They only offer grants to registered charities that have been formally established for a minimum of three years. Newly registered charities may
apply but the organisation must have appointed a management committee and adopted a governing document at least 3 years ago.
They prioritise:
- Charities that are delivering services in areas of high deprivation
- 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
They only make grants for ongoing core funding. They define core funding as the costs associated with regular activities or services that have been ongoing for at least a year. They do not fund new work or projects.
They do not fund:
- Charities with a total annual expenditure of more than £50,000
- Charities that are not registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales. You must have your own charity number or be
excepted from registration. Industrial Provident Societies and Community Interest Companies are not eligible to apply.
- Work that is not based in England or Wales
- Charities with unrestricted reserves that equate to more than
12 months expenditure
- Branches of national charities without their own charity number
- New organisations – you must have been operating as a fully constituted organisation for at least 3 years, even though you may have registered as a charity more recently
- Services or activities that have not been ongoing for at least a year
- Uniformed groups unless they serve a local area of high deprivation and/or can demonstrate that members are experiencing significant disadvantage
- Capital expenditure – including equipment, buildings, renovations, furnishings, minibuses
- Holidays and holiday centres
- One-off events
- Core funding of charities that benefit the wider community such as general advice services and community centres unless a significant
element of their work focuses on one or more of our priority groups
- Community safety initiatives
- Charities with outstanding loans/mortgages
- Charities raising money to give to another organisation, such as schools, hospitals or other voluntary groups
- Individuals – including charities raising funds to purchase equipment for or make grants to individuals
- Promotion of religion
- Animal welfare charities
