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
157 of 704 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 178 of 704 funders. 526 not yet verified are listed below; 21 that don't fit were excluded.
Access - The Foundation for Social Investment
Matching programme: Local Access
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment drives systemic transformation in the social investment market, empowering charities and social enterpri...
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...
Active Essex Foundation
Matching programme: Sport and Youth Crime Prevention programme (SYCP)
Active Essex Foundation is an independent charity established in 2016 to tackle health and social inequalities in Essex, Southend, and Thurrock throug...
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...
Architectural Heritage Fund
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...
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...
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: Community Impact Grants
Benefact Trust Limited, formerly Allchurches Trust, is an independent UK-registered charity established in 1972 with roots in 1887, headquartered in G...
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services
Matching programme: Bolton Housing Partnership Grants – Organisations
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (Bolton CVS) is a registered charity and local infrastructure organisation dedicated to strengthening the volu...
Bridge House Trust - Non-Ecclesiastical
Matching programme: Non-Ecclesiastical Branch
Bridge House Trust - Non-Ecclesiastical, also known as Barker Bridge House Trust - Non-Ecclesiastical Branch, is a historic local charity registered i...
Castle Cavendish Foundation
Matching programme: Area-Based Grants
Castle Cavendish Foundation is a Nottingham-based registered charity and social impact company, established over 15 years ago, dedicated to enhancing ...
City Health Care Partnership Foundation
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...
Civic Power Fund
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...
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: Carbon Innovation 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 2014
Matching 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
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...
Cornwall Community Development Limited
Matching programme: Digital Together Community Hub and Creative Digital Grants
Cornwall Community Development Limited, operating as Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC), was established in 2001 from the Cornwall Rural Communit...
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...
Cruden Foundation Ltd
Matching 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
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,...
Delapage Limited
Matching programme: Delapage Grant Programme
Delapage Limited is a UK charity established in 1978 by Jack and Joseph Ackerman to support the Orthodox Jewish community, advancing Orthodox Jewish f...
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...
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...
Dorset Community Foundation
Matching programme: BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund
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...
Earley Charity
Matching programme: Grants to Individuals – £500 and under
The Earley Charity, evolved from historic poor relief traditions, drives its mission to alleviate poverty, hardship, and disadvantage among vulnerable...
Elmgrant Trust
Matching programme: Organisation Grants
The Elmgrant Trust, family-founded in 1936 by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst and Beatrice, carries forward the Dartington Hall ethos of rural regenerati...
Enkalon Foundation
Matching programme: General Fund
The Enkalon Foundation embodies a mission rooted in community resilience and social welfare, originating from support for former factory workers facin...
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...
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Large 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
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 ...
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...
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...
Fort Augustus & Glenmoriston Community Company
Matching programme: Community Benefit Grant
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: Women's Fund for Scotland
Foundation Scotland, Scotland's sole community foundation, drives a mission to empower communities by bridging innovative ideas with resources, foster...
Friends Provident Charitable Foundation
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...
Gannochy Trust
Matching programme: Main 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...
Gatwick Airport Community Trust
Matching programme: Gatwick Airport Community Trust Grant Fund
Gatwick Airport Community Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 2002 through a legally binding agreement between Gatwick Airport...
Geoffrey Watling Charity
Matching 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
Matching 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
Matching 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...
Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust
Matching programme: Donation Programme
Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust strengthens Essex communities through volunteer-led, event-based fundraising that channels reso...
Greater Manchester High Sheriff's Police Trust
Matching programme: Major Tier
The Greater Manchester High Sheriff's Police Trust is a civic partnership dedicated to enhancing community safety and quality of life by preventing cr...
Greaves & Withey Foundation
Matching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Greaves & Withey Foundation, formerly the Robin Greaves Foundation, is a family-led independent charity established by the Greaves and Withey fami...
Greenham Trust Ltd
Matching 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 ...
Showing 50 of 157 matching funders
526 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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