Social Issues

These funds cover issues such as crime, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty.

As with any charitable project, it’s worth considering the funders that will fund a wide variety of projects.

This page is updated annually. Spotted an error? Please let us know.

 

COVID-19 Homelessness Response Fund

Grants of up to £100,000 (depending on annual turnover) are available to frontline homelessness charities who are responding to COVID-19. Funding can either provide emergency financial assistance to the organisation to avoid cuts to services, or to expand or adapt in light of COVID-19. There are two deadlines on 3 August and 14 September 2020.

Fund to Reduce Loneliness and Isolation in Later Life

The Masonic Charitable Foundation has reopened its fund that offers up to £60,000 to registered charities working to reduce loneliness in people aged over 50 years. The deadline for large grants (£10,000 to £60,000) is 31 July, while for small grants (£1,000 to £15,000) it’s 31 August. Another round of funding opens in Autumn.

Community Justice Fund

Grants to help specialist social welfare legal advice organisations cope with the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lay the foundations for longer-term renewal. There is no fixed maximum grant or deadline.

The Screwfix Foundation

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations for the repair, maintenance, improvement or construction of homes, community buildings and other buildings that will benefit those in need due to financial hardship, sickness, distress or other disadvantages. This can include repairing run-down buildings and decorating the homes of people living with illness and disability. Applications are considered quarterly, with the next review in August 2020.

Huntingdon Freemen’s Trust

The Trust supports individuals, groups and organisations who reside within the area covered by Huntingdon Town Council. As well as education and recreation projects, it supports the relief of people in need, including those on a low income. There is no maximum grant amount; the Trust awards approximately £400,000 each year in grants.

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme

This fund supports children and young people up to the age of 18 who are experiencing a crisis or emergency, to cover costs such as furniture, bedding, kitchen appliances and clothing. Applications must be completed by a registered referrer who is supporting the family or young person and capable of assessing their needs.

Clothworkers’ Foundation

Grants for registered charities, CICs and other registered non-profit organisations (including schools) for projects that improve the quality of life for people and communities that face disadvantage. This includes alcohol and substance misuse, domestic and sexual abuse, homelessness, prisoners and ex-offenders. Match funding is likely to be required.

YAPP Charitable Trust

Registered charities with an annual turnover under £40,000 can apply for up to £3,000. This trust’s themes include social welfare, for people trying to overcome life-limiting problems of a social rather than medical origin, such as addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse and offending.

Charles Hayward Foundation

Social and Criminal Justice is one of four themes for the Foundation. Charities with an income under £350,000 can apply for up to £7,000 (larger charities can apply for up to £25,000) for projects that prevent people entering the criminal justice system and to support those already in the system to move on and rebuild their lives. Examples include early intervention programmes for troubled and vulnerable families, and rehabilitation programmes for the victims of domestic abuse and criminal exploitation.

Noel Buxton Trust

The objectives of this trust include the welfare of families – with a particular interest in the issue of domestic violence – and prisoners in Britain. Maximum grants vary from £3,000 to £5,000 depending on the project.

Pret Foundation Trust

Grants are available to registered charities that are working directly with homeless people in locations near a Pret a Manger store. The charity must be receiving no more than 20% of its income from statutory funding.

Woodward Charitable Trust

Grants of around £3,000 are awarded to projects with a number of themes including prisoners and ex-offenders, disadvantaged women (covering refuges and domestic violence shelters), and projects that promote integration and community cohesion amongst minority groups, including refugees and traveller communities.

Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation

Grants of £250 to £2,000 are available to registered charities for projects that alleviate poverty, improve health and save lives. The Foundation only accepts recommendations of UK registered charities from members and colleagues, rather than directly from the charities.

Help the Homeless

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to UK registered charities for capital and project costs that assist homeless people to rebuild their lives and return to the community. Projects must assist individuals in their return to mainstream society, rather than simply offering shelter or other forms of sustenance.

The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation

Grants of £1,000 to around £5,000 (with some applications exceeding this) are available as contributions towards one-off capital projects that raise the quality of life for people in England and Wales, particularly for the young, disadvantaged and older people and those in rural and isolated communities. The Foundation will typically cover up to 20% of the total budget, and projects must be self-financing thereafter.

This page is updated annually. Spotted an error? Please let us know.