Latest funding available
BERNARD SUNLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Each year, the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation gives more than £4.5 million in grants to capital projects that support communities and provide facilities for those in need. Charities that are seeking funding for a capital project such as new build, major refurbishment or transport, can apply to the Foundation for a contribution towards the costs.
Community – village halls (especially in isolated rural areas), scout huts, youth clubs, community centres and sports facilities. Funding is also available to churches where the project will benefit the wider community.
Education – support for children and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special needs/disabilities. This can include the purchase of new minibuses for children with special needs and educational facilities at museums, galleries and arts organisations
Health – improvements to care homes, hospices, day centres or other facilities for the elderly and those with special needs; the creation or refurbishment of outdoor or recreational spaces for patients and specialist new transport.
Social welfare – residential and other facilities to support and improve the lives of vulnerable people including veterans, the elderly, those seeking help with addiction, homelessness, ex-offenders and victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
There are three levels of grants: Large – £25,000 and above; Medium – up to £20,000; and Small – £5,000 and under.
Applications are accepted from registered charities, CIOs, specialist schools, scout and guide groups and housing associations. Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies registered with the FCA can also apply.
Application deadline: Apply at any time
https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/fund/bernard-sunley-charitable-foundation/
ALPKIT Foundation
Grants from the Alpkit Foundation are in the region of £50 to £500 and are intended for:
Health projects enabling people to gain physical and mental wellbeing from the Great Outdoors. Education projects such as First Aid, D of E, Forest Schools and Mountain Leader.
Participation projects that get more people experiencing the Great Outdoors
There is particular interest in projects that:
Encourage responsible outdoor activity, which have long lasting benefits
Introduce new people to getting outdoors
Application deadline: Apply at any time.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/fund/alpkit-foundation/
Church of England: Boiler Replacement Hardship Fund
As part of the Church of England’s Net Zero by 2030 programme, grants up to £45,000 are available to churches and church halls to cover the difference in cost between a low-carbon heating system and an oil or gas heating system.
The Boiler Replacement Hardship Fund will help churches to reduce their carbon emissions. It aims to provide support to churches that most need it: where the existing heating system is failing; and where the church cannot afford to fund a low-carbon replacement in full.
The grant will cover the full difference in cost between the low carbon system and an oil/gas system where the difference is less than £25,000
If the difference is more than £25,000, deprivation data will be used to determine the level of grant that can be awarded. The maximum grant is £45,000.
The grants are for churches and church halls where activities are taking place in a building owned by part of the Church of England. The existing oil or gas boiler must be at end of life or have failed and need to be replaced urgently. You will need to have received professional advice about the proposed low-carbon solution and this needs to be supported by an energy audit or action plan.
The funding is for projects that can start before December 2025.
Application deadline: Apply at any time.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/fund/church-of-england-boiler-replacement-hardship-fund/
High Street Rental Auctions Fund
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) are a new power for local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants such as local businesses or community groups. If a commercial high-street property has been vacant for 366 days or more in a 24-month period, a local authority can instigate a ‘rental auction’ to find a suitable tenant for the property.
To facilitate the process, the government is providing grants to help local authorities to:
Create a high-street commercial vacancy register
Refurbish properties that are subject to a High Street Rental Auction to the required minimum standard
It is anticipated that the cost of producing a vacancy register will be approximately £3,000 to £8,000; and the average refurbishment costs will be approximately £50,000 per property. Local authorities can also claim a new burdens payment of £5,223 to cover the cost of setting up the scheme eg. marketing, auction and legal costs incurred as a result of implementing the new powers.
The scheme is for local authorities with planning powers.
Application deadline:31 January 2026 (the fund may close sooner if all the funding is allocated)
Children’s Alliance
Non-profit organisations including schools, registered charities, community interest companies and registered community groups can apply for grants to deliver water-based projects for disadvantaged children. The funding comes from the Children’s Alliance which aims to get children into water safely to learn, develop and purposefully play for the benefit of their physical and mental wellbeing.
Projects must support children under the age of 18 and clearly show the relationship to water or water environments within the project. The Children’s Alliance is interested in projects that address the following themes:
Physical activity, mental health, environment, education, participation and diversity
The grants will usually be up to £15,000 with most grants awarded being under £10,000.
Focus of fund/fund aims:
Grants for projects to give children and young people a better start in life through the medium of water
Application deadline: Applications can be made twice a year - in September and March
https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/fund/childrens-alliance/
William Sutton
The Clarion Housing Group awards the William Sutton Prize for high-impact ideas that have the potential to create lasting benefits for social housing residents and communities. The fund is for new and breakthrough ideas that have the potential to be scaled up across the social housing sector.
William Sutton Prize for Sustainability – up to £50,000 for innovative ideas that help the social housing sector and residents restore and preserve the natural world including green construction, retrofitting, circular solutions and biodiversity
William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities – up to £25,000 for high-impact ideas that enhance the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of social housing residents including innovative technology, social inclusion and community spaces
Applications are invited from both not-for-profit and commercial organisations, including registered charities, community interest companies, social enterprises, community groups and other registered companies. Individuals can also apply.
There is an applicant webinar for each of the two prize categories – both are being held on 19 February 2025.
Focus of fund/fund aims:
For innovative, scalable projects that will have a positive impact on the social housing sector
https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/fund/william-sutton-prize-2/
12th February 2025