For grant applicants
If you are looking for funding, applications should be made through a local community foundation. Your local foundation's website will show which of these programmes it runs and explain how to apply.
Sport Relief Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund
Sport Relief has made a grant of £1million to the Evening Standard's Dispossessed Fund (ESDF).
Sport Relief and the ESDF are making grants of £5,000 - £20,000 available to small community and voluntary organisations in London that are doing great work to help local people living tough lives.
Every penny raised will change the lives of people here in the capital, across the rest of the UK and in the world's poorest countries.
Applications to this fund are now closed.
Comic Relief
Community foundations and other delivery agents have been working with Comic Relief to benefit communities in need across the UK through its grants programmes since 2004.
Community Foundation Network took responsibility for the overall management and reporting of all of the programmes from 2007 and designed a bespoke database to enable regular and comprehensive reporting on grants awarded across the UK.
There are two programmes which during their two-year cycle represent an investment of almost £8 million in community projects identified by community foundations which are supporting some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK. These are:
- Local Communities (grants of £1,000 to £10,000 a year). Please check with your local community foundation for details of opening and closing dates for applications.
- Community Cash (grants of up to £1000). Community Cash is now closed.
The grants managed by community foundations range in size from £500 through to £10,000 grants allocated to cities across the UK. The grants are awarded to support work where there is clear evidence of a sustained beneficial impact on people’s lives who are excluded or disadvantaged through low income, rural or social isolation, age disabilities, race, sexuality or gender.
Priority is given to small, locally-based groups or organisations in areas of disadvantage that have a clear understanding of the needs of their community and are undertaking actions as a means of addressing these needs.
If you want to apply for a Local Communities grant, click here
“The Red Nose Day and Sport Relief Community Cash fund gets much-needed small grants out to the groups making an incredible difference in their local communities. The support of Community Foundation Network has helped us create an efficient, effective programme that uses expertise from foundations around the UK to help us make grants that will work really hard to improve lives for local people.”
Sue Wicks, Comic Relief UK Grant Manager
Fair Share Trust
CFN is the managing trustee of Big Lottery Fund's Fair Share Trust programme. This £50 million programme tackles disadvantage in areas that have not previously received their fair share of national lottery funds. Runs until 2013 (UK-wide).
"Real change is happening. Groups filled with enthusiasm for the tasks they have taken on and are more confident of their abilities. They have an enhanced sense of their own worth."
The Big Lottery Fund’s independent evaluator of the Fair Share Trust
Other partners include:
- Four Acre Trust
- Henry Smith Charity
- Big Lottery Fund's Basis Programme
- Consultancy contract to support the Grassroots programme
Consultancy contract to support the Grassroots Grants programme
Until the end of March 2011, community foundations delivered almost 90% of the Office of Civil Society’s 3-year Grassroots Grants programme across England comprising £80 million in grants and an endowment match challenge of £50 million. Community foundations have been responsible for generating the majority of £26.9 million which has been donated to date which has made an endowed fund of £48.7 million.
As a strategic partner of the then Office of Third Sector (OTS), CFN was consulted on the design of the Grassroots Grants programme which is managed by the Community Development Foundation who commissioned us in November 2008 to deliver a capacity building contract to maximise the potential of the endowment match challenge and the funds raised to benefit communities in the future.
The Grassroots Grants programme has given out over £38 million in almost 15,500 grants to community groups. Working with CDF, CFN have supported the endowment challenge element to help local funders bring in over £30 million in endowment in the last two years.
“CDF recognises and values the expertise of Community Foundation Network (CFN) in raising endowments, and we are therefore pleased to be working together on the endowment match challenge. CFN’s support will help local funders raise endowments that will benefit our communities for generations to come.”
CDF March 2010