The projects we fund

We fund projects that support people and communities across the UK to thrive.

We fund lots of different activities through a variety of funding programmes. You can find out more about applying below, including:

We want to fund good ideas that do at least one of these three things:

• bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities
• improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
• help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage.

Depending on what funding programme you apply to, we might ask for some more information. For example, how your project fits in with other activities already taking place in your community.

How to get a better idea of the projects we’re likely to fund
Look at the projects we’ve already funded.

We offer different amounts of funding, depending on what you want to do. You can apply for:

• funding under £20,000 - this is a way to get smaller amounts of funding and where we’re keen to fund smaller organisations.
• funding over £20,001

Usually, the more funding you apply for, the longer it takes for you to prepare your application (and for us to assess it). But you can get a better idea of how long it’s likely to take by looking at the different ways we offer funding - known as programmes.

How long can you have funding for?
If you’re awarded less than £20,001 of funding, you’ll have around 12 months to finish your project (from the date you tell us it will start).

Projects that cost more than £20,001 can generally run from one to five years (although this can vary depending on what programme you apply to).

There are many different ways we offer funding (known as programmes). And what we can fund depends on the programme you apply to.

Generally, we can fund:

• capital costs (such as building and land improvements)
• staff costs
• running costs
• activities
• equipment
• other core costs needed to support the project.

Sometimes we also pay for funding to help you continue a successful project.

We cannot fund:

• alcohol
• loans or interest payments
• religious activities
• profit-making or fundraising activities
• VAT you can reclaim
• statutory activities
• items or activities for individual benefit
• costs that were already paid for before you were awarded funding by us.

Have a look at the the type of projects we’ve already funded. You can always contact us for advice too.