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

76 of 704 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 147 of 704 funders. 557 not yet verified are listed below; 71 that don't fit were excluded.

Action Together CIO

Matching programme: Fix The Digital Divide Fund

Action Together CIO, established in 2016 through the merger of Voluntary Action Oldham and Community and Voluntary Action Tameside, serves as the infr...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Addington Fund

Matching programme: New Entrant Scheme

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...

Grant Range
Up to £3,000

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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £30,000

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Charles Littlewood Hill Trust

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

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...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £20,000

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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

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 ...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation

Matching programme: Education grants

The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO), established in 1920 with charitable status since 1995, is the UK's sole national charity dedica...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation 2014

Matching programme: Education Grants

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation 2014 serves as trustee for CISWO, a national charity dedicated to advancing health, relieving poverty and ha...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Community Foundation for Northern Ireland

Matching programme: SWEF Enterprise Fund Start-Up Grant

The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, established in 1979 as the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, is an independent grant-making body with o...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £20,000

Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon

Matching programme: SWEF Business Grant

Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, founded in 1975 as an independent charity (formerly Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon), tackles...

Grant Range
£750 - £5,000

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...

Grant Range
£1,500 - £34,000

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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £150,000

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...

Grant Range
£250 - £10,000

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...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Forever Manchester

Matching programme: Bright Futures Fund

Forever Manchester is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to empowering grassroots community activity and building resilient neighbourhoods...

Grant Range
£500 - £1,500

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...

Grant Range
Up to £25,000

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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

Girton Town Charity

Matching programme: Grants for Individuals or Families

Girton Town Charity is a historic almshouse provider rooted in medieval philanthropy, dedicated to enabling Girton village residents to lead fulfillin...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £50,000

Gwinear-Gwithian Sustainable Community Fund

Matching programme: Gwinear-Gwithian Sustainable Community Fund

Gwinear-Gwithian Sustainable Community Fund is a community-rooted charity dedicated to enhancing sustainability, resilience, and quality of life in ru...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland

Matching programme: 40 INVEST

Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, established over 40 years ago and funded entirely by Lloyds Banking Group profits as one of four autonomous H...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £45,000

Hammersmith United Charities

Matching programme: Community Grants

Hammersmith United Charities, an endowed local charity founded in 1618, focuses on relieving poverty and disadvantage among residents of the Hammersmi...

Grant Range
Up to £15,000

Heart of England Community Foundation

Matching programme: Alan Higgs Community Grants

Heart of England Community Foundation, established in 1995, is an independent grant-making charity dedicated to improving lives across Birmingham, Cov...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Herefordshire Community Foundation

Matching programme: Community Chest Programme

Herefordshire Community Foundation (HCF), established in June 2002, is an independent grant-making charity dedicated to promoting charitable purposes ...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £5,000

Hey Smile Foundation

Matching programme: Green Social Prescribing Programme

HEY Smile Foundation, founded in 2008 by Jim Dick OBE, is a Yorkshire-based infrastructure charity dedicated to strengthening the voluntary sector in ...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Holkham Charitable Foundation

Matching programme: The Holkham Charitable Foundation

The Holkham Charitable Foundation embodies a legacy of family-led stewardship and social responsibility, established to champion local philanthropy as...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Home Office

Matching programme: Community Engagement Fund 2025/26

The Home Office, the United Kingdom's interior ministry established in 1782, serves as the lead government department for public safety, national secu...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £10,000

Housing Pathways Trust

Matching programme: Francis Courtney Educational Fund

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

Isle of Wight Foundation

Matching programme: Isle of Wight Foundation Grant

The Isle of Wight Foundation, established in 2014 by a consortium of private sector companies including Island Roads, Meridiam, and Vinci Concessions,...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £16,000

Jack Brunton Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Jack Brunton Charitable Trust Grant Programme

The Jack Brunton Charitable Trust, established in 1986 by fifth-generation Yorkshire farmer Jack Brunton, is dedicated to sustaining rural life in the...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £3,000

John Moores Foundation

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

King Henry VIII Endowed Trust, Warwick

Matching programme: Town Share Discretionary Grants

The King Henry VIII Endowed Trust, Warwick, established in 1545 through Tudor-era negotiations to safeguard ecclesiastical assets during the Dissoluti...

Grant Range
£500 - £150,000

Lionel Abel-Smith Trust

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Lionel Abel-Smith Trust is an endowed grant-making charity founded to perpetuate local heritage and community stewardship, with a mission to enhan...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Localgiving Foundation

Matching programme: Magic Little Grants

Localgiving Foundation empowers UK local communities to thrive by bolstering small charities and grassroots community groups through technological inn...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

London Community Foundation

Matching programme: Lambeth Wellbeing Fund

London Community Foundation champions a fairer London by investing in small, local charities and grassroots groups tackling deep inequalities, wealth ...

Grant Range
£500 - £25,000

Lord Mayor of Manchester's Charity Appeal Trust

Matching programme: Manchester's Rising Stars Fund

The Lord Mayor of Manchester's Charity Appeal Trust embodies Manchester's spirit of solidarity, inclusivity, and opportunity, empowering communities a...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £4,000

Millennium Awards Trust

Matching programme: Millennium Awards Trust Scaling Up Award

The Millennium Awards Trust, established in 2002 with an endowment from the UK government's Millennium Commission and National Lottery, catalyses posi...

Grant Range
£500 - £18,000

Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Local Grants

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust is an independent Welsh grant-maker founded to harness the legacy of the Millennium Stadium for enhancing qual...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Moto Foundation

Matching programme: Community Grants

Moto Foundation, established in 2005 as Moto in the Community and rebranded in 2022, serves as the charitable arm of Moto Hospitality Limited, the UK'...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £2,500

National Forest Company

Matching programme: Small grants

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

Matching programme: National Lottery Grants for Heritage £10,000–£250,000

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

Norfolk Community Foundation

Matching programme: Microgrants Fund

Norfolk Community Foundation is an independent local charity dedicated to strengthening Norfolk communities by investing in small grassroots organizat...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Northern Ireland Community Development Health Network Ltd

Matching programme: Elevate Community Mentoring & Grants Programme

Community Development and Health Network (CDHN) champions community development to eradicate health inequalities in Northern Ireland, recognizing heal...

Grant Range
£2,500 - £5,000

Nova Wakefield District Limited

Matching programme: Castleford Pride in Place Community Grants Programme

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

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Showing 50 of 76 matching funders

557 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.

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