Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust 2025 and 2026 key dates and themes
The Austin and Hope Trust gives grants to UK registered charities that work with communities in the UK. They award four times a year under different programme themes. For 2025 Grant Rounds 1 and 2 focus on the Arts: Improving Access and Grant Rounds 3 and 4 is for Refugees and Asylum. For 2026: Grant rounds 1 and 2 focuses on People experiencing or at risk of homelessness and Grant rounds 3 and 4 is for support of Unpaid carers. Grant Rounds 1 and 3 offer £1000 and Grant rounds 2 and 4 offer £5000. Grant Round 1 application period is 1st - 28th February 2025.
IOP Public Engagement Grant Scheme
The Institute of Physics (IOP) Public Engagement Grant Scheme (PEGS) aims to support the IOP Limit Less campaign by improving the relationship with physics of young people and their influencers, including their parents and carers. For the 2025 scheme, they are trialling the new Seed Fund with grants of up to £500 to build new partnerships between physicists and non-physicists. They accepting applications between Monday 3 February and Monday 31 March 2025. The Main Fund offers a minimum grant award is £500 up to £4,000 to run physics-based activities in the UK and Ireland. They are accepting applications on a rolling basis from Monday 3 February to Monday 1 September 2025 and have two decision-making points during the year.
King Charles III Charitable Fund: Small Grants
Their Small Grants Programme awards small grants of up to £5,000 per year to approximately 100 community based organisations each year. The small grants programme will reopen for applications at 9am on the 10 February and close at noon on the 24th February for organisations working across their Social Inclusion and Health and Wellbeing funding themes in their priority areas: Wales, Northern Ireland, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East and the South East.
The Arts Society Charity Grants Spring 2025
They welcome applications from UK Registered Charities whose main activity is in the arts, crafts and heritage sectors with a turnover of less than £3 Million. Apply for a grant up to a maximum of £2000. Applications accepted for projects across all aspects of the arts and heritage. They particularly encourage projects that provide access to the arts to those that would not normally have access to them. Projects and programmes that further the development and training of skills in the arts, crafts and heritage are also welcome and from those who emphasise localism, putting arts and heritage at grass roots level and achieving greater impact for local communities. Their spring 2025 round of grant giving is now open. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2025.
Material Focus: Electricals Recycling Fund
The Electricals Recycling Fund aims to grow existing methods or test new creative and practical ones for recycling small household electricals. They fund two types of projects. Organisations can apply for up to £100,000 of funding for projects that aim to grow or improve existing household waste and recycling collection services. Or organisations can apply for up to £50,000 for projects that aim to innovate or test new approaches to collect electricals for reuse and recycling. They may consider further funding should the project demonstrate value for money and significant impact Funding applications are currently open on a rolling basis, meaning no deadlines.
Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation
The Charitable Foundation has identified two focus areas through which it aims to drive social impact. Helping people experiencing hardship and/or underserved groups to access a place to call home and improve financial wellbeing. The trustees will select charities based on their alignment with one or both focus areas. The Foundation has committed to fund UK registered charities, where successful, up to a maximum of £10,000. Core costs including salaries will be considered alongside project costs and small contributions towards capital purchases. The trustees will prioritise charities supporting people in the top 50% of the UK Index of Multiple Deprivation. Opens to applications 9am on 3 March 2025.
Upcoming Deadlines
LFT Charitable Trust: Reach and Reconnect Grant Programme
LFT Charitable Trust is a Belfast based family foundation is offering grants of up to £6,000 (£500 for research and £5,500 for project delivery) for programmes or initiatives that will engage new participants, who may otherwise be vulnerable to social isolation, to participate in existing, or new, community-based activities. Applications welcome from Grassroots community based organisations delivering projects in Northern Ireland for beneficiaries aged 50+.This fund is for the identification of new Grant Partners only. The deadline for applications for the research element of this programme will be 12 noon Tuesday 11th February 2025. Completed application forms should be sent to [email protected].
Clothworkers Company: Charity Governance Awards
The Charity Governance Awards celebrate outstanding governance in charities both small and large in the UK. For the 10th anniversary of the awards, they have five categories intended to showcase the work trustees do to help charities respond to emerging challenges and fulfil their missions. They’ve also increased the grand prize for winners to £6,000 (£1,500 for runners-up). This is the final Charity Governance Awards. Enter by midday 12 February 2025.
KFC Youth Foundation Community Grants Programme
The KFC Youth Foundation supports organisations focused on empowering young people in the UK to fulfil their potential and build a positive future by providing spaces that allow young people to feel safe and secure, by providing mentoring and helping to unlock talent and build life skills to improve their chances to gain meaningful employment. Grant Size: two year grants of £3,000 (£3,000 in year one + £3,000 in year two). EoI deadline 14 February 2025.
The Executive Office: Planned Interventions Programme
Funding is made available for the delivery of the Planned Intervention programme by The Executive Office (TEO). The fund is designed specifically to enable organisations to work with young people living in interface areas or locations where there is the potential of heightened social unrest, or in those areas experiencing inter or intra community violence, at key times such as evenings and weekends. The Planned Interventions Programme applications are welcome from constituted or voluntary groups before 4pm on Friday 14 February.
James Brown & Sons Community Fund
Belfast- based James Brown & Sons’ Community Fund has given £45,000 since 2022. Grants from £1000 up to a maximum of £2000. Grants are available to fund local activities which improve the quality of life of residents and the wider community from Constituted community groups, Registered charities, Social enterprises, Community Interest Companies (CICs) Limited by Guarantee - not CICs Limited by Shares, and Faith based groups. Next deadline midday 16 February 2025.
JRCT account registration deadline for Northern Ireland and other programmes
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) makes grants to organisations and individuals working to produce positive social change through their charitable work. Their mission is to support people who address the root causes of conflict and injustice. For their Northern Ireland programme, they are committed to funding initiatives that advance peace, equality, inclusion, and human. Other schemes open include Sustainable Future, Peace and Security, and Power and Accountability. Applications must be submitted via an account with them – deadline to register is 17 February 2025. Application deadline: 3 March 2025 at 9am.
Fundraising Support
Events
NICVA focuses on Funding in February | NICVA
To support paid and volunteer fundraisers, we’ll be hosting a wide range of free events and publishing useful resources throughout the month including NICVA’s Funding Fayre back for 2025, 26 February 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Find out more here.
Fundraising Hub
Explore the Fundraising Hub for a wide range of articles and resources to support your fundraising journey. A few are below:
Funding February: Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund opening soon
The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund will open on Wednesday, 12th February 2025 at 11am. You can find out more by visiting their stand at our Funding Fayre 2025.
Looking for inspiration to apply to the Planned Interventions Programme? Take a look at this brilliant case study of Oxford United Stars FC’s Planned Interventions project that brings young people together from across the Derry City and Strabane District Council areas to play football. Deadline for applications is 4pm on Friday 14 February 2025.
Funding February: The King Charles III Charitable Fund now open
The King Charles III Charitable Fund small grants programme opens 10 February 2025. They anticipate a high volume of applications for this round. To help your project stand out, review what they’ve previously supported along with the guidance notes.
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