Grants for CICs (Community Interest Companies) in the UK
There are 184 UK funders offering grants for cics, with typical awards from £200 to £5,000,000.
Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a popular legal structure for social enterprises in the UK, offering a balance between charitable purpose and commercial flexibility. However, CICs face a unique funding challenge: many grant-makers restrict their funding to registered charities, excluding CICs from eligibility. The landscape is improving though — an increasing number of funders now explicitly accept applications from CICs, recognising their role in delivering social impact. The National Lottery Community Fund, Power to Change, and several community foundations accept CIC applications. Some funders are even specifically designed for social enterprises, such as UnLtd and Access – The Foundation for Social Investment. CICs can also access blended finance — combining grant funding with social investment, loans, and trading income — in ways that charities typically cannot. The Charity Commission's guidance makes clear that some CICs may qualify as charities if they meet the public benefit test, potentially opening up additional funding streams. For CICs, the key is to clearly demonstrate social impact and community benefit in applications, as funders will assess your eligibility based on the social value you deliver rather than your legal structure alone.
Quick Stats
- Total Funders
- 184
- Grant Range
- £200 - £5,000,000
- Open to Applications
- 76%
Funders for CICs
184 funders foundAccess - The Foundation for Social Investment
OpenAccess – The Foundation for Social Investment drives systemic transformation in the social investment market, empowering charities and social enterpri...
Action Together CIO
OpenAction Together CIO, established in 2016 through the merger of Voluntary Action Oldham and Community and Voluntary Action Tameside, serves as the infr...
Active Travel England
OpenActive Travel England champions walking, wheeling, and cycling as the preferred everyday travel modes in England, rooted in values of inclusivity, inn...
All Ways Network
All Ways Network (AWN) is a UK-registered charity and the UK's only cross-sector membership network dedicated to empowering small not-for-profits serv...
An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge
OpenAn Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge is an independent capital development fund dedicated to empowering Irish language communities through strategic invest...
Aquila Family Charitable Trust
The Aquila Family Charitable Trust is a UK-based grant-making Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) dedicated to advancing a just and transformed...
Architectural Heritage Fund
OpenThe Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), a UK-registered charity founded in 1976, champions the conservation and sustainable reuse of historic buildings...
Barking and Dagenham Giving
OpenBarking and Dagenham Giving is a place-based funder dedicated to tackling deprivation, inequality, and limited opportunity in one of England's most di...
Bates Wells Foundation
OpenThe Bates Wells Foundation, established in 2015 as an independent UK-registered charitable incorporated organisation by the law firm Bates Wells, hono...
Belfast Charitable Society
Belfast Charitable Society, founded in 1752 by Belfast's leading citizens, established the city's first Poor House and Infirmary, pioneering social we...
Big Change Charitable Trust
OpenBig Change Charitable Trust, founded in 2012 by Holly and Sam Branson, Princess Beatrice, and four friends in response to the London riots, drives sys...
Big Issue Invest Trust
OpenBig Issue Invest Trust (BIIT), the charitable arm of Big Issue Invest within the Big Issue Group, was established in 1994 (originally as the Local Inv...
Birmingham City Council
OpenBirmingham City Council, the local authority for the UK's second-largest city established in the nineteenth century, serves its 1.1 million residents ...
Blagrave Trust
OpenThe Blagrave Trust is an independent endowed foundation established in 1978 under the wills of Herbert and Peter Blagrave, restructured as a Charitabl...
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services
OpenBolton Community and Voluntary Services (Bolton CVS) is a registered charity and local infrastructure organisation dedicated to strengthening the volu...
Bridges Impact Foundation
Bridges Impact Foundation, a UK-registered charity established in 2009 by Bridges Fund Management, drives catalytic philanthropic support for innovati...
Bristol Charities
Bristol Charities, a historic organisation dating back to at least 1621, is governed by a proactive trustee board and dedicated to enhancing the quali...
Buckinghamshire Community Foundation
OpenBuckinghamshire Community Foundation, operating as Heart of Bucks, serves as a catalyst for social change by connecting philanthropy to local causes, ...
Building Communities Trustee Limited
Building Communities Trustee Limited (BCT), established in 2014 as the sole corporate trustee of Invest Local Trust in partnership with the Big Lotter...
Cabinet Office
OpenThe Cabinet Office, a central UK government department established in 1916, serves as the corporate headquarters for the UK civil service, supporting ...
Cambridgeshire Acre
OpenCambridgeshire ACRE, an independent charity and company founded in 1924, champions and strengthens rural communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterbo...
Canary Wharf Contractors Fund
OpenThe Canary Wharf Contractors Fund, established by declaration of trust in 2002 and registered as a charity in 2003, supports communities in and around...
Ceniarth Foundation
Ceniarth Foundation, established in 2013 as the philanthropic arm of the Isenberg family by Diane Isenberg, deploys capital from its $749 million asse...
Chapter (Cardiff) Limited
Chapter (Cardiff) Limited, founded in 1971, is a leading contemporary arts charity based in Canton, Cardiff, operating from a renowned arts centre tha...
City Health Care Partnership Foundation
OpenCity Health Care Partnership Foundation, established in 2013 by City Health Care Partnership CIC, is a grant-making charity dedicated to promoting hea...
Clarion Futures
OpenClarion Futures is the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, the UK's largest housing association, established as the successor to William S...
Clothworkers' Foundation
OpenThe Clothworkers' Foundation, established in 1977 by The Clothworkers' Company—one of London’s historic Great Twelve Livery Companies—serves as its pr...
Coalfields Regeneration Trust
OpenCoalfields Regeneration Trust, established to regenerate former coalfield communities ravaged by mine closures, drives social justice, community wealt...
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
OpenThe 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 Staffordshire and Shropshire
OpenCommunity Foundation for Staffordshire and Shropshire is an independent grantmaker dedicated to strengthening local communities through targeted phila...
Community Foundation for Surrey
OpenThe Community Foundation for Surrey, established in 2005, is an independent grant-making charity inspired by the global community foundation movement,...
Community Foundation for Wakefield
OpenThe Community Foundation for Wakefield is an independent grant-making charity rooted in inspiring local philanthropy to transform lives by tackling de...
Community Foundation in Wales
OpenCommunity Foundation Wales, established in November 1998 as a registered charity and company, drives philanthropy to strengthen Welsh communities by c...
Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside
OpenCommunity Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside (CFLM), established in 1997 as Sefton Community Foundation and evolving into its current form, is ...
Cornwall Community Development Limited
OpenCornwall Community Development Limited, operating as Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC), was established in 2001 from the Cornwall Rural Communit...
County of Gloucestershire Community Foundation
OpenGloucestershire Community Foundation is a grant-making charity dedicated to reducing inequalities and enhancing quality of life for disadvantaged Glou...
Criseren Foundation
The Criseren Foundation, established in 2013 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and the philanthropic arm of the CriSeren Group with roots in v...
Croydon Voluntary Action
OpenCroydon Voluntary Action (CVA) is the leading umbrella organisation for Croydon's voluntary and community sector, established to promote charitable pu...
Dandara Charitable Partnership
The Dandara Charitable Partnership, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation established in 2016 and closely linked to the Isle of Man-based Dandara Gro...
Department for Work and Pensions
OpenThe Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), established in 2001 through a merger of UK government departments handling social security and employment,...
Dorset Community Foundation
OpenDorset Community Foundation is an independent grantmaker dedicated to improving lives and fostering thriving, united communities across Dorset by chan...
Duchy Health Charity Limited
OpenDuchy Health Charity Limited, established in 1976 from the proceeds of Cornwall's first private hospital sale, is a Cornwall-based grantmaker dedicate...
Earthshot Prize
OpenThe Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award founded to inspire a decade of urgent, optimistic action repairing the planet through ambitious, e...
Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development
OpenThe Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development, established in 2008 from funds of Ebico Limited—a not-for-profit energy provider founded in 1998 to comba...
Edward Vinson 1957 Charity Settlement
OpenEdward Vinson 1957 Charity Settlement, rooted in Edward Vinson's philanthropic legacy, advances public benefit through targeted support for Faversham'...
Ellis Campbell Foundation
The Ellis Campbell Foundation, a Hampshire-based family foundation established in 1990 by Michael Campbell of the Ellis Campbell Group, drives systemi...
Energy Saving Trust Foundation
OpenThe Energy Saving Trust Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1144106), established to advance public education on conserving, ...
Eric Wright Charitable Trust
OpenThe Eric Wright Charitable Trust embodies a founding vision of responsible business stewardship channeling construction industry profits into perpetua...
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
OpenThe Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, established in 1961 by Ian Fairbairn in memory of his wife, is one of the UK's largest independent funders, dedicated ...
Feedback Trust
Feedback Trust, publicly known as Feedback, is an environmental organization founded in 2013 by campaigner Tristram Stuart to combat global food waste...
Showing 50 of 184 funders for cics
Tips for CICs Applying for Grants
When applying for grants as a CIC, address your legal structure proactively. Explain what a CIC is for funders who may be unfamiliar — highlight the asset lock, community interest statement, and CIC regulator oversight that ensure your company operates for public benefit. Clearly describe your social mission and how your profits are reinvested into community benefit rather than distributed to shareholders (or explain your dividend cap if you are a CIC limited by shares). If the funder's eligibility criteria mention "charities and social enterprises" or "community organisations", make the case that your CIC fits within their scope. Present your social impact evidence prominently — as a CIC, you need to demonstrate public benefit just as clearly as a charity would. Include your CIC annual report to the regulator, which describes the community benefit you deliver. If your CIC generates trading income, explain how this makes you more sustainable and less dependent on grant funding — this is a strength, not a weakness. Address governance by describing your board structure, community interest statement, and how you ensure accountability to the communities you serve. For CICs that could also qualify as charities, consider whether dual registration might open up additional funding opportunities, and mention if you are exploring this.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Grants for CICs
Can CICs apply for charity grants?
Some but not all charity funders accept applications from CICs. An increasing number of grant-makers now include CICs in their eligibility criteria, including the National Lottery Community Fund and many community foundations. Use Fundermatcher to filter for funders that accept CIC applications.
What funding options are available for CICs?
CICs can access grants from funders that accept social enterprises, social investment and loans (e.g. from Access Foundation or Big Society Capital), trading income, crowdfunding, and blended finance packages. This flexibility is one of the advantages of the CIC structure.
Are CICs at a disadvantage compared to charities for grant funding?
CICs have a smaller pool of available grant funders than registered charities, but this gap is narrowing. CICs compensate with access to social investment and greater commercial flexibility. Some funders actually prefer CICs for their sustainability through trading income. The key is finding funders that explicitly accept CIC applications.
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