Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker
Funding News
LFT Charitable Trust: Enriching Lives
Applications for grants of up to £7,000 are welcomed from youth organisations with strong community networks and experience in delivering community service. LFT Charitable Trust, a Belfast based family foundation, aims to support programmes and initiatives which bring different generations together to engage in meaningful, mutually beneficial activities which encourage greater understanding and respect and contribute to greater community connectedness and cohesion. As such, the intention is for sustained engagement between the same participants over a period of time, facilitating the development of relationships rather than one off events. Projects must involve both young people (aged 14-25 years) and older people (65+ years). Deadline midday on 29 April 2025.
The Big Give: Women and Girls Match Fund
A seven-day online match funding campaign working with exceptional charities dedicated to serving the women and girls in our communities, fostering a future where every individual can thrive without limitations. The Women and Girls Match Fund utilises their ‘1:1’ Model of match funding. When the public donates to a charity through a Big Give campaign, they ask funders (philanthropists, foundations or corporates) to match that donation. So, £50 from a member of the public, becomes £100 for a good cause. Registered women and girls’ charities with an annual income of at least £25,000 can apply by 30 May 2025 and seek up to £10,000 in public donations. In 2024, the campaign raised £2.1M for 189 charities.
Museums Association: Health and Wellbeing in Museums Fund
The Museums Association is launching a programme of grant-making, networking and learning dissemination for health and wellbeing programmes in museums, funded by the Julia Rausing Trust. They will make around 10 grants of £50,000 to £75,000 per round. There will be two rounds of funding, one in 2025 and a second in 2026. The fund is designed to enable museums to build on their existing, leading health and wellbeing work. This means you should have: A proven track record for the work you are doing, A strategic commitment to health and wellbeing at your museum, and A clear idea of how you would like to develop your work. For the first round of funding, the fund will open for applications on 28 April with a deadline for final submissions by 26 June 2025.
Womble Bond Dickinson Foundation Community Grants
The Womble Bond Dickinson Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation established by Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP in April 2017. Their charitable objectives are broad and open to changing. The Foundation is focusing on the following themes for their 2024/25 cycle: Climate action and environmental protection, LGBTQ+ inclusion, supporting inclusion of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, Increasing women's opportunities in life and work, Disability and neurodiversity inclusion, and Mental health and wellbeing support. They accept applications from registered charities across the UK, although will generally prioritise projects operating within their local communities. The maximum one-off grant size is £5,000. Applications accepted at any time.
National Lottery Heritage Grants
National Lottery Heritage Grants provides funding for all types of UK heritage. Heritage can be anything from the past that you value and want to pass on to future generations including nature and habitats, historic buildings and environments, or cultures, traditions and people’s memories. Four investment principles guide their decision making. You must take all four principles into account in your application. For grants £10,000 to £250,000, there is no deadline but you can use their optional Project Enquiry service to get feedback on your idea within 10 working days. For grants from £250,000 to £10m, you must first submit an Expression of Interest. The next deadline for National Lottery Heritage Grants over £250,000 and when you can expect a decision is midday 28 May 2025 for a decision by the end of September 2025
Upcoming Deadlines
Ironmongers Company: STEM Projects
In line with the Company's history and in response to the shortfall of skilled STEM workers in the UK, the scheme supports initiatives encouraging young people to study science subjects at school and go on to pursue STEM-related further education or vocational training, particularly in the area of Materials Science. Most grants are below £10,000. Grants are made to registered or exempt charities only. Next deadline 1 April 2025.
The Big Give's Small Charity Week
Big Give, Global’s Make Some Noise and NCVO are championing small charities across the UK, through a seven-day online match funded campaign. Up to £10,000 match funding. Charities with an annual income between £5,000 and £1 million from across the UK are able to apply for match funding. Donations made during the campaign, which will run between 23 – 30 June 2025 (coinciding with Small Charity Week) will be doubled through the match funding model, so each pound donated goes twice as far in empowering small charities in their mission. Charities can seek to raise either £500, £1,000, £2500, £5,000, or £10,000 in public donations (to be doubled by the match funds). Charities are limited to apply for Champion funds which are a maximum of 10% of their annual income. Deadline 2 April 2025.
The Trust welcomes applications for up to £500 from UK-based volunteering or community service projects, organised and run by people under 30 years old. Projects must have a clear benefit to others in the wider community and encourage volunteering. They also love innovative projects. If you’re doing something that you’ve noticed a real need for in the community or something that hasn’t been done before, they want to hear from you! Deadline 5pm 4 April 2025.
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council: Scheme of Emergency Financial Assistance
Community, voluntary and faith-based organisations provided invaluable assistance to those most impacted during and particularly in the aftermath of the recent Storm Éowyn. This Scheme of Emergency Financial Assistance will provide reimbursement for eligible costs related to community-led initiatives associated with support delivered at this time. Up to £300 for community/voluntary/faith-based groups based in and/or operating within Lisburn and Castlereagh. Deadline midday 9 April 2025.
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
The Keadue Community Grants Fund provides support to local organisations tackling the growing social need in Derry/Londonderry and surrounding Waterside areas. Organisations and constituted groups which are supporting local people through short and long term crises caused by a range of social factors including issues such as poverty, addiction, and low educational attainment, can apply for a grant which may also cover running costs. Grant sizes will typically between £10k and £20k for up to two years. Deadline 11 April 2025 at 1pm.
Key Articles
Minister announces £1500 Support Payment for Voluntary and Community organisations
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced a £1500 support payment for Voluntary and Community organisations funded through his department’s Voluntary & Community Division and Community Empowerment Division.
Updated - UnLtd seeking more applicants | NICVA
Are you a social entrepreneur based in Northern Ireland? Are you looking to scale-up your work? Do you focus on financial inclusion? UnLtd are keen to hear from young people (aged 16-30) wanting to make their communities fairer places to live.
BBC Children in Need to pause grant applications
BBC Children in Need have announced they are to pause applications to their grants programmes for four months in April.
Jaguar Land Rover launches charitable foundation | NICVA
Jaguar Land Rover have created the JLR Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to empowering children and young people to reach their full potential and catalyse positive social and environmental change. The manufacturer is pledging up to £2.5 million to support its charitable work in the first year, with plans to increase funding annually as the Foundation grows.
Funding February Content Collection
Funding February - thanks to our many contributors for helping us to curate this collection of articles and resources.
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