Opens: 26th July 2024

The McCarthy Stone Foundation offers grants to community organisations for projects to improve the health and wellbeing of older people over the age of 65 years in Great Britain, particularly in areas of deprivation.

Community organisations, registered charities and other groups (including CICs limited by guarantee) with a governing document and a registered bank account may apply.

Funding can be used for a range of project/core costs and activities. Unrestricted funding is only available to registered charities and community groups.

Full guidance for the round will be available nearer to the round opening on 26 July.

A pre-application webinar will be held on 16 July 2024 (10.30am to 11:30am). Groups who are considering applying are encouraged to attend and can book a place now online via the McCarthy Stone website.

Deadline: 31st July 2024

Home Instead Charities’ mission is to end loneliness for ageing adults. The organisation exists to bring happiness and joy into the lives of Britain’s ageing population so that ageing adults are thriving, not just surviving.

To this end, they offer funding to support local community events that enhance and enrich the lives of people over the age of 55 to combat loneliness and sometimes isolation ensuring they stay fit, active, healthy and connected and contributing to their local communities.

There are two levels of funding:

• Grants of up to £500 for small grass roots organisations.
• Grants of up to £1,500 for small local registered charities. Larger grants can be considered for exceptional projects.

The funder will only fully fund a grant request where the applicant holds no more than three months operating costs in reserve. For organisations that have more than this, up to 50% of the project costs will be funded.

The grants can be used for:

• Regular weekly or monthly events and activities such as weekly cinema club, weekly knit and natter or Thursday lunch club.
• One off activities such as a day trip or a Christmas lunch.
• Activities such as yoga or a guest speaker for the group such as a local historian.

Deadline: 31st August 2024

7Stars Foundation is offering grants of up to £2,500 for registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £1.5 million across the UK to deliver projects and activities that support young people aged 16 years and under across the priority themes of abuse, addiction, child carers, and homelessness.

Funding for offered across the following streams:

• Project grants to cover the costs of projects that respond to one or more of the funding priorities of the 7stars Foundation.
• Shine Bright funding for registered charities to purchase items and resources to protect and support the children they serve through the cost-of-living crisis.
• Direct grants funding to individuals affected by the Foundation's priorities, supported by outreach/social/care workers or legal professionals. (Applications must be submitted by the supporting professional/organisation.)
• Social Impact funding for three charities across the year for projects that align with awareness days across the year.

Deadline: 5th November 2024

National Churches Trust’s Large Grants Programme has reopened to applications for funding in 2025. 

The Trust offers grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 for urgent and essential structural repair projects (costed at more than £80,000) to buildings that were originally built as churches, or the installation of kitchen and toilets (costed at more than £30,000). Match funding of at least 50% is required. As the Trust has limited funding, most grants will be for less than £40,000. The average grant is around £15,000.

Applications will be considered from listed and unlisted Christian places of worship, of any denomination, in the UK that are open for at least six services of public worship a year. Although not listed as distinct priorities, the Trust seeks more applications from non-Anglican denominations and a geographic spread.

Priority is given to:

• Work to architecturally and historically significant buildings
• Urgent/essential structural repair projects (as identified in a recent QIR or building survey as required within two years), with a focus on buildings that are at risk
• Installation of kitchens and toilets where a strong need can be demonstrated
• Places of worship that can demonstrate a suitable maintenance system is in place to protect the investment
• Places of worship with regular opening hours
• Places of worship that can demonstrate strong community engagement and sound plans for economic viability.

Grants of up to £20,000 are available to help not-for-profit organisations cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating their historic building project and taking it towards the start of work on site. 

To qualify, organisations must have established that the end use of the project is likely to be viable and have decided to take the project forward. At the end of the funded work, organisations should be at or closer to securing capital funding to enable the delivery of their project.

The one-year grants typically will support appointing professional advisors to work with the organisation to advance the plans. This can include architects, surveyors, and engineers to develop the designs and plans for the historic building; additional support to build the capacity of the organisation by employing or contracting a project manager; and support with refining the business plan, building community engagement and preparing funding bids.

Although 100% of the cost of the work involved can be funded, there is a preference for some match funding as the overall package of work required may be more than the grant can cover.

The Cash for Kids Sports Challenge is a fundraising competition for grassroots sports groups. The funds support initiatives to encourage the participation of disadvantaged or disabled children and young people in sports.

The following organisations who work for the benefit of disadvantaged or disabled young people (up to and including the age of 18) may apply:

Local sports groups with a formal governance document.

Charities, community, and voluntary groups that deliver sport or physical activity in their community with a formal governance document.

Community amateur sports clubs.

After-school sports clubs.

If selected, the group must fundraise as much money as they can (from 7 September to 7 October) and finalise the Cash for Kids grant application form on the GivingisEasy platform that was completed as part of the application process.

The top three fundraising groups will receive an additional £5,000, £2,500 and £1,500, respectively. Furthermore, there are special awards of £500 each for the Teamwork Award and Sports Challenge Champion Award.