Weavers' Company Benevolent Fund

The Fund prioritises two main areas: supporting offenders into work and helping specific groups within the criminal justice sector. A secondary focus is young people aged 16-25 involved in the criminal justice system. Grants can cover core costs, salaries, project delivery, feasibility studies, and emergency needs. They fund organisations working across the whole UK, with a preference for projects that pilot new approaches or where the grant would form a major part of the funding or be matched by other funders.

Only UK registered charities and charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) are eligible to apply. The Fund does not accept applications from individuals or from grant-giving charities. Priority is given to charities working with offenders, specific criminal justice groups, or young people aged 16-25 in the criminal justice system. There is no regional restriction, and organisations must be working within the UK.

The Fund does not support work related to physical, mental, or developmental disabilities, medical research or conditions (including drug and alcohol addiction), environmental projects, or the promotion of religious or political causes. They also exclude capital costs and building work, universities and colleges, after-school clubs, summer schools, sponsorship or endowment appeals, work that should be covered by statutory funding, immigration legal fees, and work that has already been completed or benefits only one person.

The Fund offers one-off grants through two programmes: a Small Grants Programme and a Main Grants Programme. They are open to unsolicited applications and particularly welcome projects where their grant would be a major element of the funding or matched by other funders. They fund core costs, salaries, project delivery, feasibility work, and emergency needs, but do not support capital works.