Community Foundation Grants: How to Find and Win Them

If you run a small local group, your community foundation is often the best place to start looking for a grant. Community foundations give thousands of small grants every year, many of them to groups without a charity number, and they know their area well. This guide explains how they work, what they fund and how to apply well.

What a community foundation is

A community foundation is a charity that raises money for a particular place and gives it out as grants to local groups. The money comes from many sources: local people and families who set up named funds, companies, public bodies, and community benefit funds linked to developments such as wind farms. Many foundations also hold endowments, which are invested so the income can fund grants for years to come.

UK Community Foundations (UKCF), the national network, says that community foundations in the UK distributed more than £183 million in 2024 to 2025 through more than 38,000 grants, with an average grant of £5,500. The first UK community foundation was set up in Swindon in 1975.

Most foundations cover a county, a city or a region. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have a national community foundation: Community Foundation Wales, Foundation Scotland and Community Foundation Northern Ireland. UKCF itself does not give grants directly to organisations. It points applicants to their local foundation.

What community foundations fund

Because each foundation manages many separate funds, what it supports varies a lot. Common themes include:

• community activities that bring people together
• health and wellbeing, including mental health
• children, young people and older people
• tackling poverty and the cost of living
• local environment and green spaces
• arts, sport and heritage with clear community benefit

UKCF reports that 34% of community foundation funding in 2024 to 2025 supported mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Some funds are open to any local group. Others are tied to a single town, a postcode area around a wind farm, a theme set by a donor, or a fixed window such as a winter fund. On GrantMatch you can see examples like Two Ridings' Winter Resilience Fund in Yorkshire and Foundation Scotland's Denny and District Community Fund.

Community benefit funds

Many community foundations manage community benefit funds on behalf of energy companies and developers. These are pots of money set aside by a wind farm or similar development for the benefit of the communities around it. Foundation Scotland, for example, runs a large number of wind farm funds, such as the Stroupster Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund in Caithness.

These funds are worth knowing about because the area they cover is usually tightly defined. Often only groups in named community council areas, parishes or villages can apply, so you may be competing with far fewer groups than for a county-wide fund. Read the fund page for its area, its rounds and what it will pay for, as these vary from one fund to the next.

If you live near a wind farm, solar farm or other large development, ask your community foundation or community council whether a benefit fund covers your area.

Who can apply

Community foundations mostly fund small, local, not-for-profit organisations. Each sets its own rules, but as an example, Two Ridings Community Foundation in North and East Yorkshire says applicants must:

• be not-for-profit and working for public benefit (you do not have to be a registered charity, and CICs and community benefit societies can apply if the purpose of the grant is wholly charitable)
• mainly benefit people in its area
• have a governing document with charitable objectives and a dissolution clause
• have a bank account in the organisation's name with at least two unrelated signatories
• be locally led and run
• have at least three unrelated trustees, directors or committee members

It also says it generally only considers organisations with an annual income under £500,000 unless a fund says otherwise, and asks larger organisations to contact it before applying.

These requirements are typical, but check your own foundation's rules. If your group does not yet have a constitution or bank account, our guides to writing a community group constitution and getting your first grant as a community group explain what to put in place. If you are not a charity, see our guides to CIC grants and community organisation grants.

What they usually do not fund

Exclusions differ from fund to fund. Two Ridings Community Foundation, for example, says that unless a particular fund allows it, it cannot normally support:

• private businesses
• work that has already started or taken place
• general appeals or sponsorship
• work done by or for statutory bodies as part of their statutory duties
• work to advance religion (faith groups can apply if there is a wider community benefit) or political campaigning
• previous grant holders with outstanding reporting

That last one catches people out. If you have had a grant from a foundation before, make sure your end-of-grant report is in before you apply again. Our guide to grant monitoring and reporting covers what to collect.

How to find your community foundation

UKCF has a postcode search that shows the foundation covering your area. Then:

1. Look at the foundation's open funds. Most list them by area and by theme, with guidance notes and deadlines.
2. Check the geography. Many funds only cover a district, town or set of parishes.
3. Read the full guidance notes for the fund you want, including any limits on organisation size.
4. Call or email if you are unsure. Community foundation staff are usually happy to talk through whether you fit.

GrantMatch lists open community foundation grants from across the UK, including those from Two Ridings Community Foundation, London Community Foundation, Foundation Scotland and Community Foundation Northern Ireland. You can also search all community foundation grants.

Applying well

Community foundation forms are usually shorter than national ones, and many applications are read by local staff or volunteers who know the area. That works in your favour if you are specific.

Lead with local need

Say who in your area needs this and how you know. Local data, waiting lists, quotes from the people you work with and referrals from other agencies all count. Our statement of need guide shows how to set this out briefly.

Keep the budget tight and clear

Small grants are often a few thousand pounds, so every line matters. Show exactly what the money buys and whether anyone else is contributing. Our grant budget template guide has a layout you can reuse.

Have your documents ready

Foundations typically ask for your governing document, recent accounts or financial records, and policies such as equal opportunities and safeguarding if you work with children or adults at risk. Two Ridings, for example, also asks for a bank statement in the organisation's name if your application succeeds.

Expect a conversation

Some foundations call applicants to talk through the bid before it goes to a panel. Treat it as a chance to explain your work, not a test.

Using community foundation grants as match funding

A community foundation grant is often the first yes that makes a bigger bid possible. It shows other funders that a local body has checked you and backed your work. Our guide on how to find match funding explains how to stack small grants with larger ones.

Find community foundation grants for your area

Community foundation funds open and close all year, and many are only open for a few weeks. Create a free GrantMatch profile and we will show you the open funds that cover your area and your work, and alert you when new ones open.