Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
STFC Public Engagement Spark Awards 2025A
UK-based schools, universities and colleges, museums, libraries, science communicators, CICs, community groups and others are invited to apply for funding from £5,000 to £20,000 under the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Public Engagement Spark Awards 2025A. The initiative supports public engagement activities to introduce new audiences to STFC research, highlight scientific achievements and demonstrate the value of STEM in the UK. Now open until 4pm, 24 April 2025.
Children's Alliance Grant Funding
The charity was the Inspiration of Water Babies, the largest baby swim school in the UK. Non-profit organisations, including schools, registered charities, community interest companies, and community groups, are invited to apply for funding up to £15,000, with most grants awarded being under £10,000. The grant aims to support grassroots initiatives that provide disadvantaged children under 18 with access to water environments, fostering essential life skills and confidence. Applications are accepted twice annually, in September and March.
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland: The Brian Conlon Foundation
The Brian Conlon Foundation is an independent Charitable Trust set up in Brian’s memory to continue his legacy by supporting causes that were close to his heart and that he was passionate about. The fund will focus on the following priorities: Advancement of Education, Advancement of Amateur sport, Opportunities for young people from the local area, and Assistance for communities in disadvantaged areas. Grants of up to £3,500 for eligible applicants in Newry City. Deadline 1pm, 25 March 2025.
Laughology: THE HAPPINESS FUND
Funding grassroots, neighbourhood-based community projects throughout the UK.The Happiness Fund is available to enable and support projects which improve mental health and wellbeing, inclusion, learning and skills development in local communities. The fund will award £5,000 twice a year - allowing up to two different projects/ charities or CICs per year to apply. Now open until 28 March 2025.
Blackburn Trust
The Blackburn Trust provides small grants for the support of the family, including parenting initiatives and work with women and with children under 16 living in Northern Ireland. Within this, the Trust will be willing to consider help with: Startup costs, Training initiatives for volunteers and parents, Purchase of equipment, Support for groups who wish to make their services available to children with disabilities, whether learning or physical, Making premises accessible to those with physical disability, Provision or adaptation of space for the use of children, Safety issues, and Testing new initiatives with parents or play development. Preference is to assist smaller organisations with grants of up to £1,000; average around £600. The Trust can make grants only to accepted charitable bodies. Annual application closing dates are 31 January, 31 May, 31 October. Request applications form and guidelines by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 028 9024 3141.
Preference is given to appeals where the Foundation can meet a significant proportion of the funding required and to appeals where permanent equipment or building is required as opposed to core costs. UK-based registered charities can apply for grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000 to enhance the lives of people facing social and economic challenges, particularly amongst the sick, elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged populations in the UK. Two application rounds annually. First round opens 3 March 2025 9am UK time for Charities in all income brackets Round two opens 1 September 2025 9am UK time for Charities with an annual income of £250,000 or less. Each round closes when 150 applications have been received.
Upcoming Deadlines
National Churches Trust: Large Grants and Wolfson Fabric Repair Grants
Their Large Grants programme offers their largest grants of up to £50,000 towards the cost of major urgent structural repair projects costed at more than £80,000 including VAT. The current average is about £15,000. They will also consider projects that introduce kitchens and accessible toilets to enable increased community use, costed at more than £30,000 including VAT. The Wolfson Fabric Repair Grants are usually up to £10,000 and are offered in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation. Deadline midnight 4 March 2025.
Registered charities operating in areas in which Hays Travel operates can apply for grants from the Hays Travel Foundation. The Foundation offers funding between £2,000 and £15,000. Last year, the average grant was around £3,500. Funding aims to support projects helping disadvantaged young people up to 25 years old in the areas of: Education, Prevention of poverty, Health, Arts, Culture, and Sports. Charities not located in Hays Travel areas must provide evidence of how their project impacts a community with a Hays Travel branch. The Foundation encourages applicants to demonstrate match funding, as this increases the likelihood of securing a grant. Applications are currently open until 7 March 2025.
Fermanagh’s Helping Hands’ Mental Health and Disability Grant
The Fermanagh Young Leaders Programme is proud to announce the launch of a new grant aimed at supporting groups who support/would like to support individuals with disabilities and/or mental health challenges. Fermanagh's Helping Hands Fund seeks to provide grants of up to £1,500 to aid groups that are supporting or wish to support individuals with disabilities and /or mental health challenges. Deadline 7 March 2025.
The Hospital Saturday Fund will consider giving grants to registered medical health charities within the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
They offer Standard grants of up to £2,000 or €3,000 and Large grants to up to £10,000 or €13,500 (please note this is the maximum sum that HSF will grant). Large grant applications should be towards specific projects, research or equipment rather than running costs. Large grant deadline 5pm, 12 March 2025.
Global Dialogue’s Shaping the Future: A Fund to Support Leadership in the Migration Sector
Global Dialogue’s Shaping the Future: A Fund to Support Leadership in the Migration Sector has been co-created with sector experts to address the growing need for leadership capacity and capability in the refugee and migration sector. It provides resources for individuals, organisations, and networks to foster holistic, sustainable leadership development. The size of the grant depends on how much you are applying for. If you are applying as: An individual, you can request up to £10,000 for 1-2 years, An organisation, you can request £10,000 - £60,000 for 1-2 years, or A collaborative partnership, you can request £60,000 - £100,000 for 2 years only. Deadline 5pm, 12 March 2025
Fundraising Hub
Funding February was our chance to support your fundraising needs. Thanks to our many contributors for helping us to curate this collection of ten useful articles and resources:
Get ahead with GrantTracker and access over 1000 funding schemes in NI's leading database. Just £100 a year for NICVA members and £145 for non-members. Sign up here.