are equally important.

This includes:

• learned experience, such as academic study or research
• professional experience, from working on an issue over time

We’ll ask how your organisation brings together different kinds of experience in your work.

We fund organisations of different sizes

There’s no minimum size or income to apply. But you should be able to show that your organisation can manage large, long-term funding.

Building on what you already do

We’re especially interested in work that builds on what you already do or have learned, and that shows potential for long-term change. We’re unlikely to fund projects that are completely new or unrelated to your existing work.