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
107 of 704 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 187 of 704 funders. 517 not yet verified are listed below; 80 that don't fit were excluded.
Access - The Foundation for Social Investment
Verified openMatching programme: Local Access
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment drives systemic transformation in the social investment market, empowering charities and social enterpri...
Ballinger Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Project / Capital Grant
The Ballinger Charitable Trust, founded in 1994 by the Ballinger family with deep personal ties to North East England, supports UK-registered charitie...
Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching 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 ...
Charles Littlewood Hill Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Charles Littlewood Hill Trust Grant Programme
The Charles Littlewood Hill Trust, established in 1978 by Charles Littlewood Hill, pursues a mission of advancing diverse charitable purposes through ...
City Health Care Partnership Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants
City Health Care Partnership Foundation, established in 2013 by City Health Care Partnership CIC, is a grant-making charity dedicated to promoting hea...
Civic Power Fund
Verified openMatching programme: Alliance for Youth Organising
The Civic Power Fund, launched in 2022 as the UK's first pooled donor fund for grassroots community organising, unites progressive trusts like Unbound...
Clarion Futures
Verified openMatching programme: Community Catalyst
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
Verified openMatching programme: Green Opportunities Fund
The Co-operative Community Investment Foundation, known as the Co-op Foundation, is the charitable arm of the Co-operative Group, established in 2002 ...
Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation
Verified openMatching programme: Recreational Facilities Development
The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO), established in 1920 with charitable status since 1995, is the UK's sole national charity dedica...
Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation 2014
Verified openMatching programme: Recreational Facilities Development
Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation 2014 serves as trustee for CISWO, a national charity dedicated to advancing health, relieving poverty and ha...
Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching 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 Calderdale
Verified openMatching programme: SWEF Enterprise and Business Fund
The Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC), established in 1991, is a not-for-profit community foundation dedicated to reducing inequalities and c...
Community Foundation in Wales
Verified openMatching 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...
Cruden Foundation Ltd
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
Cruden Foundation Ltd, established in Edinburgh from a building business legacy, embodies a mission of community regeneration and enduring public bene...
Cumbria Community Foundation
Verified openMatching 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
Verified openMatching programme: Large Grants Programme
The David Brownlow Charitable Foundation drives positive social change by enhancing lives of disadvantaged individuals and communities through persona...
David Laing Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The David Laing Foundation, an independent family grantmaker established in 1979 by philanthropist David Laing—former Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonsh...
Devon Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants
Devon Community Foundation, established in 1996 as Devon’s largest independent grantmaker and a registered charity, harnesses local philanthropy to st...
Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching 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
Verified openMatching 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 ...
Earley Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Grants to Organisations – £3,000 and under
The Earley Charity, evolved from historic poor relief traditions, drives its mission to alleviate poverty, hardship, and disadvantage among vulnerable...
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Medium Grant
The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust (EKCT), established in 1963 by Ernest and Joan Kleinwort, is a family-led grant-making foundation dedicated to m...
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grants
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, established in 1961 by Ian Fairbairn in memory of his wife, is one of the UK's largest independent funders, dedicated ...
Essex Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Google Essex Data Centre Community Fund
Essex Community Foundation, established in 1996, is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to enhancing quality of life for Essex residents by...
Football Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grass Pitch Creation Grant
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
Verified openMatching programme: CDL Fund
Forever Manchester is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to empowering grassroots community activity and building resilient neighbourhoods...
Foundation Scotland
Verified openMatching 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...
Friends Provident Charitable Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Building Resilient Economies programme
Friends Provident Charitable Foundation, an independent UK grant-making charity established in 2004 with a £33 million endowment from Friends Providen...
Gannochy Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Capital Grants
The Gannochy Trust, established in 1937 by Scottish philanthropist A.K. Bell, is a major charitable funder anchored in Perth and Kinross with a missio...
Geoffrey Watling Charity
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Geoffrey Watling Charity embodies entrepreneurial generosity, local pride, and civic friendship, channeling resources to vitalize communities thro...
Gerald Palmer Eling Trust Company
Verified openMatching programme: Grant Making
The Gerald Palmer Eling Trust Company, a UK registered charity established in 1984 following the death of founder Gerald Palmer—an author, politician,...
Girton Town Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Grants for Organisations
Girton Town Charity is a historic almshouse provider rooted in medieval philanthropy, dedicated to enabling Girton village residents to lead fulfillin...
Grantscape
Verified openMatching programme: Middlemoor Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund (Organisations)
Grantscape, established in 1997, is a specialist UK charitable grant-maker dedicated to strengthening local communities and protecting the natural env...
Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Donation Programme
Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust strengthens Essex communities through volunteer-led, event-based fundraising that channels reso...
Greenham Trust Ltd
Verified openMatching programme: Community Wellbeing Fund
Greenham Trust Ltd, founded in 1997 as Greenham Common Community Trust following the closure of RAF Greenham Common, reinvests commercial income from ...
Hackney Council for Voluntary Service
Verified openMatching programme: Hackney Giving Cost of Living programme
Hackney Council for Voluntary Service (Hackney CVS), an independent charity founded in 1997, empowers Hackney’s voluntary and community sector to fost...
Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland
Verified openMatching programme: COLLABORATE
Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, established over 40 years ago and funded entirely by Lloyds Banking Group profits as one of four autonomous H...
Hamilton Davies Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Grants
Hamilton Davies Trust is a community-rooted grantmaker founded to strengthen the social fabric of local neighborhoods through regeneration, local prid...
Harold and Alice Bridges Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Harold and Alice Bridges Charity Grant Programme
The Harold and Alice Bridges Charity embodies a mission to bolster community wellbeing by fortifying essential physical infrastructure that sustains v...
Housing Pathways Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grants Programme
Housing Pathways Trust, a historic almshouse charity rooted in seventeenth-century principles, drives community transformation by enabling those in ne...
Hugh Fraser Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: The Hugh Fraser Foundation
The Hugh Fraser Foundation, established in 1960 by Sir Hugh Fraser, advances health, education, citizenship, community development, poverty relief, an...
J G Graves Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The J G Graves Charitable Trust, founded in 1930 by Sheffield businessman and philanthropist John George Graves, is a legacy-driven funder dedicated t...
Jessie Spencer Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Jessie Spencer Trust Grant Programme
The Jessie Spencer Trust, established in 1962 by Jessie Spencer of Linby, Nottinghamshire, in memory of her husband Arthur and inspired by her family'...
John Jackson Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Grants
The John Jackson Charitable Trust, established in 2011 through the will of lifelong Eastbourne resident John Alan Jackson, is a permanent endowment de...
John James Bristol Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: John James Bristol Foundation Grants
The John James Bristol Foundation, established in 1983 by philanthropist John James CBE, is a grant-making charity dedicated to perpetuating his legac...
John Moores Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grants for Merseyside
The John Moores Foundation, established in Liverpool in 1964 by philanthropist Sir John Moores, is a family-founded independent grant-maker dedicated ...
John Slater Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: The John Slater Foundation
The John Slater Foundation, established in 1964 by Elizabeth Anne and Irene Slater in honour of their brother John Slater—a distinguished footballer, ...
Joseph Rank Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Fund
The Joseph Rank Trust is an independent Christian grant-maker established in 2002 from charities founded by Joseph Rank (1854–1943) and family between...
Kelly Family Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Kelly Family Charitable Trust, a UK-based family foundation established in 2004 by the Kelly family, is dedicated to strengthening and preserving ...
Len Pick Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Grant Over £1,000
The Len Pick Trust is a community-rooted grantmaker inspired by the philanthropic legacy of local farmer and benefactor Len Pick, dedicated to deliver...
Showing 50 of 107 matching funders
517 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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