Core Costs2880+ Funders

Core Cost Funding for UK Charities

There are 2880 UK funders offering grants for core costs, with typical awards from £100 to £1,000,000.

Core cost funding — sometimes called unrestricted funding, revenue funding, or running cost grants — covers the essential operational expenses that keep a charity functioning: staff salaries, rent, utilities, insurance, IT, governance, and administration. Despite being critical to organisational survival, core funding has historically been one of the hardest types of grant to secure. Most funders prefer to fund specific projects with measurable outcomes, leaving charities to cobble together overheads from multiple restricted grants. However, the landscape is shifting. Following campaigns by organisations like the Association of Charitable Foundations and research demonstrating the damage caused by chronic underfunding of core costs, an increasing number of UK funders now explicitly offer core funding or unrestricted grants. The Lloyds Bank Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and Tudor Trust have long championed this approach. The National Lottery Community Fund also funds core costs within its programmes. Many smaller trusts will consider applications that include a reasonable proportion of overheads within project budgets. Full cost recovery — building your true overhead costs into every grant application — is now widely accepted practice, endorsed by bodies including NCVO and the Institute of Fundraising.

Quick Stats

Total Funders
2880
Grant Range
£100 - £1,000,000
Open to Applications
40%

Funders for Core Costs

2880 funders found

1485 Charitable Trust

The 1485 Charitable Trust is an independent grant-making Christian trust established in 2017 by members of the Giedroyc and Parham families. Its core ...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

1564 Foundation

The 1564 Foundation is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 9 March 2023, endo...

Grant Range
Contact funder

1887 Alfred Sharp Bingley Educational Trust

The 1887 Alfred Sharp Bingley Educational Trust, established in 1887 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, advances the education of children and...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

1989 Willan Charitable Trust

Open

The 1989 Willan Charitable Trust, established in 1989 and governed by Willan Trustee Limited, is a UK-based funder dedicated to alleviating social and...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

29th May 1961 Charity

Open

The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, founded on 29 May 1961 by Miss Helen M. Martin from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is an independent generalist grantma...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £15,000

38 Degrees Trust

38 Degrees Trust, a registered charity and charitable company (number 1139325) established on 13 October 2009 in England and Wales, aims to make the U...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £30,000

4 Charity Foundation

The 4 Charity Foundation is a UK-registered charity (number 1077143) dedicated to providing grants to organisations that advance social welfare, relie...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

40tude Curing Colon Cancer

40tude Curing Colon Cancer is a UK-based charity founded in 2011 by Gordon and Fraser Moore to combat colon (bowel) cancer, the UK's leading cancer ki...

Grant Range
£20,000 - £200,000

64 Trust

The 64 Trust is a grant-making charitable incorporated organisation established in August 2020 (charity number 1190683) and based in Liverpool, Englan...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £36,000

A and J Charitable Trust

The A and J Charitable Trust is a grant-making charity registered in England and Wales (number 1058058), with roots dating back to at least 1996 and a...

Grant Range
Contact funder

A B Charitable Trust

Open

The A B Charitable Trust, established in 1990 by Yves and Anne Bonavero, is an independent UK grant-maker guided by a family-led board committed to ch...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £30,000

A G Manly Charitable Trust

Open

The A G Manly Charitable Trust, also known as The Manly Trust, was established in 1991 by Graham Manly OBE in memory of his father Alfred Manly, both ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £25,000

A J Bell Trust

The A J Bell Trust, established in 2011 by Andy Bell, founder and CEO of AJ Bell plc, is a UK registered charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

a J Stone and Family Charitable Trust

The A J Stone and Family Charitable Trust, registered in October 2020 (charity number 1192096), is a traditional family-run grant-making trust governe...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

a M Charitable Trust

The M & E Charitable Trust (charity number 1077657) is a UK-based grant-making trust dedicated to advancing general charitable purposes by distributin...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £20,000

a S Charitable Trust

The S and R Charitable Trust, established on 24 February 2003 and amended in 2016, is a private UK-registered charity dedicated to making grants and d...

Grant Range
Contact funder

A S Hornby Educational Trust CIO

Open

A S Hornby Educational Trust CIO advances the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language worldwide through targeted professional developme...

Grant Range
£500 - £15,000

A Smile for a Child

Open

A Smile for a Child is a UK-based charitable grant-maker dedicated to improving the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children and young people by r...

Grant Range
£100 - £2,000

A T.I.M.E. Limited

A T.I.M.E. Limited (charity number 1128756) is a London-based grant-giving and advocacy organization governed by six trustees and supported by five vo...

Grant Range
Contact funder

A W Charitable Trust

A W Charitable Trust, established by trust deed in 1981, is a family-governed endowment led by trustees from the Weis family—Sir Weis, Rachel Weis, an...

Grant Range
£20,000 - £1,000,000

A Z H R Charitable Trust

A Z H R Charitable Trust is a registered UK charity established in 1984, governed by trustees David and Philip Goldberg, with a broad mission to relie...

Grant Range
Contact funder

A. Edmonds and Co. Charitable Foundation 2000

Open

A. Edmonds and Co. Charitable Foundation 2000 is an independent grant-making charity established in 2000 and registered with the Charity Commission fo...

Grant Range
Up to £500,000

A.D. Charitable Trust

The A.D. Charitable Trust is an independent grantmaking charity registered in England and Wales since 2003, governed by a board of five volunteer trus...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Aa Trust

The AA Trust, charity number 1139322, is an independent grant-making foundation established in December 2010 by The Automobile Association to advance ...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Ab Foundation

The AB Foundation is a registered UK charity (number 1152675), established in England and Wales to promote education globally for people of all ages, ...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £50,000

Aberdeen Foundation

The Aberdeen Foundation is a registered UK charity (number 1151506) dedicated to making grants for general charitable purposes, education and training...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Aberlour Child Care Trust

Open

Aberlour Children’s Charity, formerly Aberlour Child Care Trust, is a pioneering Scottish children’s charity founded in 1875 to support ‘mitherless ba...

Grant Range
£100 - £500

ABF The Soldiers' Charity

Open

ABF The Soldiers' Charity, also known as the Army Benevolent Fund, is the British Army's national charity established in 1944 during World War II to p...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Abg Trust Fund

ABG Trust Fund is a charitable grant-making trust registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in February 2020, governed by three tru...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Acacia Charitable Trust

The Acacia Charitable Trust, established by deed on 1 August 1977, is an independent, family-governed grant-making trust led by trustees Angela Gillia...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Access to Justice Foundation

Open

The Access to Justice Foundation is a UK-wide charity founded by the legal profession with the singular mission of enhancing access to free legal advi...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Action Together CIO

Open

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

Open

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

Active Travel England

Open

Active Travel England champions walking, wheeling, and cycling as the preferred everyday travel modes in England, rooted in values of inclusivity, inn...

Grant Range
£15,000 - £100,000

Acts 435

Open

Acts 435 is a UK-based charity founded in 2009 by the then Archbishop of York, Right Reverend Dr John Sentamu, who remains its patron. It operates as ...

Grant Range
Up to £200

Ada Hillard Charitable Trust

The Ada Hillard Charitable Trust, established by trust deed on 6 March 2003, is a UK-based grant-making charity dedicated to advancing charitable caus...

Grant Range
£36,000 - £48,000

Adar Charitable Trust

Adar Charitable Trust, registered charity number 328731 with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, was established on 24 July 1990 as a discre...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Addison Youth Club

Open

Addison Youth Club is an independent grant-making charity with a founding mission to foster holistic development—physical, intellectual, social, emoti...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £10,000

Adenfirst Limited

Adenfirst Limited is a grant-making charitable company established in 1984 and registered with the Charity Commission in 1985, dedicated to advancing ...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Adint Charitable Trust

Open

Adint Charitable Trust, established in 1972 as charity number 265290, is a long-standing discretionary grant-making trust founded by private individua...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £20,000

Adlard Family Charitable Foundation

Open

The Adlard Family Charitable Foundation, established in November 2015 and registered with the Charity Commission, is a family-led philanthropy governe...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £40,000

Adnams Community Trust

Open

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...

Grant Range
£100 - £2,500

Adrian Swire Charitable Trust

Open

The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust embodies a family-rooted philanthropic legacy dedicated to advancing charitable purposes across health, education, a...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £25,000

Adsum Foundation

The Adsum Foundation, a Belfast-based charitable foundation established in 2008, is dedicated to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty in rural Madaga...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Aeonian Foundation

Aeonian Foundation is a grant-making charitable incorporated organisation established in December 2021 (charity number 1196957), dedicated to distribu...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £250,000

Agnes Hunter Trust SCIO

Open

Agnes Hunter Trust SCIO, an independent Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation founded in 1954 from the legacy of Miss Agnes H Hunter and conve...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £10,000

Aguda Keren L'Dovid

Aguda Keren L'Dovid is a trustee-led charitable trust established in 1980 via a Deed of Trust, registered with the Charity Commission, and based in Pr...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Ahavas Chesed Trust

Ahavas Chesed Trust is a UK-registered charity established in June 2021, founded by trustees Abraham Adler, Isaac Abittan, and Menachem Steinmetz to p...

Grant Range
£500 - £15,000

Ahavas Shalom Trust

Ahavas Shalom Trust is a UK-registered charity (No. 1056294) dedicated to advancing Jewish education and religion, relieving poverty, and alleviating ...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Aim Foundation

The AIM Foundation is a proactive, family-led charitable trust established in 1971 by Ian and Angela Marks following the sale of their Trebor business...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £100,000

Showing 50 of 2880 funders for core costs

Tips for Core Costs Applying for Grants

When applying for core cost funding, be transparent about exactly what the money will cover and why these costs are essential to delivering your charitable mission. Funders offering unrestricted grants want to see strong organisational governance, financial management, and strategic planning — they are investing in your organisation, not just a project. Present a clear reserves policy and explain your financial trajectory: are you growing sustainably or facing a funding cliff? Include your full cost recovery calculation to show how you have calculated the true cost of delivering your work. Demonstrate that your organisation has a viable funding model beyond this single grant — funders want to support sustainability, not dependency. If applying for project funding that includes core costs, be explicit about the overhead component and reference full cost recovery principles. Many funders respect organisations that can articulate why investing in infrastructure — staff development, systems, governance — ultimately delivers better outcomes for beneficiaries. Share your theory of change or strategic plan to show how core funding enables long-term impact. Be specific about the risks of underfunding core costs: what would happen to your services if you cannot maintain basic operations? This helps funders understand the urgency without being alarmist.

Frequently Asked Questions about Grants for Core Costs

What is core cost funding for charities?

Core cost funding (also called unrestricted or revenue funding) covers a charity's essential running costs: staff salaries, rent, utilities, insurance, IT, and administration. Unlike project grants, core funding can be used flexibly to keep the organisation operating effectively.

Which funders offer core cost grants for charities?

Several major UK funders explicitly offer core funding, including the Lloyds Bank Foundation, Tudor Trust, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and the National Lottery Community Fund. Many smaller trusts also accept applications that include core costs as part of a project budget. Use Fundermatcher to find funders that support unrestricted funding.

How do I include overheads in a grant application?

Use full cost recovery: calculate the true cost of delivering your project including a proportionate share of rent, utilities, management time, insurance, and administration. NCVO and the Institute of Fundraising endorse this approach. Be transparent about the overhead component and explain why these costs are necessary for effective delivery.

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