Funding and income

General funds (listed A-Z)

Funds with upcoming deadlines

Adur and Worthing Councils Warm Welcome Spaces Grant Deadline: Sunday 10th November. Grants of up to £600 available to community organisations who are able to offer a warm space in addition to their normal offer. The warm space must operate from 1 December to 28 February 2025 as a minimum. Grants can be used to offset additional utility costs, the cost of materials to activate the space or supporting paid/volunteer time/expenses.

Asda Empowering Local Communities Grant Deadline: Friday 8 November. Grants from £400 up to £2,000 available (in set amounts) for not-for-profit groups who make a positive difference to their community, addressing local challenges and social needs. You must meet the diverse needs of your community to help them thrive and grow. Apply for what’s important in local communities, supporting a broad range of activities helping to transform communities and improve lives. Contact your Community and Customer Champion at your local store (Hollingbury, Brighton Marina and Ferring) so they can assess your needs and nominate you for a grant.

Asda Cost of Living Grant Deadline: Friday 8 November. Grants from £400 up to £2,000 available (in set amounts) for not-for-profit groups who make a positive difference to their community, addressing local challenges and social needs. You must meet the diverse needs of your community to help them thrive and grow. Apply if your organisation continues to be impacted by the Cost-of-Living crisis, with a rise in demand for services at the same time as a decline in income and rising costs. Contact your Community and Customer Champion at your local store (Hollingbury, Brighton Marina and Ferring) so they can assess your needs and nominate you for a grant.

Asda Under 18s Better Starts Grant  Deadline: Friday 8 November. Grants from £400 up to £2,000 available (in set amounts) for not-for-profit groups who make a positive difference to their community, addressing local challenges and social needs. You must meet the diverse needs of your community to help them thrive and grow. Apply if you help give children the best start in life, tackling poverty, addressing inclusion and boosting wellbeing. Contact your Community and Customer Champion at your local store (Hollingbury, Brighton Marina and Ferring) so they can assess your needs and nominate you for a grant.

B&Q Foundation Deadline: Friday 15 November, 6pm. Grants of up to £10,000 for indoor or £5,000 for garden projects. For registered charities only who want to provide, maintain, repair or improve housing or community space. Projects to be completed 6 months after the award.

Benefact Trust £1,000 draws  Last draw of the year – winners announced in December. 120 lots of £1,000 available. Ask as many people as you know to nominate your organisation as the more nominations you get, the more chance you have of winning. This draw takes place over 12 weekdays commencing on 5 December and ending on 20 December.

Brighton and Hove City Council Shared Prosperity Fund Business Decarbonisation grant Deadline: 10am on Wednesday 6  November. Grants of up to £25,000 (only £100,000 available in total) for the purchase of equipment that will contribute to carbon reduction as well as benefitting your ‘social business’ economically (includes charities). Contact Ben Hockman SPF@brighton-hove.gov.uk / 07719 997553 for more information. Must have a demonstrable impact on reduced carbon outputs and/or improvements to the natural environment.

Brighton Soup  Deadline: apply to pitch by Tuesday 12 November at midnight, for the event happening on Friday 29 November. Small funding opportunity for community projects of up to £1,000. Pitch to win- like Dragon’s Den but with a community audience and full pitch training.

Charles Hayward Foundation Main Grant Programme – Social and Criminal Justice Deadline: Friday 8 November. Grants of between £15,000 and £25,000 per year, for up to 3 years available for registered charities only, who have an annual income of between £350,000 and £4,000,000. For projects that prevent people entering the criminal justice system or support those already in the system to move on and rebuild their lives. They fund early intervention programmes with young children and their families, tailored preventative work with young people at risk, and holistic support services aimed at reducing re-offending and aiding re-settlement. Also projects that alleviate the consequences of domestic abuse.

Comic Relief Community Fund Deadline: Friday 8 November, 5pm. Grants of up to £5,000 available for voluntary or community organisations (not CICs under 2 years old) who have an annual income under £250,000. Funding can be used for direct project costs or to support core running expenses e.g. staff wages, materials, rent or training. Must address 1 of the following: tackling immediate impacts of hardship, building resilience to poverty and hardship, working to support equity and inclusion or working to support climate justice.

Community Walking Project Grant (through Brighton and Hove City Council) Deadline: Friday 15 November. Up to £500 is available to set up, run and evaluate a walking or wheeling (use of wheelchairs or mobility aids) project that would encourage more walking in the city. The project needs to involve a specific group of adult participants who would agree to take part in a set number of walks. Ideally the same group would take part in all the walks. For an application form contact: delphine.jacq@brighton-hove.gov.uk or by phone on 07594 647084.

easyfundraising Together for Good for groups who are registered on the easyfundraising platform. During October, if any of your supporters shop online at Waitrose, your group will be entered into a draw for a chance of £1,000. There are 5 lots of £1,000 available nationally. For any of your supporters who shop in the store, they can earn you £10 if it is their first shop or £1.50 for subsequent shops.

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust Deadline: 12 November for a ‘medium’ grant of between £10,001 and £20,000. Registered charities only who support people in Sussex, focusing on: care of the elderly, disability, general welfare, hospices, youth, wildlife & environmental conservation.

Fine & Country Foundation Deadline: Thursday 31 October. Ask the Fine & Country Estate Agents in Brighton and Hove to nominate your organisation for a £3,000 donation if you are a registered charity and address homelessness and poverty.

Greene King’s Proud to Pitch In Deadline: Friday 1 November. For grassroots and community sports clubs who have beneficiaries who are over 18. Apply for up to £4,000 for sports focussed projects that will positively benefit your club and/or local community, and will tangibly benefit from funding over the long-term. Apply for things like making facilities more accessible, new equipment or coaching qualifications.

The Homity Trust Deadline: Friday 22 November. Grants of up to £1,000 available to organisations helping people most affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund Deadline: Thursday 21 November, 12pm. Small grants between £100 and £25,000 are available to LGBT+ organisations, who are led by and for at least one of their communities of focus. Your primary purpose and make-up of your leadership must show this. For organisational running costs, projects and organisational / leadership development.

The Marketors’ Trust Charity Grants 2024 Deadline: Friday 29 November. For registered charities only with an annual income of between £10,000 and £200,000. To help smaller charities that have great ideas about marketing campaigns they would like to run but lack the funds to do so. 2 grants of £10,000 and 4 grants of £2,500 available for: general fundraising campaigns, activities aimed at increasing regular donations, proposals for the recruitment of volunteers or campaigns to raise awareness of the charity’s activities.

NHS Sussex Children and Young People’s Involvement: Small Grants Funding Deadline: Friday 25 October. Grants of between £500-£3,000 available for small constituted community groups who can help better understand CYP experiences of accessing health care services; their health and care priorities; and their health literacy (the ability to understand and use information to make decisions about their health).

The Pearce Foundation Deadline: Sunday 15 December. Grants of up to £2,000 for capacity building and personal coaching support to small, fledgling charities and not-for-profit organisations. You must have been operating for under 2 years, have an annual income under £50,000 and operate only in Sussex.

Pride of Britain Fund Deadline: none given. To mark the 25th anniversary of Pride of Britain, the Pride of Britain Fund is giving £100,000 in grants of £500, £1,000 or £2,500. You can apply for help with work you are doing, or you can nominate someone you know about to receive funding. The Pride of Britain team create a shortlist, but then voting by people in your area will decide the winner.

Screwfix Foundation Deadline: Sunday 10 November. Grants up to £5,000 to registered charities and not for profit organisations. Prioritising those that will create a longer-term difference and where their donation will make an impact and fund the total cost (or the majority) of a project.

Worthing Community Chest Grants for Growth Deadline: Thursday 31 October. For grants up to £1,500 for organisations with an annual income under £100,000. Activities must fit under one of the following aims: improving the quality of life for under privileged and disadvantaged people in Worthing, promoting social cohesion, proposing a new or innovative idea for Worthing, promoting inclusion and drawing excluded people into community engagement, improving the community or improving or enhancing an existing service.

Funds you can apply to anytime

Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants Grants between £1,000 and £100,000 for projects lasting up to 3 years. For creative and cultural projects that directly create and deliver creative and cultural activity with a long-term positive impact. Includes music, dance, visual arts, festivals. See their website for current ‘time-limited priorities’.

Architectural Heritage Fund (Project Viability Grants) Grants up to £15,000 to support early-stage feasibility work on historic building projects. This is Stage 1, Expression of Interest. You will then be invited to Stage 2 (full application) to access Project Development Grants of up to £20,000. This stage has set deadlines and can cover some of the costs of developing and co-ordinating your project and taking it towards the start of work on site.

BBC Children in Need – Project Cost and Core Cost grants Expression of Interest form submitted, then you’ll be invited to apply. From £1,000 to £40,000 available per year for up to 3 years for projects that focus on addressing issues of disadvantage affecting children and young people.

Charles Hayward Foundation Small Grants Programme – Older People Grants of up to £7,000 available for registered charities only. They want to fund preventative and early intervention programmes delivered at a community level, allowing older people to stay in their own homes and remain independent. Also, programmes which can demonstrate their effectiveness in improving the quality of life of older people. Projects should have a consistent and sustained benefit rather than one-off event or short-lived activities. Decision within 4 months.

The Dodgson Foundation Projects particularly aimed at the over 55s who are living in deprivation anywhere in Sussex.

Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust  For Small grants under £10,000. For registered charities only; for start-up, core or specific project costs.

Focus Foundation For charities or community groups with an annual income under £2 million, who need funding for a whole project which helps socially or economically underprivileged children or young people, or projects supporting mental health.

Foyle Foundation For registered charities with less than £150,000 annual income, to apply under the Small Grants Scheme. Apply for between £2,000 and £10,000 if you are working at a grass roots local community level delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community. Keen to attract more applications from charities focussing on Arts, Learning, Small charities and state schools/SEND. Projects must be completed by end 2025 (when the foundation will close their grants programmes). Closes 31 January 2025.

Henry Smith – Improving Lives Programme Between £20,000 and £70,000 a year for up to 3 years available for projects that meet one of their criteria: Help at a Critical Moment, Positive Choices, Accommodation / Housing Support, Employment and Training, Financial Inclusion, Rights & Entitlements, Support Networks & Family.

Morrisons Foundation For grants of up to £10,000 for registered charities only. For projects that improve people’s lives under at least one of their funding objectives: 1) Tackling poverty and social deprivation; 2) Enhancing community spaces, facilities and services; 3) Improving health and wellbeing.

The National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All Grants up to £20,000 for up to 2 years.  For groups that build strong relationships in communities, improve places and spaces, help people reach their potential or support people facing increased challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The National Lottery Community Fund Reaching Communities  Grants from £20,001 for up to 5 years. For projects that work to make positive changes in your community (i.e. people living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences). Funding to deliver new or existing activity. Or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges. Or projects that test new approaches to help with community issues.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund For grants between £10,000 and £250,000. For organisations looking to care for and sustain heritage where your new project (it can’t have already started) is about saving heritage, protecting the environment, inclusion, access and participation, and organisational sustainability. NB 20% of the payment will be made after your project has finished (in arrears). The Heritage Fund recently announced they have simplified their application process.

The Paley Trust Grants under £1,000 available for not-for-profit organisations that enhance the well-being of people aged over 60 in Brighton and Hove. Activities can include exercise groups, music groups, outings, social activities, equipment, and contributions to running costs.

Sport England Movement Fund  Between £300 and £15,000 available for projects that tackle inequalities and help get more people active (promote physical activity), for people that face barriers. For example, active travel, walking, cycling, dance, fitness and sports activities. Funding is awarded as either a contribution to a crowdfunding campaign or as a grant (Sport England will assess this). This fund replaces their Small Grants scheme and Active Together fund.

Stobart Sustainability Fund Applications for green, ecological or sustainability projects or initiatives that benefit the environment. Must be able to explain how it will positively impact the environment and support creating a sustainable world. Short form completed and someone from Stobart will get in touch. No restrictions on type of organisation that can apply (talks about community groups in publicity).

Why do I need fundraising?

Fundraising is an ongoing concern for most and can present multiple challenges. If you’re starting on your fundraising journey, your first steps will involve:

• developing a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your project
• being certain that your project is needed
• knowing how much your project will cost
• creating a clear plan as to how you’re going to raise those costs

There are lots of resources that you can use to help you with your planning. If you are a community group, we recommend the Resource Centre website as an excellent starting point.

Local funding searches

Brighton and Hove specific

• GrantFinder via Brighton & Hove City Council
• Funds Online via Community Base (email centremanager@communitybase.org for access)
• Brighton and Hove Food Partnership Quarterly funding update

Adur and Worthing specific

• Grants Online via Adur and Worthing Councils
• Adur and Worthing Councils Grants and Funding web page