Grants for Children Experiencing Disadvantage to Take Recreational Trip in UK

The Henry Smith Foundation offers grants for recreational trips in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands for children up to and including 13 years old who face financial hardship, systemic inequity or disability.

The Foundation offers this funding to help children who experience inequity and/or are disabled to go on fun trips. Priority is given to fun and new experiences, such as camping, adventure activities, or visits to the seaside.

Youth groups and UK-based, non-profit groups (with an organisational income below £2 million) and schools in the UK are eligible to apply.

Priority will be given to projects that will benefit disadvantaged and disabled children in the most deprived areas in the UK, based on the National Indices of Deprivation. For groups of children with disabilities, more flexibility will be given regarding the level of deprivation.

Grants between £500 and £3,000 are available for either a day trip or holidays up to seven days in length. This could be to a countryside or city location, but must be outside the children's immediate locality. Day trips should not involve a disproportionate amount of time spent travelling. 

Applications should be received at least six weeks before the date of the trip to allow for administrative processing and decision making.

Applications are currently being accepted for holidays taking place between 1 October and 31 December 2026.

The deadline for applications is 19  November 2026. For more information, please visit Holiday grants - Henry Smith

Happiness Fund to Reopen 7 September

Twice a year, Laughology opens its Happiness Fund for applications from grassroots, not-for-profit community projects across the UK. It provides a total of £20,000 across the two application cycles. Each cycle will make two awards of £5,000.

The funding supports local work that aims to improve mental health, wellbeing, inclusion and skills development. The aim is to help build happy, strong and resilient communities, with an emphasis on projects designed to deliver sustainable outcomes.

Grassroots, community-based organisations can apply as long as they are not-for-profit and non-political and can show a focus on longevity and sustainability.

The grants can be used to support neighbourhood-based community projects linked to the fund's priorities. Eligible activities include those intended to create longer-term impact and that have the potential to continue beyond the initial grant period. Priority is given to work that is designed to be sustainable.

Applications open 7 September 2026 with a deadline of 2 October 2026. For more information, please visit The Happiness Fund | Funding Positive Change | Laughology

Good Relations Week 2026 Open for Applications

Good Relations Week will run from Monday 12th October to Sunday 18th October 2026, and local community groups, voluntary organisations, representative groups, statutory bodies and businesses are all encouraged to get involved.  The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Include’ recognising that stronger communities are built when everyone feels welcome, valued and respected.

Please see documents below for more information and how to apply, including an application form.

The closing date for returning applications is Friday 28th August at 12 noon, by email to:
goodrelations@derrystrabane.com

Application Form
Invitation to Apply
Guidelines 

Rural Action Awards are now open £1,000/€1,000 available

Rural Action is delighted to announce that the Rural Action Awards are now open for applications, offering £1,000/€1,000 to support practical projects that make a positive difference in rural communities.

The Awards are open to constituted rural community based organisations across NI and the border counties, including community groups, charities, sporting and cultural groups, heritage groups, PTAs, youth groups/clubs and social enterprises.

Projects should be practical, achievable within 12 weeks and could include improving shared spaces, supporting wellbeing, purchasing equipment or bringing people together.

Closing date: Sunday 20th September 2026

To find out more and apply: Rural Action Awards - Rural Action

Aviva Foundation’s Financial Futures Fund Opens for Round 2

The Aviva Foundation is looking to partner with around 8 to 10 organisations that 'are striving to help people feel more secure, confident, and in control of their finances, now and in the future'.  The funding is to contribute to 'transformational changes in the financial resilience of those who need it most'.

The Foundation is currently accepting applications from UK-registered charitable, non-profit organisations and social enterprises that deliver public benefit with an annual income of at least £1 million, with projects delivering impact within the UK.

Although there is no set maximum grant level (the minimum grant is £100,000) the average grant is typically between £250,000 and £300,000, spread over three years.

The funding is for programmes and projects that:

• Build financial confidence and capability – helping people manage their money and plan ahead.

• Improve access to fair, affordable, and inclusive financial services – such as savings, protection, and pensions.

• Support people through financial shocks and hardship – including access to essentials and opportunities to build savings.

• Address systemic issues – such as debt, housing insecurity, and digital exclusion, which can undermine financial resilience.

Priority will be given to organisations and initiatives that are:

•  Transformational – aiming for long-term, sustainable change in financial resilience.

• Impact-driven – focussed on measuring and demonstrating the difference they make.

• Inclusive – supporting people and communities with low financial resilience, especially those facing barriers due to inequality and discrimination.

• Community-rooted – working closely with communities and embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything they do.

• Learning-focussed – committed to sharing insights and influencing wider change.

The funding can support core costs and overheads as part of the overall request.

There are two rounds in 2026 with a two-stage application process.

The deadline for applications to round two is 7 October 2026. For more information, please visit Financial Futures Fund - Aviva Foundation

Screwfix Foundation Accepting UK Applications for Funding in Early Winter 2027

The trade retailers Screwfix established the Screwfix Foundation in 2013 to support local projects that improve, repair and maintain homes and community facilities used by those in need in the UK.

Local registered charities and not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants in the region of £5,000 for projects which improve a physical building (or land attached to it) that is used by people in need.

The funding is to be used for the following types of projects:

• Improved energy efficient lighting and heating.

• Installation of new kitchen, bathroom etc.

• Installation of a sensory room.

• General painting and decorating.

• Improving safety and security of a building.

Registered charities, Community Benefit Societies, Cooperative Societies and Community Interest Companies can apply as long as they have suitable governance to manage the fund and are supporting people in need whether by reason of financial hardship, sickness, disability or other disadvantage or distress.

The Foundation does not support projects which will used by general members of the public, such as sports clubs and associations, uniformed groups such as scout and girl guide groups or organisations that support wildlife or animals as their main beneficiary.

Applications are considered quarterly.

The deadline for applications is 10 November 2026 for a decision by the end of December. For more information please visit Screwfix Foundation | Screwfix

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Opens Reveal and Respond Grants

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has launched its new Reveal and Respond Programme, offering grants for projects designed to improve access to mental health and wellbeing support for underrepresented groups within the armed forces community.

The programme requires collaborative delivery, with each project involving a partnership between armed forces organisations and specialist non-armed forces organisations. The Trust is seeking tailored interventions that respond to identified barriers, needs and experiences, alongside work to increase and share learning about those barriers and how support can be improved.

Projects may focus on specific cohorts including female personnel, neurodivergent personnel, LGBTQ+ personnel, ethnic minority and non-UK personnel, service children with SEND and their parents, serving and ex-serving personnel or partners with caring responsibilities, bereaved service families and early service leavers or those experiencing unexpected or abrupt transition.

Two strands are available:

• Strand 1 Test and Develop grants support two-year projects seeking to test, develop or refine approaches for a specific cohort and must clearly address improved access to support. Awards range from £20,000 to £40,000.

• Strand 2 Scale and Strengthen grants are for projects lasting two to three years that are ready to grow or strengthen an approach with prior learning, evidence or delivery experience and must address both access and shared learning outcomes. Awards range from £150,000 to £300,000.

Applications are accepted from:

• UK-based registered charities registered for at least three years

• Community Interest Companies (CICs) incorporated for more than three years with at least three unrelated directors and a named asset lock beneficiary organisation

• Local authorities.

Organisations may submit more than one application where projects are distinct and do not overlap.

Eligible costs include staff time, volunteer expenses, travel, session materials and equipment, accessibility adjustments, reasonable overheads, partner collaboration, evaluation and learning and management and administration directly related to delivery.

The deadline for applications is 28 October 2026. For more information, please visit Reveal and Respond programme - Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

National Garden Scheme to Open for Applications in Late September

Delivered by the National Garden Scheme, with support from the Julia Rausing Trust, the Community Gardens Award provides grants of £1,500 and £5,000 for gardening projects carried out within local communities in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The scheme is committed to:

• Sustainability in gardening so proposals need to demonstrate that they will be using sustainable gardening methods – for instance being as far as possible peat-free.

• Celebrating biodiversity so projects that encourage biodiversity and wildlife, while not essential, will be a positive.

The funding can be used for a number of things, including but not limited to:

• Plants and containers

• Materials for flower or vegetable beds and other hard landscaping

• Greenhouses, polytunnels and sheds

• Seating

• Hand tools and certain garden power tools (eg strimmers)

• Materials for providing refreshment.

Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC) with a functioning non-personal bank account based and working in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

There is a two-part application process.

Only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant.

Groups are encouraged to read the guidelines so they are prepared to apply.

Applications are expected to open on 29 September 2026 and close on 30 October 2026. For more information, please visit Community Garden Grants - National Garden Scheme

Funding for UK Healthcare Delivery Projects

UK-registered charities, non-profits, or Community Interest Companies (CICs} who are seeking funding for UK projects that directly benefit UK residents and are focussed on healthcare delivery (rather than general well-being) may apply now for grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to deliver projects in 2027.

The funding will support projects that address acute conditions such as per-hospital care, life-saving equipment/training/intervention, and suicide prevention services.

In addition, applications for funding in 2027 can be made for the following:

• Rehabilitation or aftercare for physical trauma or surgery.

• Promotion of wellbeing through the creation or enhancement of green spaces, including the creation or preservation of urban wildlife habitats and the environmental improvement of leftover space.

• Oral and dental health outreach, in particular provision of dental services for homeless and other vulnerable people and in rural areas

To be eligible, projects must benefit individuals with limited access to essential healthcare, including:

• Patients with rare or under-recognised conditions as defined by the Genetic Alliance UK

• Children and elderly with mobility limitations or post-discharge needs

• Underserved and rural communities

Priority is given to individuals affected by poverty, isolation, disability or serious health disadvantage (not defined by cultural or identity-based groupings).

Projects must start with 12 months of receipt of funding and they need to show 'lasting benefit or meaningful follow-on value'.

Applications will be accepted from now until 30 June 2027. For more information, please visit Home - Vinehill Trust

Sunrise Medical Accepting Applications for Community Fund

Community groups, sports clubs, disability organisations, and individuals across the UK can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support projects that make community spaces and experiences more accessible, wheelchair-friendly, and inclusive.

The Sunrise Medical Community Fund will support organisations to help wheelchair users and disabled people to enjoy greater independence, inclusion, and opportunity. Funding can be used to deliver projects such as:

• Support for wheelchair basketball, rugby, tennis, and other inclusive sports.

• Helping to create accessible events and activities that bring people together.

• Funding towards specialist equipment that enables greater independence.

• Days out and experiences.

• Local community projects that improve accessibility and inclusion.

Proposed projects should encourage people to get active, connect with others, try something new, or make everyday life easier. 

The deadline for applications is 30 September 2026. For more information, please visit Sunrise Medical Community Fund | Sunrise Medical

Healthy Hearts Grant Applications are now open

One grant of up to £15,000 is available for community projects in Northern Ireland that support adults to promote heart health or reduce the risk of heart disease through primary or secondary prevention.

Funding is for new projects that work with communities to prevent heart disease, particularly for vulnerable and isolated groups of individuals who are at an increased risk of developing heart problems in the future. Projects that are likely to have a big impact and have considered novel ways to encourage people to look after their hearts and promote positive lifestyle changes are also sought.

Activities must have a primary focus on one or more of the following four risk factors for heart disease:

• Nutrition and Healthy Eating.

• Physical Activity.

• Smoking.

• Alcohol consumption

Funding can be used for costs such as salaries, overhead expenses, and equipment that are necessary for the successful delivery of the project.  Projects should run for a minimum of three months and no longer than 12 months. 

Small registered charities and community interest companies (CICs) with an annual income of less than £1 million can apply. Groups are expected to have an in-depth knowledge of the specific needs and demographics of the communities they intend to work with, and their project activities need to address the problems within that community specifically.

This is the last round of the Healthy Heart Grants programme for 2026.

Applications for Northern Ireland are accepted from 19 August to 16 September 2026. For more information please visit Healthy Heart Grants - Heart Research UK

Henry Smith Foundation Announces New Maternity Equity Fund for UK

The new Maternity Equity Fund will open for expressions of interest on 3 September 2026.

The Fund focuses on reducing avoidable harm and unfair maternity inequities during pregnancy and birth, with an emphasis on preventative, community-based support before issues escalate. While postnatal support may be part of an organisation's wider work, any award from this round must be used for preventative project costs only.

Grants totalling £185,000 are available across the round. Each award is structured as £61,600 in year one and £61,700 in years two and three. The Foundation expects to make around 35 awards. Recipients must allocate at least £2,500 to £5,000 of their grant each year to staff wellbeing, depending on the size of the organisation.

Eligible applicants include UK-registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations, Community Interest Companies that are not-for-profit with an asset lock, and other not-for-profit charitable organisations whose work aligns with the Foundation's strategy. Applicants must have an annual income between £20,000 and £1.5 million, based on their most recent published accounts.

Projects must take place in the UK and focus on communities experiencing the greatest maternity inequities, including marginalised communities and communities in areas of highest deprivation, including rural areas. Applicants must also demonstrate experience of supporting communities affected by maternity inequity, with appropriate safeguarding, community trust, lived experience involvement and an understanding of trauma-informed and culturally-safe support. Partnership applications are welcome.

The flexible funding can be used to support delivery costs, staffing, supervision, training, wellbeing support, community engagement and other costs directly related to the work.

A live webinar will be held on 2 September 2026 (13:30 to 14:30). Registration is required and can be done via the Henry Smith Foundation website.

All the relevant documents are available now on the Henry Smith Foundation website.

There is a two-stage application process.

Expressions of Interest open at 9am on 3 September 2026 and close 14 October 2026 (17:00). For more information, please visit Maternity Equity - Henry Smith

Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund to Continue and Reopen in Late September

The Museums Association, which runs the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund, has recently announced that the fund has been renewed for the next three years.

The fund is open to all Museums Association institutional member museums and galleries in the UK and supports work by museums and community organisations to strengthen communities, using collections.

The key points of the 19 August announcement are:

• There will continue to be two rounds of funding per year in 2027, 2028 and 2029. 

• The renewed criteria and guidance will be published and the fund will open for applications in the week commencing 28 September 2026.

• The overall purpose of the Communities and Collections Fund will be consistent with 2025-26.

• The Fund will still offer core grants and partnership project grants. Additional guidance will make it clearer what the funder is seeking in each type of grant application.

• The application processes will remain the same and the grant thresholds have increased with inflation.

The fund supports inclusive and community-led collections work in museums, towards social and climate justice. A list of the June 2026 grant recipients and their projects can be found on the Museums Association website.

Applications are expected to reopen the week of 28 September 2026. For more information, please visit Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund - Museums Association

Electrical Safety Fund Invites Applications for 2026 Funding Round

Electrical Safety First is offering charities, community interest companies (CICs), trusts, and registered not-for-profit organisations across the UK grants to deliver projects and activities that contribute to a reduction in electrical risks in UK homes.

Through the Electrical Safety Fund, grants of up to £10,000 are available for projects that fall in one of the following categories:

• Improve electrical safety education.

• Raise awareness of electrical safety risks and how people can stay safe.

• Remove, repair, or replace unsafe electrical products.

• Address electrical installation safety issues.

For home repair and direct intervention projects, recipients must be owner-occupants of their residential dwelling who are unable to afford the electrical work required, which must be defined as minor, and the householders must meet one of the following criteria:

• Live with a child under five years old.

• Live alone or with others and have reached state pension age. 

• Live alone or with others and are disabled or chronically ill.

• Live with others who have reached state pension age or are chronically disabled, or are under 18 years old.

This year, priority will be given to projects that combine approaches, such as PAT testing alongside education or awareness raising, and creative or innovative ideas that go beyond standard delivery.

The deadline for applications is 27 September 2026. For more information, please visit Grants and Funding | Electrical Safety First

Henry Moore Foundation Accepting Applications for Autumn 2026 Funding Round

Henry Moore Foundation Accepting Applications for Autumn 2026 Funding Round

Grants are available for not-for-profit organisations for projects and activities that promote the growth and development of sculpture across historical, modern, and contemporary registers, and research that expands the appreciation of sculpture.

The Henry Moore Foundation offers funding in the following categories:

• New projects and commissions: Grants of up to £20,000 to encourage new thinking about sculpture or sculpture history or contribute to public awareness and appreciation of sculpture.

• Acquisitions and collections: Grants of up to £20,000 for museums and galleries to acquire or conserve sculpture for their collections, cataloguing, and display costs.

• Research and development:

• Long-term grants of up to £20,000 for projects that require funding for more than one year, such as a permanent collection catalogue.

• Small research grants of up to £2,500 for academics, curators, and independent scholars for research costs on the history and interpretation of sculpture.

• Conferences, lectures, and publications: Grants of up to £5000 to publish a new book or journal, or to stage a conference or other event related to sculpture.

There are typically four deadlines per year. This funding round is for projects starting or opening to the public, no sooner than 1 January 2027.

The next application deadline is 1 September 2026. For more information please visit Henry Moore Grants

Gardens Trust Accepting Applications for Community Grants

Grants of up to £10,000 are available for volunteer groups across the UK to help seed-fund projects that will improve, enhance, and support historic designed landscapes

The Gardens Trust's Community Grants Programme will support both capital and revenue costs related to historic designed landscape projects. Priority will be given to:

• Seed-funding or pump-priming for a sustainable activity, such as a restoration plan, Friends Group set-up costs, research project, or volunteer training schemes.

• Applications that reflect the Trust priorities around conservation, knowledge sharing, and encouraging participation and enjoyment of historic landscapes.

Preference will be given to smaller charities and projects where a grant can have more significant impact, and projects that will be sustainably completed within 18 months of the application.

The deadline for applications is 16 October 2026. For more information please visit The Gardens Trust Community Grant - The Gardens Trust

Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Teacher Development Fund to Open End of August

This annual funding programme supports the Foundation's vision of a 'more equitable school system where high-quality arts-based learning is a core part of all children's education'. 

The purpose of this fund is to support teachers to develop arts-based approaches which create equitable classrooms where all children learn and thrive. It aims to do this through supporting teachers and school leaders to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, confidence and experience.

The Fund is focused on:

• Pupils who experience systemic inequity and enabling them to access and make progress in their learning.

• Supporting arts organisations and schools working in equal partnerships to exchange and enrich their expertise.

• Recognising teachers are critical to pupils' outcomes.

• Creating high-quality inspiring professional learning for teachers.

• Enabling teachers and artist practitioners to learn and work together in the classroom.

• Building a body of evidence and practice and understanding how the work improves equity for pupils.

• Generating sustainable changes in teaching and learning in schools for the long-term.

Grants of up to £165,000 per application are available for projects that last for two academic years.

To be eligible, lead applicants must be one of the following:

• Primary schools operating in the state sector. They can be mainstream, SEND or Alternative Provision settings, working with primary-age children.

• Arts organisations can be charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profit companies active in the arts and culture sector

There is a two-stage application process.

First stage applications are to open at the end of August 2026 and close on 11 November 2026. For more information please visit Teacher Development Fund | Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Small Performing Arts Grants for UK Projects

UK registered charities or local authority-run venues, with a turnover of less than £1.5 million per annum, may apply now for grants of around £4,000 for projects that fit either of the following priorities:

• New Works in Performing Arts: the commissioning, development, production and/or performance of new works in music, theatre, dance and performance across all genres

• Artists' Professional Development: to support artists' professional development through programmes that address a clear need or gap in development.  These programmes can be aimed at early or mid-career artists, but they need to reflect current context and practices.

Preference is for smaller projects, or specific elements of projects, where a contribution can have a greater impact.

To ensure their grantmaking is spread across the UK, there is particular interest in applications from outside London and Southeast of England.

The deadline for applications is 31 August 2026. For more information please visit Welcome to The Leche Trust | The Leche Trust

Together for Families

Together for Families is a partnership model that will transform how children, young people and families are supported across Northern Ireland.  It shifts the current system from reactive, high-cost statutory intervention to earlier, community-based support so that families can access the right help at the right time, closer to home. 

Together for Families was developed under the Children’s Social Care Services Reform Programme and informed by learning from a significant Northern Ireland Lottery programme delivered between 2014 and 2021 – Reaching Out – Supporting Families(external link opens in a new window / tab) and the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services led by Professor Ray Jones which reported in June 2023. 

Why it matters

Across Northern Ireland, families are facing increasing pressures – including poverty, mental health challenges and rising demand on services.  Too often, support only arrives once problems have escalated to crisis.

At March 2025

• There were 4,188 children in care with admissions to care up by 24% since 2020/21

• There were 2,283 children on the Child Protection Register.

• It is projected that the looked after population will grow by a further 18% (around 750 children) by 2029. 

Together for Families responds by strengthening early, joined-up support that: 

• Prevents issues escalating for children and families. 

• Reduces pressure on crisis services 

• Improves long-term outcomes for children and young people 

• Delivers better value for the public purse 

What’s changing?

• £29.2 million of public-sector transformation funding working alongside £30 million of The National Lottery Community Fund investment. 

• Stronger collaboration across services, reducing fragmentation and duplication 

• A whole-family approach, recognising that children’s wellbeing is linked to the wellbeing of parents and carers 

• Learning and culture change to support long-term system transformation 

What the Programme delivers

• Strengthened Family Support Hubs – additional resource to the 29 Family Support Hubs that facilitate access to early support for families across Northern Ireland. The additional resource will enable Hubs to provide direct support to families.

• New Enhanced Family Support Service – funding from the National Lottery Community Fund will support the delivery of 15 Enhanced Family Support Projects (3 in each HSC Trust area).  These projects, delivered in partnership with the VCSE, will provide early support to families whose needs go beyond what Family Support Hubs can offer but who fall below the threshold for statutory intervention. 

• Intensive family support – support for families where children, who are already known to children’s social care services, are at risk of being taken into care or to support the safe return home of children already in care by making existing services available to more families and by implementing a regionally agreed model. 

• Family Support Services List – to support all parts of the service model by creating a menu of services operating across the full range of family need available to families who are referred to a multi-agency panel operating in each HSC Trust. 

• A model that evolves to meet need - Together for Families will be supported by a robust evaluation framework which will be put in place in the early stage of the Programme. The collection and analysis of data and a focus on the delivery of improved outcomes for children and families will be central to the Programme.  

How can I find out more?

• Arrangements are being put in place now to support delivery of Together for Families.  You can check out 'latest news' for further information and if you would like to be added to the distribution list for the Together for Families updates you can email togetherforfamilies@health-ni.gov.uk

Together for Families Webinars and Information Sessions  

W F Southall Trust Accepting Applications for Second 2026 Funding Round

Grants are available for registered charities across the UK with an annual income of less than £1 million to deliver projects and activities that align with the align with the W F Southhall Trust's key areas of interest.

Funding can be used for costs associated with work that addresses at least one of the following areas:

• Quaker Work and Witness.

• Peace and Reconciliation.

• Environmental Action and Sustainability.

• Social Action.

Priority will be given to organisations that:

• Communicate a good understanding of the issues they seek to address.

• Demonstrate how the funding will make a meaningful and, where possible, measurable contribution to change. 

• Demonstrate how they are contributing to positive change in ways that reflect an understanding of local needs and broader societal and systemic dynamics.

• Are bold, creative, and innovative in their approach to work. 

• Are involved in identifying and/or tackling the root causes of the issues that the organisation has been established to address. 

• Promote social justice, inclusion, and diversity. 

• Challenge structural inequalities and injustice.

• Demonstrate practices that reflect a commitment to redistributing power. 

• Demonstrate clear support from and engagement with the communities in which they are based and in which they operate.

Most grants awarded are for between £1,000 and £5,000. Most grants are one-off; however, multi-year grants of up to three years may be considered for organisations that the Trust has previously supported.

The deadline for applications is 11 September 2026. However, this fund may close early if oversubscribed. For more information please visit The Southall Trust – A grant-making family charitable trust