Funding Bulletin – April 2025

🔵 THE ADAMSON TRUST (THE DISABLED CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY CHARITY) – Small grants, generally for £1,000 or less, are available for individuals, registered charities, charitable organisations and schools across the UK to assist with the costs of respite breaks or holidays for children aged over 2 and under 18 who are living with emotional, mental or physical challenges. 

Deadline: Applications are considered four times a year. The remaining deadlines this years are 30th June, 30th September and 31st December 2025. 

🔵 THE BAILY THOMAS CHARITABLE FUND – Capital, core, research and revenue grants up to and over £10,000 are available to UK registered and exempt charities for the care and relief of children, young people and adults with learning disabilities in the UK. The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund provides Small Grants and General Grants for projects that assist the care and relief of people affected by a learning disability. Baily Thomas considers learning disability to cover the conditions generally referred to as severe learning difficulties, together with autism. Funding is available for projects that benefit children or adults. The Charity defines learning disability as: 

• A need for support/help to fulfil ordinary daily activities. 
• Having global intellectual impairment (an intelligence quotient of less than 70), and 
• The learning disability was onset before the age of 18 years. 

Grants are available for capital or revenue costs and for both specific projects and general running and core costs. Research projects can also be funded. Normally one-off grants are awarded, but occasionally a new project may be funded over 2-3 years, subject to satisfactory reports of progress. 

The following funding is available: 

• Small Grants: from £250 up to £10,000. 
• General Grants: over £10,000. 

Matched funding isn’t always essential, but it may be expected in some instances, particularly for larger grant requests. Examples of the type of project that could be funded through the programme are (please note that this is not an exclusive list): 

• Employment schemes, including woodwork, crafts, printing and horticulture. 
• Play schemes and play therapy schemes. 
• Refurbishment works for residential, respite care and schools, and 
• Support for families, including respite schemes. 

 Deadline: Friday 1st August 2025. 

🔵 BBC CHILDREN IN NEED: PUDSEY NEXT STEPS – Pudsey Next Steps is offering a limited number of grants between £1,000 and £15,000 for up to 3 years for core or project costs. Pudsey Next Steps aims to reach underserved and marginalised children and young people impacted by poverty and challenges linked to discrimination, exclusion or stigma. This first round is for new applicants to BBC Children in Need and supports organisations who:  

• have not been funded by Children in Need before;  
• have an annual turnover of £100,000 or less;  
• are based in the community they serve;  
• are reaching children and young people aged 0-18 years who are experiencing inequality of opportunity;  
• fit the local priorities identified for the Nation or Region that they are working in.   

The funding priority for the South West region is to support racially minoritized children and young people. BBC Children in Need will be accepting applications from organisations working with this group.  

Applicants must meet BBC Children in Need Minimum Standards: https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants/apply/minimum-standards/ 

Deadline: All applications to Children in Need will be temporarily closed from Tuesday 15th April 2025. If you have an online account (also known as the grantee portal) this will close on 25th July 2025 and a new grantee portal launched by the end of September 2025. 

🔵 THE BARBARA WARD CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION – Grants, usually for between £1,000 and £15,000, are available for smaller, non-religious charities which are working to improve the lives of severely disadvantaged children and young people, as well as mentally handicapped adults in the UK and overseas. 

Deadline: Applications for a grant may be made in writing at any time. 

🔵 THE BERNARD SUNLEY FOUNDATION – One-off grants, generally between £1,000 and £5,000, are available to registered and exempt charities in England and Wales for capital projects in the areas of community (particularly Village Halls), education, health and social welfare. Activities that help young people attain their full potential.  Youth Centres, Activity Centres and uniformed youth facilities are regularly supported. Projects that help young people who are at risk of social isolation, offending or criminal activity, as well as ex-offenders can be funded. 

Deadline: Applications may be made at any time. 

🔵 THE BOSHIER-HINTON FOUNDATION – Revenue grants up to £2,000 are available for UK registered charities and Community Interest Companies working with children and adults with special educational or other needs. 

Deadline: Applications may be made at any time. 

🔵 CLA CHARITABLE TRUST – Charities, not-for-profit organisations and schools exclusively for children with additional needs in England and Wales can apply for grants of up to £5,000 for projects that help disabled or disadvantaged children connect with nature and the countryside. 

The funding, which is made available through the CLA Charitable Trust, supports projects that improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of people who are disabled or disadvantaged by helping them to visit and participate in recreational and educational opportunities in the countryside. 

Priority is given to projects focusing on children and young people, disadvantaged financially, physically, mentally, or from areas of deprivation. Funding can be used to support projects, capital works and running costs.  

The type of activities can include (but are not limited to): 

• Farms providing day or residential experiences for disabled or disadvantaged young people. 
• Growing projects including horticultural therapy and community projects supporting people through outdoor activities and gardening. 
• Forest school type activities giving people the opportunity to utilise their outdoor spaces for the benefit of their mental and physical wellbeing. 
• Conservation and environmental projects giving people the chance to learn about the natural environment and how to care for it. 

Deadline: Applications can be submitted at any time. 

🔵 THE CLARE MILNE TRUST – Grants, generally for between £2,500 and £30,000, are available for smaller charitable organisations, including Community Interest Companies, in Devon and Cornwall, that are working to improve the quality of life for people with a disability. Please note that the Trust rarely provides 100% funding and expects applicants to have sought and secured match funding prior to applying. 

Deadline: The remaining 2025 application windows and meeting dates in brackets: Monday 5th May – Monday 16th June (Thursday 17th July), Monday 11th August – Monday 22 September (Wednesday 22nd October). 

🔵 DELEMERE DIARY FOUNDATION – Grants of between £250 and £5,000 are available to registered charities and charitable organisations in England, Scotland and Wales working in the areas or agriculture, the environment, education, children and young people, financial hardship and the relief of sickness. 

Deadline: Currently closed. Previous deadline Friday 28th February 2025. 

🔵 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOUNDATION – Registered charities (with at least three years continuous accounts) can apply for £30,000 to £90,000 for projects running from one to three years, with a maximum £30,000 per year for multi-year projects to improve access and quality of education for care experienced children and young people under the age of 25. 

The Foundation’s UK funding strand is specifically targeted towards care experienced young people. Projects must be interventions designed to improve their educational outcomes and life chances.    

Grants are for projects which: 

• Improve educational outcomes – including supporting these children and young people to attend and engage in mainstream school life, increasing the number of education professionals able to understand their needs, and improving their access to out-of-school support 
• Improve life chances – including improving support for these young people (aged 16-24) to access further education, employment or training opportunities and improving support for them to remain engaged with these opportunities 

Apply any time. Applicants must initially submit a stage 1 application using the application form that can be downloaded from the foundation’s website. Those who are successful will be shortlisted and invited to submit a stage 2 application.  

Deadline: Applications can be made at any time. 

🔵  THE FORRESTER FAMILY TRUST – Supports excellent smaller charities to unlock change for people facing significant disadvantage. The Trust will have a broad view of what quality of life means and the range of ways in which quality of life can be improved. It will look for interventions in places where people and communities are face by multiple disadvantages, and target its giving in the gaps between state provision and the commercial sector. There are three potential funding streams: 

Themed grants – Grants up to a maximum of £40,000 are available to charities with a turnover of less than £5 million. The Trust has £600,000 available to distribute to charities which focus primarily on providing support and opportunities for deaf people.  

Deadline: full details will be posted on their website no later than 1st June 2025. 

Three Year Funding Programme – For charities offering safe accommodation as a direct response to homelessness or an immediate risk of homelessness. The Trust has £300,000 per year from which to offer grants between £15,000 and £30,000 for three years.  

Deadline: The 3 year funding programme is closed until 2027.  

Smaller grants – Grants up to a maximum of £10,000 are available to charities with a turnover of less than £250,000. The Trust has £550,000 to distribute. The Trust will award these grants to charities who rely on volunteer support and make an impact in their communities.  

Deadline: Open for applications from 1st December and must be submitted by 31st December 2025. 

🔵 THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION – Smaller and larger grants are available for UK charities and educational institutions which use sport and education to support children and young people aged 18 and under living with a mental health condition, disability, or who are growing up in poverty. The Foundation can fund clearly defined projects, initiatives or the purchase of specific items that support one or more of the following: 

• Enables individuals to experience the mental and physical health benefits of participatory sport 
• Ensures participatory sport is accessible 
• Provides sporting or educational activities that foster life skills 
• Aims to improve academic engagement and attainment 
• Encourages the development of skills and personal attributes to aid future employability 

Deadline: Applications are considered on a monthly basis. 

🔵 THE HEDLEY FOUNDATION LIMITED – One-off grants of up to £5,000 (but averaging £2,500) are available to smaller UK registered charities working with the elderly, people with a mental or physical disability, those who are terminally ill, young people and social welfare projects, including those that benefit carers, the homeless and ex-offenders. The focus for young people is on: 

• Projects which raise the aspirations or help realise the full potential of disadvantaged young people. Typically, grants are given to support young people into education, training or sustainable employment. Providing an opportunity to broaden horizons through sport and adventurous activities may form part of this category, and  
• Projects to support carers and social welfare projects that might support the homeless, the employability opportunities for offenders and ex-offenders and the opportunity to reduce re-offending. A major theme for support, presently, is to help keep young people out of the Criminal Justice System. 

Deadline: Applications are considered four times a year. The remaining deadlines this year are: 4th June, 27th August 2025. There will be a further deadline to be announced later in the year for the January 2026 meeting. 

🔵 THE IRONMONGERS’ TRUST COMPANY: GRANTS FOR CHARITIES – Revenue grants averaging £5,000 are available to UK registered charities that are providing opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people aged 25 and under to help them to fulfil their potential. 

Deadline: Two deadlines per year (July and December). Spring round 31st May – 31st December 2025 (to be considered in October 2025) 

🔵 THE JOYCE FLETCHER CHARITABLE TRUST – Capital and/or revenue grants up to £5,000 are available to registered charities, as well as voluntary and community organisations, for art and music activities that benefit disadvantaged and/or disabled children in the South West of England. The Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust generally provides small grants of between £1,000 to £3,000, and occasionally up to £5,000, to charitable organisations whose project involve music and arts, particularly where a project (a) improves the lives of disabled and/or disadvantaged children, and (b) take place in the South West of England. Grants can be used for capital or revenue. There is no matched funding requirement. 

Deadline: applications by letter to be received before 1st October each year, preferably early September. 

🔵 THE KELSEY TRUST – A limited number of small grants are available to registered charities, charitable groups and individuals in Cornwall, Devon, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire that are helping children and young adults aged 21 and under from deprived backgrounds and/or are mentally and/or physically disabled to enjoy a better quality of life. Given the Trust’s limited annual expenditure (approximately £25,000), any grant awards are likely to be small, probably below £3,000.  

To enquire about the possibility of grant support, the Trust can be contacted at any time at the following address: 

Anthony Warren, Chair, The Kelsey Trust, The Red House, Felix Drive, West Clandon, Guildford GU4 7TH. Email: contact@thekelseytrust.org  

🔵 MASONIC CHARITABLE FOUNDATION CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE GRANTS PROGRAMME (SEND) – Registered charities working with children and young people up to 25 years old with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Potential applicants must complete the online eligibility checker before making an expression of interest. 

The aims of this fund are to: 

• Increase social inclusion 
• Increase independence and connections to local community 
• Improve access to early intervention services and therapies, for diagnosed, suspected conditions and pre diagnosis 
• Ensure parents/carers are better able to cope in their caring role and meet their child’s needs 
• Enable parents/carers to be better informed of their child’s options and rights, and the services available 

 There are two funding levels: 

• Large grants between £10,000 and £60,000 which can be spread over three years. For projects with defined goals and budgets. Charities must have an annual income between £500,000 and £5 million 
• Small unrestricted grants between £1,000 and £5,000 per year for up to three years. For charities with an income of between £25,000 and £500,000 

 Deadline: Applications can be made at any time.  

🔵 MATRIX CAUSES FUND – Grants up to £5,000 are available to UK organisations that promote access to justice (particularly for people trying to get support to meet their basic personal needs), equality of opportunity and a sustainable environment in the UK and/or overseas. Applications are particularly welcome from organisations in the UK whose focus is on supporting the needs of vulnerable persons e.g. 

• Prisoners 
• Asylum seekers 
• People with mental health difficulties 
• People (particularly children) with disabilities, and 
• Women in refuges

Deadline: The second and final application window for 2025 will open on Tuesday 1st July 2025 and close to applications on Tuesday 30th September 2025. 

🔵 THE NORMAN FAMILY TRUST – Grants generally under £2,000 for registered charities and other not-for-profit, voluntary organisations, as well as state schools in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset (Taunton area postcode only), for a wide range of charitable causes primarily children, community projects, homelessness and social welfare, mental health and learning disabilities, sport and leisure, as well as environmental and arts projects. In 2023/24 12 groups in Torbay were awarded £25,800. 

It is one of few funders who welcome applications for state schools that have a direct, quantifiable benefit.  Examples of applications encouraged could be to support the following – school libraries, minibuses, sports halls or equipment, outdoor play equipment, text books, music drama and the arts, laboratory equipment. 

Deadline: applications are considered 6 times a year. Applications can be completed online for the March meeting (tbc). Further meetings are held in May, July, September, November 

🔵 THE ROWING FOUNDATION – Capital equipment grants of between £500 and £4,000 are available to UK organisations affiliated to British Rowing to purchase equipment and refurbish boats so that young people and people with a disability can participate in rowing.  

Deadline: Monday 2nd June 2025 

🔵 THE SOCIETY FOUNDATION –  Provides grants for small organisations that help potentially disadvantaged people to move towards paid work. 

The following groups of people are prioritised: 

• the recently homeless or vulnerably housed 
• ex-offenders 
• 16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) 

Grants are typically up to £2,500 and can be used for capacity building activities, including IT infrastructure and equipment, staff training and development, and external consultancy/support. 

Applications are accepted from registered charities and CIOs with a turnover of up to £500,000. 

Deadline: Currently closed for applications. The website currently says details of 2025 funding will be announced late 2024 but there have been no updates as of Aprile 2025.

🔵  THE SPORTS FOUNDATION FOR THE DISABLED – Offers grants up to £5,000 are available to enable people with physical disabilities and visual impairments from South West England and Wales to take part in sport, physical activities and sporting challenges. Organisations must be not-for-profit and can include local community sports clubs, community groups, parish/town councils, charities and youth organisations. Individuals must be part of a sports club, sporting pathway or linked to a National Governing Body. The funding can be used for: 

• new equipment and kit specifically for disability sport activities 
• training courses 
• costs relating to a sport project for people with physical disabilities or visual impairments 
• costs relating to sporting challenges including travel, equipment, sustenance and accommodation 

 Deadline: Applications can be made at any time. 

🔵 TESCO STRONGER STARTS – Supports local good causes focusing on children and families. This funder’s current priority is school projects – specifically, those who lack funds and resources to apply for help needed to provide healthy food and activities that boost young people’s mental and physical wellbeing.   

Examples of eligible applications: 

• Providing pupils with breakfast clubs or snacks throughout the day 
• Equipment for outdoor or indoor activities 
• Developing a food growing area 
• After school clubs 
• A voluntary organisation running a food bank 
• An organisation addressing holiday hunger 
• A healthy eating project that supports families to cook healthy meals on a budget 
• A Brownie or Scout group needing funding for new play equipment or activities 

Customers in Tesco stores can vote for one of three local projects. These can be run by schools, local authorities and other not for profit organisations such as community interest companies and voluntary/community organisations. 

The voting determines the amount of money a project receives: 

• Grants up to £1,500 for the project with the most votes 
• Grants up to £1,000 for the second most votes 
• Grants up to £500 for the third most votes 

 Deadline: Applications can be made at any time. 

🔵 THOMAS WALL TRUST – Grants of up to £5,000 are available to registered charities to support projects that equip people (18 or older in order) from disadvantaged groups with the critical life skills necessary to gain employment. Priority will be given to projects that target people experiencing multiple deprivation or other groups facing major hurdles to employment, especially women, people with physical, mental, or learning disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers.  

Deadline: The deadline for 1st stage applications is Monday 5th May 2025. 

🔵 THE TRUE COLOURS TRUST SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME – One-off grants up to £10,000 for smaller registered charities and Community Interest Companies based and working in the UK with acc children aged 0-25 and their families. Funding may be used for the following: 

Projects:  

• Activities for disabled children, children with life-limiting conditions and their families. 
• Activities which support siblings of disabled children or siblings of children with life-limiting conditions. 
• Bereavement support for children and young people and for families bereaved of a child. 
• Family support / parent-led peer support for parents of disabled children. 
• Respite which supports the whole family. 

 Equipment and Materials: 

• Renovation, upgrading and additional equipment for hydrotherapy pools and multi-sensory rooms. 
• Minibuses. 
• Specialised play equipment / access to play and leisure for disabled children, children with life-limiting conditions and their families. 

Deadline: Applications may be made at any time. 

🔵 THE TOY TRUST (THE BRITISH TOY AND HOBBY ASSOCIATION) – Grants, generally of £2,500 or less, are available for smaller UK registered charities providing projects that support disadvantaged and disabled children aged 13 and under and their families. Grants are available for equipment and services for smaller UK charities working to help disadvantaged children aged under 13 years of age and their families to: 

• Alleviate suffering. 
• Bolster existing initiatives. 
• Encourage achievement through adversity. 
• Initiate brand new projects. 
• Provide care. 
• Purchase vital equipment. 
• Satisfy basic needs, and 
• Support children through awful experiences. 

Deadline: March meeting – mid February, July meeting – mid June, September meeting – mid August, December meeting – mid November. 

🔵 THE WHIRLWIND CHARITABLE TRUST – Grants, generally of between £1,000 and £10,000, are available to UK registered charities providing life-enhancing experiences to disadvantaged young people and those with disabilities, particularly (but not exclusively) through the challenge and stimulation of maritime and outdoor pursuits including funding for sailing charities. 

Deadline: The next trustee meeting will be in early May 2025, the deadline date for applications will be published nearer the time. 

🔵 WOODEN SPOON – Grant-making charity that aims to transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people through the funding and support of the rugby community. It supports projects that will benefit children and young people under 25 years of age who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.  Projects must normally be of a capital nature, with a reasonably long-term prospective lifetime. 

The funding is for projects that address the following areas: 

• health and wellbeing 
• sensory rooms and gardens 
• specialist equipment and facilities 
• playgrounds and outdoor activities 
• education projects 

Note that if a project is educational, health and wellbeing or disability sports focused, there must be a key sporting element – preferably rugby – to engage children and young people. Organisations with a legal status such as schools, charities and clubs can apply. There are no minimum or maximum grant levels. 

Deadline: Applications can be made at any time. 

🔵 YAPP CHARITABLE TRUST – Grants are available up to £3,000 per year to registered charities only with a total annual expenditure of less than £40,000 for core funding (not projects) whose work focusses on priority groups: 

• Elderly people 
• Children and young people 
• People with physical impairments, learning difficulties or mental health challenges 
• Social welfare – people trying to overcome life-limiting problems of a social, rather than medical, origin (such as addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse, offending) 
• Education and learning (with a particular interest in people who are educationally disadvantaged, whether adults or children) 

Applicants must address at least two of the following: 

• Work that is unattractive to the general public or unpopular with other funders 
• Services that help to improve the lives of marginalised, disadvantaged or isolated people 
• Applicants that can demonstrate an effective use of volunteers 
• Applicants that can demonstrate (where feasible) an element of self 
• sustainability by charging subscriptions/fees to service users 

Deadline: Applications may be made at any time.