Community funding opportunities

Organisations offering funding and grants for community work.

Gateway grants for Churches, Chapels and Meeting Houses The Gateway Grant Programme from FaithAction offers grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 towards project development and investigative work up to RIBA planning stage 1 to support churches preparing for a major project, and in developing their project to the point at which they can approach a major grant funder. Grants will never exceed 50% of the project costs for this phase.

National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund (England) This fund make grants of over £10,000 for up to five years to organisations with ideas that would enable communities to thrive. The initial application involves the idea only. Salaries, equipment, refurbishment and capital costs can all be funded. There are no deadlines.

The Steel Charitable trust The Trustees make discretionary grants where they believe that their contribution will make a real difference. Applications are welcome from eligible applicants from all areas of the UK although applications from Bedfordshire generally, and Luton specifically, are particularly encouraged.

Rank Foundation Pebble Grants A small funding stream for UK registered charities and recognised churches which are raising money for projects where the total cost is less than £1 million. If you are raising money for a particular project for which the mainstay is capital costs (building work, refurbishment or the purchase of long-term equipment) or a one-off short-term activity (such as an annual respite break or holiday for disadvantaged young people) and have already raised a third of the total costs, you may be eligible for this.

Allchurches Trust One the of UK’s largest charitable trusts and is the charitable owner of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. Over the past three years, Allchurches has given £34.6 million in grants. Last year it gave grants totaling more than £13 million to charities and church groups all over the UK and Eire, empowering them to tackle homelessness, isolation, poverty, addiction and issues of mental health. It also helped restore historic buildings and develop projects in schools, colleges, hostels and prisons.

Near Neighbours brings together diverse communities and different faiths, through a range of activities that improve their lives and the local community in which they live.

Grantway.com is an innovative, user-friendly new search portal designed to make it easy for charity and volunteer organisations to find and obtain essential funding

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland provides a list of possible sources of alternative funding and support for charities, Christian organisations, churches and community projects.

Grants & funding opportunities

Find out about the grants and funding opportunities the URC offers churches, community groups and individuals