Community Development Grants & Funding
There are 704 UK funders offering grants for community development charities, with typical awards from £100 to £4,500,000.
Community development funding supports the organisations and initiatives that strengthen local areas across the UK. This encompasses community centres, neighbourhood projects, civic participation, social cohesion, and place-based regeneration. Many of the UK's largest funders — including the National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, and local community foundations — prioritise grassroots organisations that are rooted in and responsive to their communities. Funding is available for both capital projects (building renovations, community spaces, equipment) and revenue work (staffing, activities, outreach). Community development grants often favour a participatory approach, where local residents are involved in identifying needs and designing solutions. Rural communities, post-industrial areas, and urban estates with high deprivation frequently receive targeted support. The trend toward devolution and community ownership of assets has also created new funding streams for community land trusts, community energy projects, and social enterprises.
Quick Stats
- Total Funders
- 704
- Grant Range
- £100 - £4,500,000
- Open to Applications
- 48%
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Clear filtersFilters use programme details verified from each funder's own published guidance. Funders we haven't verified yet are listed separately below, never hidden.
Community Development Funders
174 of 704 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 183 of 704 funders. 521 not yet verified are listed below; 9 that don't fit were excluded.
1989 Willan Charitable Trust
Matching programme: The 1989 Willan Charitable Trust
The 1989 Willan Charitable Trust, established in 1989 and governed by Willan Trustee Limited, is a UK-based funder dedicated to alleviating social and...
Action Together CIO
Matching programme: Ashton Parish Church Charity Small Grants Programme
Action Together CIO, established in 2016 through the merger of Voluntary Action Oldham and Community and Voluntary Action Tameside, serves as the infr...
Addington Fund
Matching programme: Emergency Relief (Forage Aid)
The Addington Fund is an independent UK charity established in 2001 in response to the classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth outbreaks, dedicated t...
Adnams Community Trust
Matching programme: Adnams Community Trust
The Adnams Community Trust, established in 1990 by Adnams PLC—a historic brewery based in Southwold, Suffolk—channels at least 1% of the company's ann...
Alfred Williams Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Alfred Williams Charitable Trust
The Alfred Williams Charitable Trust, established in 1973 by Mr. Alfred Williams and governed by trustees with deep Suffolk connections, is a grant-ma...
Architectural Heritage Fund
Matching programme: Project Viability Grants (PVG) - Northern Ireland
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), a UK-registered charity founded in 1976, champions the conservation and sustainable reuse of historic buildings...
Arts Council England
Matching programme: National Lottery Project Grants
Arts Council England is the national development agency championing arts, museums, and libraries, rooted in a post-war vision to advance creativity fo...
Ashley Family Foundation
Matching programme: Revenue Grants
The Ashley Family Foundation, established in 1986 by Sir Bernard and Laura Ashley, embodies a mission to harness creative enterprise for community ben...
Barking and Dagenham Giving
Matching programme: Give it a Go Fund
Barking and Dagenham Giving is a place-based funder dedicated to tackling deprivation, inequality, and limited opportunity in one of England's most di...
Baywind Energy Community Trust
Matching programme: Main Grant Programme
Baywind Energy Community Trust champions community-owned renewable energy and environmental sustainability, rooted in the pioneering ethos of the UK's...
Benefact Trust Limited
Matching programme: Building Grants
Benefact Trust Limited, formerly Allchurches Trust, is an independent UK-registered charity established in 1972 with roots in 1887, headquartered in G...
Berkeley Charitable Foundation
Matching programme: Resilience Fund
The Berkeley Charitable Foundation, established in 2011 by the Berkeley Group, is a corporate foundation dedicated to empowering young people and comm...
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services
Matching programme: Bolton Housing Partnership Grants – Individuals
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (Bolton CVS) is a registered charity and local infrastructure organisation dedicated to strengthening the volu...
Brighton Rainbow Fund
Matching programme: Grassroots Community Fund
The Brighton Rainbow Fund, established in 2011 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation by James Ledward and Paul Elgood, functioned as a grassroots ...
Camden Giving
Matching programme: We Make Camden Kit - Growth Grant
Camden Giving is an independent charity founded in 2017, dedicated to ending poverty and inequality in the London Borough of Camden by empowering resi...
Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust embodies Dame Catherine Cookson's vision to transform lives in North East England communities through enduring ...
Charities of Thomas Wade and Others
Matching programme: Small Grants Programme
Charities of Thomas Wade and Others, known as Wade's Charity, is a historic Leeds-based grant-making trust established in 1530 by Thomas Wade during H...
Clarion Futures
Matching programme: Digital Grants Programme
Clarion Futures is the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, the UK's largest housing association, established as the successor to William S...
Co-Operative Community Investment Foundation
Matching programme: Funding Futures Programme
The Co-operative Community Investment Foundation, known as the Co-op Foundation, is the charitable arm of the Co-operative Group, established in 2002 ...
Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Brighter Futures
The Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making charity founded in 1969 by Sir James Colyer-Fergusson, is dedicated to improving li...
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
Matching programme: RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Community Grants Round
The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, established in 1979 as the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, is an independent grant-making body with o...
Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon
Matching programme: Community Grants
Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, founded in 1975 as an independent charity (formerly Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon), tackles...
Community Foundation in Wales
Matching programme: Fund for Wales
Community Foundation Wales, established in November 1998 as a registered charity and company, drives philanthropy to strengthen Welsh communities by c...
Consolidated Charity of Burton Upon Trent
Matching programme: Financial Assistance for Individuals (Education, Personal Development, Sport, Arts)
The Consolidated Charity of Burton upon Trent is a centuries-old endowed charity rooted in local philanthropic traditions, dedicated to delivering pub...
Cornwall Community Development Limited
Matching programme: ACRE Village Hall Capital Grants
Cornwall Community Development Limited, operating as Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC), was established in 2001 from the Cornwall Rural Communit...
Corra Foundation
Matching programme: Boost Fund
Corra Foundation, an independent Scottish grant-maker established in 1985 (originally Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland), drives positive change, opp...
Cripplegate Foundation
Matching programme: Catalyst Programme
Cripplegate Foundation drives lasting social change to build an equal society free from poverty and inequality, empowering residents to access opportu...
Croydon Voluntary Action
Matching programme: Croydon Community Grant Fund
Croydon Voluntary Action (CVA) is the leading umbrella organisation for Croydon's voluntary and community sector, established to promote charitable pu...
Cumbria Community Foundation
Matching programme: Cumbria Community Foundation Grants
Cumbria Community Foundation, established in 1999, is an independent UK community foundation dedicated to tackling poverty, enhancing quality of life,...
David Brownlow Charitable Foundation
Matching programme: Small Grants Programme
The David Brownlow Charitable Foundation drives positive social change by enhancing lives of disadvantaged individuals and communities through persona...
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Matching programme: FleX Competition (Flexibility Exchange Demonstrator)
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), established in 2016 through merger of business innovation and energy climate funct...
Department for Transport
Matching programme: Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG)
The Department for Transport (DfT), a UK ministerial department established in 2002, provides leadership and strategic frameworks for reliable, safe, ...
Derbyshire Environmental Trust Limited
Matching programme: Derbyshire Environmental Trust Capital Funding Scheme
Derbyshire Environmental Trust Limited, founded in 1997 as a registered charity in response to the Landfill Communities Fund, channels landfill tax re...
Developing Healthy Communities (DHC) Limited
Matching programme: PHA Short Term Funding
Developing Healthy Communities (DHC) Limited is a longstanding Northern Ireland-registered charity with over 30 years of experience transforming lives...
Devon Community Foundation
Matching programme: Small Grants
Devon Community Foundation, established in 1996 as Devon’s largest independent grantmaker and a registered charity, harnesses local philanthropy to st...
Dorset Community Foundation
Matching programme: EDC Project Fund for Strength & Sustainability
Dorset Community Foundation is an independent grantmaker dedicated to improving lives and fostering thriving, united communities across Dorset by chan...
Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
The Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust is a family-led foundation embodying stewardship, heritage responsibility, and community flourishing through...
E H Smith Charitable Trust
Matching programme: General Charitable Grants
The E H Smith Charitable Trust, family-founded in 1944, embodies community responsibility by reinvesting business profits to uplift local communities ...
Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development
Matching programme: Build. with Ebico
The Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development, established in 2008 from funds of Ebico Limited—a not-for-profit energy provider founded in 1998 to comba...
Edgar E Lawley Foundation
Matching programme: General Grant Programme
The Edgar E Lawley Foundation, established in 1961, drives a philanthropic mission to advance social welfare and alleviate disadvantage through flexib...
Elmgrant Trust
Matching programme: Individual Grants
The Elmgrant Trust, family-founded in 1936 by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst and Beatrice, carries forward the Dartington Hall ethos of rural regenerati...
England and Wales Cricket Trust
Matching programme: County Grants Fund
The England and Wales Cricket Trust (EWCT), a registered charity (no. 1112540), promotes community participation in cricket as a means of healthy recr...
Eric Wright Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Community Grants
The Eric Wright Charitable Trust embodies a founding vision of responsible business stewardship channeling construction industry profits into perpetua...
Essex Community Foundation
Matching programme: East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund
Essex Community Foundation, established in 1996, is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to enhancing quality of life for Essex residents by...
Football Foundation
Matching programme: Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund
The Football Foundation, established in 2000 by the Premier League, The FA, and the UK Government via Sport England, is the UK's largest sports charit...
Forever Manchester
Matching programme: Bright Futures Fund
Forever Manchester is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to empowering grassroots community activity and building resilient neighbourhoods...
Forever Notts
Matching programme: Brian Treffry and Joan Oliver Fund
Forever Notts, formerly Nottinghamshire Community Foundation and established in 1997 as an independent registered charity, serves as a vital broker fo...
Forrester Family Trust
Matching programme: Small Grants
The Forrester Family Trust, established in 1986 by the Forrester family, is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to empowering small chariti...
Fort Augustus & Glenmoriston Community Company
Matching programme: Apprenticeship Scheme
Fort Augustus & Glenmoriston Community Company, established in 2007 by the local Community Council in the Scottish Highlands, is a community-led organ...
Foundation Scotland
Matching programme: Achlachan Wind Farm Community Fund
Foundation Scotland, Scotland's sole community foundation, drives a mission to empower communities by bridging innovative ideas with resources, foster...
Showing 50 of 174 matching funders
521 funders not yet verified against these filters
We haven't confirmed these funders' programme details yet, so they may or may not fit. Showing the first 10.
Tips for Applying to Community Development Funders
Community development funders want to see that your organisation is genuinely rooted in the area you serve. Demonstrate local knowledge by referencing specific neighbourhood dynamics, community assets, and the relationships you have built over time — not just census data. Describe a participatory needs assessment process: how did residents themselves identify the issues your project addresses, and how will they continue to shape delivery? Partnership working is essential in this space, so detail your collaborations with other local organisations, statutory agencies, and community groups, explaining what each partner brings and how you avoid duplication. Address sustainability explicitly — funders need confidence that your work will continue beyond the grant period through community ownership, income generation, volunteer capacity, or integration into local infrastructure. Include community asset mapping that shows you understand what already exists and how your project builds on strengths rather than starting from scratch. Strong applications demonstrate that the community drives the agenda rather than the organisation imposing solutions. Show how you reach residents who are typically excluded from community engagement processes, and explain your approach to building social capital and civic participation alongside delivering specific project activities.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Community Development Grants
What grants are available for community development charities in the UK?
There are 704+ UK funders offering grants for community development charities. These range from small community grants under £5,000 to large multi-year funding programmes exceeding £100,000. Use Fundermatcher to find the best match for your organisation.
How much funding can community development organisations get?
Grant amounts for community development charities vary widely depending on the funder and project. Typical grants range from £1,000 to over £100,000. Many funders offer multi-year funding for established organisations with a strong track record.
How do I apply for community development grants?
Start by identifying funders whose priorities align with your community development work. Fundermatcher matches your charity's profile against 704+ funders to find the best fit. Our AI assistant can then help you draft compelling grant applications.
How to Find the Right Community Development Funders
Describe Your Charity
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