Funding Guidelines

Please read the following carefully before you apply for funding.

Before you apply

Please ensure:

You are applying on behalf of a UK-registered or regulated exempt charity.
Your request is between £500 and £8,000.
Your work will begin at least two months after you have been informed of the decision (please see the Home page for the timing of our next round), unless you have secured at least 75% of the funds you require.
You can provide a project or organisational budget as appropriate to support the application.
You have appropriate safeguarding policies in place.
You can provide appropriately examined annual accounts for your most recent financial year.
A senior-level colleague can co-sign the application to confirm suitability.
You can provide bank details in the name of the organisation that is applying.

How we assess applications

We consider:

How your application aligns with our funding themes and priorities.
Evidence that people who will benefit from a grant are facing identifiable barriers to opportunity.
How inclusive your work is for anyone in need of your services in the area you work in.
How the people who will benefit from the work are identified and prioritised.
Evidence that the Charity can deliver the intended outcomes.
Outcomes of our finanical due dilligence, including financial management and level of reserves, executive salaries and Trustee Board expertise. We expect you to have had the relevant Audit or Independant examination of your accounts, and your free reserves to be in line with your policy and not in excess of the target figure (or 12 months of operating costs).
Your filing history with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, Northern Ireland or OSCR. We expect your last three filings to have been on time.
How appropriate your safeguarding arrangements are in relation to the work you do.

Things we don’t fund

Capital projects and routine maintenance.
General and round-robin appeals.
Individuals.
Medical research.
Mainstream education across all key stages (e.g. nurseries, playgroups, primary/secondary schools, post-16 institutions).
Projects taking place or providing benefits outside the UK.
Retrospective funding.
Sport.
Universities.
Direct to Hospices (we fund indirectly via Hospice UK).
Regional branches of national organisations.

Successful applicants

At the end of your grant, you will be asked to complete a short monitoring and impact report. This will include (Reasonable estimates are acceptable where precise figures are unavailable):

A short summary of how the grant was used including any significant changes.
Numbers of beneficiaries, sessions or events, participants, volunteers and staff involved.
Relevant geographic, demographic and socio-economic information.
The barriers typically experienced by participants and the steps you have taken to remove them.
Outcomes achieved and the difference the grant made.
Any progression or longer-term outcomes, where relevant, such as education, training, employment or continued engagement with arts and culture.
Case studies or participant quotations illustrating the impact of the funded work.
Reflections from an organisational viewpoint and future work it might lead to.
How the work contributed to your work overall and your charitable purposes and any significant challenges or risks affecting the work or your organisation.
Supporting material, where available, such as photographs, evaluation reports, press coverage, participant artwork or performance materials (Applicants will also be asked to confirm that the necessary consent has been obtained for any photographs, quotations or case studies submitted).

Reapplication process

Successful applicants must wait 12 months before reapplying.
Unsuccessful applicants must wait two years before reapplying.
Charities that have received three grants within five financial years must wait three years before applying again.
Organisations that have not submitted the required monitoring reports are not eligible to apply.

Funding use

Grants may support defined projects or contribute to organisational costs.
Charities with an annual income under £250,000 may apply for unrestricted funding.
Project budgets may include proportionate core costs.

Term Grants

In special circumstances, Trustees may offer multi-year support (Term Grants). These are identified proactively and are not open for direct application.

Current Term Grant Recipients

City and Guilds: UK Student bursary support

D’Oyly Carte Opera Trust: Education and outreach work in the UK

Genetic Alliance UK: Practical advice and support to their membership

Guildhall School Trust: UK Student bursary support

Hospice UK: Education and training programmes in Hospices throughout the UK

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST): UK Student scholarships

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA): UK Student bursary support

Royal Academy of Music: UK Student bursary support

Royal Ballet School: UK Student hardship fund

Royal Conservatoire Scotland: UK Student bursary support

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS): Apprenticeship Scheme