This funding round has closed.

Local News Fund

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Closed

Funding

Up to £275,000

Location

UK-wide

Applications

Open until 7 August 2026

Overview

The Local News Fund offers grants to local news outlets and other eligible organisations. It is run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Grants go up to £275,000. The fund supports innovation, tools, resources, and infrastructure that help local news become financially sustainable. You apply through a competitive bidding process. The deadline is 7 August 2026.

Eligibility

Who can apply:

limited companycharitysocial enterprisecic

Key requirements:

Must be a local news outlet or other eligible organisation
Applications assessed through competitive bidding process

Who is this for?

This fund is for local news outlets and other eligible organisations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It suits those looking to invest in innovation, tools, or shared infrastructure to build a more sustainable future for local news. Eligibility criteria are not specified in the fund details, so check directly with the funder.

Sectors

Charities & Non-Profit Professional & Scientific Services

Regions

England North East England North West England Northern Ireland Scotland South East England South West England Wales

Funder track record

Last published award 2025Open to first-time applicants

Awards published

7,882

Typical award

£27,168

Most awards

£12,670 to £175,000

Most funded region

London

348 awards in 2025, down from 2,843 the year before.

Recent awards include Greater Manchester Combined Authority (£30,000, 2025), Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council (£969,519, 2025) and Calderdale Council (£35,514, 2025).

Contains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.

Full details from Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Local News Fund offers grants through a competitive bidding process to local news outlets and other eligible organisations to help ensure the long-term provision of high quality local news. The Fund invites bids from eligible providers for grants to invest in innovation and the tools, resources and infrastructure from which the whole industry can benefit in moving towards a financially sustainable future. Please note the URL for the LNOF application form was updated 30th July 2026 due to an error that occurred before the grant went live and an email notification has been circulated to webinar participants. If you have further queries, please contact dcmslocalnewsfund@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Please view the FAQ document in Supporting Information for further information.

How to apply

You apply through a competitive bidding process run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Submit your bid before the 7 August 2026 deadline.

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