Community Development704+ Funders

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%

Community Development Funders

41 of 704 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 190 of 704 funders. 514 not yet verified are listed below; 149 that don't fit were excluded.

Access - The Foundation for Social Investment

Verified open

Matching programme: Local Access

Access – The Foundation for Social Investment drives systemic transformation in the social investment market, empowering charities and social enterpri...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Architectural Heritage Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: Project Development Grants (PDG) - Scotland

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), a UK-registered charity founded in 1976, champions the conservation and sustainable reuse of historic buildings...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

Ballinger Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £20,000

Baywind Energy Community Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£100 - £5,000

City Health Care Partnership Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,500

Civic Power Fund

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £20,000

Clarion Futures

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Co-Operative Community Investment Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Young Gamechangers 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 ...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £60,000

Community Foundation in Wales

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,000

Cumbria Community Foundation

Verified open

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,...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Devon Community Foundation

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £5,000

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
From £30,000

Football Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£300 - £100,000

Fort Augustus & Glenmoriston Community Company

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
Up to £25,000

Foundation Scotland

Verified open

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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £35,000

Friends Provident Charitable Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£100,000 - £120,000

Grantscape

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £50,000

Hackney Council for Voluntary Service

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £25,000

Hamilton Davies Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants

Hamilton Davies Trust is a community-rooted grantmaker founded to strengthen the social fabric of local neighborhoods through regeneration, local prid...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Housing Pathways Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grants Programme

Housing Pathways Trust, a historic almshouse charity rooted in seventeenth-century principles, drives community transformation by enabling those in ne...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Matthew Good Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants for Good

The Matthew Good Foundation, established in 2011 by Tim and Matthew Good of the John Good Group, honours Matthew’s legacy by amplifying small charitie...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £5,000

National Forest Company

Verified open

Matching programme: Forest Creation Grant

The National Forest Company pioneers landscape-scale environmental regeneration through tree planting and sustainable land management in post-industri...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

National Lottery Heritage Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: National Lottery Grants for Heritage £250,000–£5 million

The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the UK's largest dedicated heritage funder established in 1994 (with roots in the 1980 National Heritage Memorial ...

Grant Range
£25,000 - £100,000

Northern Powergrid Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Energy Resilience Grants Programme

Northern Powergrid Foundation champions energy resilience and social equity for communities ravaged by extreme weather, with a mission rooted in preve...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Nova Wakefield District Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: DWP Youth Jobs Grants

Nova Wakefield District Limited is the local infrastructure charity empowering Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations across ...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services

Verified open

Matching programme: Port of Milford Haven Community Fund

Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) serves as the County Voluntary Council championing charitable purposes for public benefit throu...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Perth City Heritage Fund (PCHF)

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust (PKHT), an independent Scottish charity established in 1988, is dedicated to protecting, conserving, enhancing, and p...

Grant Range
Up to £5,000

R C Snelling Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grant Programme

The R C Snelling Charitable Trust, established in 1999 by Norfolk businessman Roy Snelling, honors his success with the Snelling Group by reinvesting ...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

Salford Community & Voluntary Services

Verified open

Matching programme: Salford Centenary Fund – Large Grants

Salford Community & Voluntary Services (Salford CVS), established in 1919 as part of post-WWI social service efforts and independent since 1973, serve...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Sir John Fisher Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grants

The Sir John Fisher Foundation, established in 1980 by shipping leader Sir John Fisher and opera singer Lady Maria Fisher, drives local philanthropy t...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £20,000

South Yorkshire Community Foundation Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: SYCF Community Grants Programme

South Yorkshire Community Foundation Limited (SYCF), established in 1986, is an independent charitable funder and the region's largest grant maker, di...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Suffolk Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Central Fund

Suffolk Community Foundation, established in 2005 as one of the UK's 47 community foundations and the largest independent grant-maker to Suffolk's vol...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £5,000

Sussex Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grants Programme

Sussex Community Foundation, established in 2006 by the late 10th Duke of Richmond and Gordon, is an independent UK Community Foundation dedicated to ...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Tendring Community Voluntary Services

Verified open

Matching programme: Sector Sustainability Utility Support Grants

Tendring Community Voluntary Services (CVST), founded in 1973 and incorporated in 2005, serves as the longstanding umbrella charity for the voluntary ...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £20,000

Torbay Community Development Trust Ltd

Verified open

Matching programme: Torbay Council Community Fund

Torbay Communities, rooted in asset-based community development, empowers local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organizations to foster in...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £40,000

Town Trust or Lords Estate

Verified open

Matching programme: Charitable Funding for Organisations

The Stratford Town Trust (also known as Town Trust or Lords Estate) is a historic registered charity (no. 252207) deeply rooted in Stratford-upon-Avon...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £20,000

Two Ridings Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Grants Fund

Two Ridings Community Foundation, established in 2000 by former Chief Constable David Kenworthy, inspires local giving and channels philanthropic inve...

Grant Range
£200 - £30,000

Walton on Thames Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants – Small Grants (up to £10,000)

Walton on Thames Charity, known as Walton Charity, is an ancient local foundation with over 800 years of history rooted in the parish of Walton-on-Tha...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Woodsmith Foundation Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Grants for Everyday Essentials and Activities

Woodsmith Foundation Limited, established in 2012 as the York Potash Foundation and now funded by Anglo American via a unique 0.5% revenue share from ...

Grant Range
£200 - £10,000

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: YDMT Grants

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), an independent charity established in 1997 by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, safeguards and enh...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000
514 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.

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

1

Describe Your Charity

Tell us what your charity does, who you help, and where you work. Takes 30 seconds.

2

Get Matched Instantly

Our AI ranks all 704 community development funders by how well they fit your specific work.

3

Write Winning Applications

Our AI assistant helps you draft and refine grant applications tailored to each funder.

Which of These 704 Funders Are Right for You?

Browsing 704 funders manually takes hours. Describe your charity once and get your top matches ranked by compatibility — in seconds.

  • Personalised match scores
  • Eligibility checks
  • AI grant writer