This page sets out some of the funding being made available for charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last updated: 11 January 2021. We will do our best to make sure all info is kept as up to date as possible.
Useful lists
- Ian McLintock has also put together a list of 200+ sources of charity funding that you can download (updated on Mondays).
- The Architectural Heritage Fund has a useful guide to support available to charities and social enterprises during COVID-19.
National funding
This includes funding for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland specifically.
Allchurches Trust – Hope Beyond Programme
Grants of up to £50,000 are available for churches and Christian charities to adapt to the challenges and opportunities presented by the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis.
Alpkit Foundation
Grants of up to £500 available to support projects that demonstrate an immediate impact on those affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
Barclays Covid19 Community Aid Package
Barclays has launched a COVID-19 Community Aid Package of £100 million to charities working to support vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19, and to alleviate the associated social and economic hardship caused by the crisis.
Big Society Capital – Coronavirus Response Fund
£100 million programme of loans and investment to help get much-needed emergency funding to social enterprises, charities and small businesses in disadvantaged areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Charity Excellence – Covid19 Funding Information
A comprehensive list of grants, funding and associated information for the VCSE sector, related to the Covid19 crisis.
CoOp Community Dividend Fund
The Fund has been adapted to provide immediate financial support for local good causes, community groups and charities who are responding to some of the most worrying impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Grants from between £100 and £5,000 are available.
Morrisons Foundation – COVID-19 Homeless Support Fund
Grants of up to £10,000 are available for charities caring for the homeless during the coronavirus outbreak.
National Emergencies Trust – Coronavirus Appeal
The National Emergencies Trust (NET), has launched an appeal to raise funds for local charities and grassroots organisations, that can provide vital support to people in the quickest way possible. Please only contact NET to donate.
The Police and Crime Commissioner’s Prevention Fund
An extra £100,000 will now be available through the PCC Prevention Fund during 2020-21. This scheme has been extended to include applications which can support communities to cope with the impact of Covid-19 and channel emergency help to where it is needed most.
Community Business Reboost Fund
The Community Business ReBoost fund from Power to Change aims to support community businesses to raise community shares capital that can support their recovery, pivot or expand the business in response to Covid-19. The ReBoost fund provides grant funding and matched equity investment.
Find out more about the Community Business ReBoost fund.
Local Connections Fund
The Local Connections Fund is a new £4 million fund to help charities and community groups in England that are working to reduce loneliness by helping them build connections across their communities.
This will be used to fund hundreds of ‘microgrants’ between £300 and £2,500, so small, local organisations (with an annual income of £50,000 or less) can bring people and communities together.
Find out more about the Local Connections Fund.
Community Business Renewal scheme
The Community Business Renewal scheme has been designed by Power to Change based on evidence and input from partners and community businesses themselves. It aims to support community businesses in a variety of ways and working with partners it will include:
- A new fund offering unrestricted grants supporting resilience, renewal and restructure of community businesses
- Capacity strengthening support to help community businesses increase knowledge, resilience and equip themselves to ‘re-boot’ successfully
- Two match-funding programmes to support community businesses with different types of fundraising
- Tailored support to help community businesses protect community assets
- A programme of work highlighting the role community business can play in the economic recovery
Find out more about the Community Business Renewal scheme
Culture Recovery Fund: Grants
This grants programme is part of the Government’s £1.57 billion package to protect the UK’s culture and heritage sectors from the economic impacts of Covid-19. This fund will support cultural organisations
This fund is to enable cultural organisations that have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis to stay afloat, providing them with support over a 6-month period to ensure that by 31 March 2021 they can reopen, either fully or partially, or operating on a sustainable, cost-efficient basis until they are able to reopen at a later date.
Find out more about the Culture Recovery Fund
Covid-19 Community-Led Organisations Recovery Scheme (CCLORS)
COVID-19 Community Led Organisations Recovery Scheme is being delivered by Power to Change, Locality, The Ubele Initiative and Social Investment Business in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, The National Lottery Community Fund has committed £10 million to the partnership, which will be used to support community organisations in England that are facing financial difficulties caused by COVID-19, with an emphasis on supporting BAME-led businesses.
CCLORS had three application rounds. The Fund is now closed for applications
Read the CCLORS Guidance notes
Lloyds Bank Foundation COVID Recovery Fund
The £7.4 million COVID Recovery Fund will offer around 140 charities a two-year unrestricted grant of £50,000 alongside a Development Partner to help charities navigate a tumultuous future. This fund is open to small and medium sized charities with an income of between £25,000 and £1 million a year that are helping people overcome complex social issues such as mental health, homelessness and domestic abuse. Launching at 10am on 3 August 2020.
Learn more about the COVID Recovery Fund
Inspiring Futures
BBC Children in Need and Youth Futures Foundation are partnering to deliver Inspiring Futures, a £6 million programme to fund positive activities which support children and young people to achieve their potential on their journey towards employment.
The COVID-19 pandemic is heightening existing challenges for children and young people looking to access further education, training, and work.
Eligible organisations will be able to apply for between £10,000 and £80,000 for work commencing in October 2020.
Funding will be for project and organisational costs, including planning and development for the future, and will support:
- Between 12 and 18 months of delivery
- Working with children and young people aged:
– 10 to 24 in England
– 10 to 18 In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Learn more about the Inspiring Futures programme
Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund
The Resilience & Recovery Loan Fund (RRLF), now expanded, is a fund for social enterprises and charities who are experiencing disruption to their normal business model as a result of COVID-19. It has been established to make an existing government scheme (the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) more easily accessible to charities and social enterprises. The RRLF is being run by Social Investment Business (SIB) with an initial £25m investment and support from Big Society Capital.
Power to Change C-19 Emergency Trading Income Support Scheme
A £5 million scheme by Power to Change, with Cooperatives UK, Locality and Plunkett Foundation, to help community businesses facing a loss of trading income in light of the COVID-19 crisis with up to £25000 grants.
This scheme is now closed to new applications.
Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund
A fund to help VCS organisations based in England continue to provide mental health services – or provide additional support. The assessment process is a fast track process (applicants will be informed of the outcome within a month of applying) and the fund will remain open for mental health voluntary sector organisations for as long as funds remain.
Find out more about the Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund
National Lottery – Heritage Emergency Fund
Opening 15 April at 2pm. A £50 million fund to support the heritage sector as an immediate response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak – for past or current grantees (applicants will need their previous grant reference number).
Find out more about the Heritage Emergency Fund
Historic England Emergency Response Fund
The grants available will help organisations, voluntary groups and self-employed contractors survive the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic, and to prepare for recovery.
Find out more about the Historic England Emergency Response Fund
Crisis – ‘In This Together’ Grants Programme – Small Grants
Crisis wants to support charitable organisations who are financially affected by additional demands on their resources as a result of Covid-19 and have established an emergency grant fund for organisations supporting people who are experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness.
Crisis – ‘In This Together’ Grants Programme – Large Grants
Crisis are making grants of up to £50,000 for more structural and long term needs, including potential expansion or change in service delivery, for organisations supporting people who are experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness.
Crisis
Local groups who are financially affected by additional demands on their resources and have expanded their provision for those experiencing homelessness can apply for £5k short-term response or £50k longer-term response grants.
Find out more about the emergency grants fund from Crisis
Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund
Tesco is offering support through Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund grants of £500 (and food donations), for local group including women’s refuges, food banks, hospices, homeless charities, social isolation groups, schools, charities supporting the elderly.
Find out more about Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund
Leathersellers’ Company
One-off grants up to £3,000, with a fast track application process, available to UK registered charities supporting the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless, provision of food and essential supplies, victims of domestic violence, nursing care to vulnerable patients.
Find out more about the Leathersellers’ Company Small Grants Programme
Neighbourly
Neighbourly are launching a series of micro-grants of up to £400, to support good causes that are helping communities affected by the new Coronavirus outbreak.
Grants will be awarded to existing members of Neighbourly in UK and Ireland whose work will involve supporting members of the community suffering economically, socially or from ill health as a result of the outbreak.
Find out more about the Neighbourly Community Fund
Clothworkers Foundation
The Clothworkers’ Emergency Capital Programme (CECP) will award small capital grants of up to £5,000 for essential capital items to adapt or increase services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Not open to charities whose beneficiaries are based in London, London initiative announced soon.
Find out more about the Clothworkers’ Emergency Capital Programme
The Fore
The Rapid Action by The Fore and Trusts (RAFT) Emergency Fund offers grants of up to £5000 to help organisations address the changing needs of their beneficiaries and increase their organisational resilience in the current crisis.
It is currently only open to existing grantees but might be extended to other organisations if sufficient funds are raised.
Learn more about the RAFT Emergency Fund
Yapp Charitable Trust
Grants of up to £3k are available to small UK charities, registered charities in England and Wales, with a total annual expenditure of less than £40k, to cover core costs and staffing.
Learn more about the Yapp Charitable Trust
National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF)
All the funding decisions made for the next six months (up to £300m of National Lottery funding) will be devoted to addressing the current crisis. In addition, the cash part of this funding will be accelerated as much as possible to get money to where it needs to be.
Find our more about National Lottery funding
National Lottery – Awards for All
A quick way to apply to the Lottery for smaller amounts of funding between £300 and £10,000. All funding decisions for the next six months will prioritise applications that address the COVID-19 crisis.
National Lottery – Reaching Communities
This programme now focuses on funding projects and organisations helping communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme will award funding of between £10,000 and £100,000 for up to six months of expenditure, but will consider larger awards or longer timeframes by exception.
CAF Coronavirus Emergency Fund
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a rapid response fund to help smaller charitable organisations affected by COVID-19. Grants of up to £10,000 are available.
Find out more about CAF Coronavirus Emergency Fund
The National Emergencies Trust
NET has launched a Coronavirus fundraising appeal to raise funds for local charities. The British Red Cross will be managing donations.
Find out more about National Emergencies Trust funding
Power to Change
Power to Change have paused their current programmes for community businesses in order to turn their attention and funding towards the support and advice the sector needs now.
Find out more about Power to Change funding and support
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF)
EFF are currently concentrating on supporting the organisations they already fund.
Find out more about Esmee Fairbairn Foundation funding
The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator
The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust are each contributing up to $50m, and the Mastercard Impact Fund is committing up to $25m, to speed the development of and access to therapies. The Covid-19 Therapeutic Accelerator will coordinate research efforts and remove barriers to drug development.
Find out more about the Covid-19 Therapeutic Accelerator
Money Saving Expert fund
PLEASE NOTE – THIS FUND IS NOW CLOSED. KEEP LOOKING FOR FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Martin Lewis, the founder of Money Saving Expert, has pledged £1m to support small charities.
In a statement, he said: “To try and help I’m going to release £1m from my personal charity fund to provide grants of £5,000 to £20,000 to small registered charities, or local arms of bigger charities, across the UK – to help with specific UK coronavirus-related poverty relief projects.”
Find out more about Money Saving Expert funding
Big Society Capital
Big Society Capital is planning to launch an emergency loan fund for the sector. Around £100m is expected to be available and more details are still to be announced.
Find out more about Big Society Capital Funding
Standard Life Foundation
The Standard Life Foundation has launched funding for work directly related to the coronavirus pandemic. Grants will be made to organisations which tackle financial problems and improve living standards for those on low-to-middle incomes in the UK.
Find out more about Standard Life Foundation funding
John Lewis and Waitrose £1m fund
The partnership has launched a £1m community support fund. Waitrose stores will have these funds to support their local area based on the needs of the community.
Find out more about John Lewis and Waitrose funding
Arts Council England
Emergency funding package and support for funded organisations and individuals announced.
The Arts Council is making £160 million of emergency funding available to artists and organisations working in the arts and cultural sector during the pandemic.
Find out more about Arts Council funding
Sport England
There are several funds, including the already open Community Emergency Fund. This new fund aims to help community sport and physical activity organisations who are experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Find out more about Sport England funding
Scottish and Northern Irish funders
A summary of how Scottish funders have responded can be found here.
A Covid-19 community fund has also been set up in Northern Ireland.
The Scottish government has released £350m to allay the impact of the virus, including £20m to a third sector resilience fund. This is to help charities with immediate cash flow problems
Comic Relief
Some of the money raised through Sport Relief 2020 will go to organisations on the frontline. Support for grantees through adapting activities, reviewing timeframes, or re-budgeting remaining funds.
Find out more about Comic Relief’s response
The Indigo Trust
The Indigo Trust is making £2.5m available through emergency grants to help charities respond to the coronavirus emergency. The trust responded to an initiative from charity think tank New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), which has published guidance for philanthropists on how to best support charities through to the crisis.
Find out more about Indigo Trust funding
Steve Morgan Foundation
Housebuilder Redrow’s founder Steve Morgan has also pledged £1m a week to charity, joining the list of celebrities and business people offering their support.
Find out more about Steven Morgan Foundation funding
Cadent Foundation
Charities and community groups can apply for individual grants of between £100 and £100,000 as a new foundation, funded by the UK’s biggest gas network Cadent, opens for applications.
It committed £240,000 to the Trussell Trust last week to help food banks respond to challenges presented by Covid-19.
Find out more about Cadent Foundation funding
Youth Futures Foundation
The Foundation’s rolling grants programme is now live. The new fund will be distributed to organisations across England that have a promising track record of supporting young people (aged 14-24) who face barriers to accessing employment. The Foundation is also calling for government to unlock an emergency support package for charities and social enterprises working with children and young people
Find out more about Youth Futures Foundation funding
Localgiving and People’s Postcode lottery – Magic Little Grants
Magic Little Grants of £500 are available to local charities that support and inspire people to participate in sports or exercise. Localgiving have announced that they will support projects that help people to stay active during social distancing, such as online fitness classes delivered via video conferencing software or Youtube.
Find out more about Magic Little Grants
Free Crowdfunder fundraising
Crowdfunder is offering 100% free fundraising for small businesses to help mitigate the disruption of coronavirus.
Go to Crowdfunder.co.uk to find out more
Regional funding
Kent Community Foundation
We will give priority to constituted community groups e.g. charities/CICs, with an average annual income of less than £200,000* and who are supporting the most vulnerable people at this time.
Emergency funding to support community organisation (priority to constituted community groups e.g. charities/CICs, with an annual income of less than £200,000) to deal with emerging issues affecting vulnerable people as a result of the continuing threat of coronavirus.
Find out more about the Kent Community Foundation
Action Together Community Response Fund
Voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise
sector in Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside & Glossop: either up to £200 or up to £1,000.
Find out more about Action Together Community Response Fund
Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation
The Bedfordshire Coronavirus Emergency Fund is open for applications and aims to support the local voluntary sector this difficult time.
Find out more about the Bedfordshire Coronavirus Emergency Fund
Berkshire Community Foundation
Berkshire Community Foundation has grants available to help meet needs appearing as a result of the Coronavirus crisis, for instance as a result of restrictions to normal activity. Priority will be given to organisations providing support to the most vulnerable and isolated.
Find out more about Berkshire Community Foundation
Blaby District Council – Coronavirus Recovery – Special Grant Round
Grants of up to £1,000 available to community organisations in Blaby to manage the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Brighton & Hove City Council COVID-19 emergency fund
Short term and emergency support to community and voluntary organisations supporting the most vulnerable residents.
Find out more about Brighton & Hove emergency fund
Cambridgeshire Coronavirus Community Fund
Grants between £1,000 and £5,000 are open to constituted community organisations throughout Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough), who are supporting isolated older and vulnerable people at this time.
Find out more about Cambridgeshire Coronavirus Community Fund
Cheshire Community Foundation
The covid-19 Response Grants Programme provides grants of up to £5000 to charitable organisations and others supporting the ongoing needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, to ensure that their health and wellbeing is maintained.
Find out more about the Cheshire Community Foundation
Community Chest Fund
A new £50K Community Chest Fund is available to support to voluntary organisations and charity groups in Runcorn, particularly projects and initiatives to tackle any emerging challenges the Coronavirus crisis is creating.
Find out more about the Community Chest Fund
Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland
Two part fund to help the Coronavirus response from organisations supporting older people and other vulnerable groups, and to aid the recovery from the crisis by helping a wider group of local charities and community organisations whose operations and finances have been affected.
Find out more about the Community Foundation
Community Foundation for Calderdale
Grants of £1000 to local charities to help those individuals suffering hardship as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more abut the Community Foundation for Calderdale
Community Foundation for Merseyside
Funding is available for voluntary, community and faith organisations, registered charities, social businesses, churches, PTAs and parish/town councils, as well as some newly established groups, for foodbanks, food/care package to vulnerable people, services for the vulnerable, emotional and mental health wellbeing, financial inclusion, support to access benefits and debt advice.
Find out more about the Community Foundation for Merseyside
Community Foundation for Staffordshire
Covid-19 Emergency Grants for organisations that support vulnerable members of of the community, which are finding it difficult to operate.
Find out more about Community Foundation for Staffordshire
County Durham Community Fund
The COVID-19 Fund has been set up to support community groups and organisations directly with their work in the community, and to help them survive over this period of closures and isolation.
Find out more about County Durham Community Fund
Cumbria Community Foundation
Grants for groups providing charitable activities in response to the impact of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, helping to keep people safe and supported in their homes and reducing pressure on the NHS.
Find out more about Cumbria Community Foundation
Devon Community Foundation
Devon Community Foundation has set up the Devon Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund to raise funds for local charitable groups that are supporting the most vulnerable people affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Find out more about the Devon Community Foundation
Dorset Coronavirus Community Fund
the Dorset Coronavirus Community Fund has launched to support local charities and voluntary organisations that are assisting some of Dorset’s most vulnerable people during the Coronavirus epidemic.
Find out more about the Dorset Coronavirus Community Fund
East Suffolk Council Coronavirus (COVID-19) Community Funds
Grants of between £50 and £2,500 will be available for projects which support local residents who are struggling due to the virus outbreak. Larger requests for funding will be considered under exceptional circumstances.
Find out more about East Suffolk Council Coronavirus Community Fund
Foundation Derbyshire’s Coronavirus Fund
Grants available for food banks, community groups, and infrastructure and front line delivery organisations, with an initial focus on the supply and delivery of food and/or services to those who are medically, socially or financially vulnerable.
Before applying, please check the current availability of funds by emailing emergencies@foundationderbyshire.org.
Find out more about Foundation Derbyshire’s Coronavirus Fund
Give Bradford Resilience Fund
A fund to support charities and community groups across Bradford that are experiencing exceptional difficulties operating as a result of the National Emergency measures resulting from COVID-19.
Find out more about Give Bradford Resilience Fund
Leicester Leicestershire & Rutland Community Foundation – The Coronavirus Support Fund
Grants between £500 and £5,000 are available to support constituted charitable and community organisations who are providing direct services for vulnerable groups during the pandemic.
Leicestershire County Council – Communities Fund Round 3
Leicestershire County Council has re-opened the grant fund to support the local voluntary and community sector, during the current Coronavirus pandemic. Grants of up to £15,000 are available. Closing date is 22nd Jan 2021
London Community Response Fund
London’s City Hall and City Bridge Trust have each contributed £1m to a fund for London charities affected by coronavirus. Full details of the new emergency support fund and how to apply will be published next week.
Find out more about London Community Response Fund
Champions for Children match-funding campaign (London)
The Childhood Trust is launching the Champions for Children match-funding campaign to raise unrestricted funds for charities working with children whose lives have been impacted by the pandemic.
Find out more about the Champions for Children match-fund
Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland
Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland have launched the Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund. Grants will be given to local charities and community organisations across Tyne & Wear and Northumberland in two stages: response, then recovery.
Find out more about Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland funding
County Durham Covid-19 Response Fund (County Durham, Darlington & Tees Valley)
Emergency funding to deal with issues in the community as a result of the continuing threat of coronavirus. This will be to directly support work in the community, and to help organisations survive over this period of closures and isolation.
Find out more about County Durham Covid-19 Response Fund
Hastings Direct – Covid 19 Community Grant Scheme
The grant is for local charities within a 20 mile radius of Conquest House (Hastings’ head office) or St George’s Way (Leicester office).
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Community Volunteers Fund Covid-19 Recovery 2020
Volunteers are invited to put forward applications which develop and sustain community activities centred on Covid-19 recovery, with outcomes such as health and well-being/positive mental health along with having a positive impact to our locality. Grants of £250 are available.
Newcastle Round Table (Tyneside)
Newcastle Round Table have launched a funding process offering up to £2,000 to local charities directly helping with the COVID19 response in Tyneside.
Find out more about Newcastle Round Table funding
Northumbria Police and Crime Commission Coronavirus Response Fund
The Commissioner has brought forward the annual £200,000 community fund as a new project designed to help local charities and community groups to continue their vital work. With immediate effect (announced March 30th), applications are open for grants of up to £5,000 to help sustain the delivery of crucial community projects that have been impacted by the current global health crisis.
Find out more about the Northumbria Police and Crime Commission Coronavirus Response Fund