The Democratic Engagement Fund
Funding
£1,000 – £50,000
Location
England
Applications
Open until 1 September 2026
The Democratic Engagement Fund gives grants to civil society organisations in England. You can apply for between £1,000 and £50,000. The money funds projects that help people understand and take part in democracy. Your project must be politically neutral and based in a specific place. It should focus on communities that are less likely to engage with democracy, such as young people, ethnic minority communities, disabled people, people experiencing homelessness, or people from low-income backgrounds. Projects must also share learning about what works to increase democratic engagement. The deadline to apply is 1 September 2026.
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Projects must be politically neutral
- Projects must be place-based and delivered in England
- Must focus on communities with lower democratic engagement
- Must contribute learning on what works to increase democratic engagement
This fund is for civil society organisations in England, such as charities, community groups, and voluntary organisations. Your project must focus on helping underrepresented groups engage with democracy, including young people, ethnic minorities, disabled people, or people on low incomes. It is not for political organisations or projects that are not based in England.
Sectors
Regions
Awards published
25,986
Typical award
£84,655
Most awards
£25,000 to £300,000
Most funded region
North West
4,486 awards in 2025, down from 10,180 the year before.
Recent awards include SWINDON BOROUGH COUNCIL (£150,000, 2025), MCCARTHY & STONE (SHARED OWNERSHIP) LIMITED (£4,300,000, 2025) and MID DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL (£312,390, 2025).
This funder has made 25,986 awards with a typical award of £84,655. Would you qualify?
See if you'd qualifyContains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.
Full details from Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government
The Democratic Engagement Fund provides grants to civil society organisations (CSOs) to deliver politically neutral, place-based projects that support people to understand, engage with, and participate in democracy in England. The Fund focuses on communities that are currently less democratically engaged, including young people, ethnic minority communities, disabled people, people experiencing homelessness, regular movers, and people from low socio-economic backgrounds. Projects should help overcome barriers to democratic participation related to knowledge, opportunity, motivation or trust, and must contribute learning on what works to increase democratic engagement. Projects must be delivered in England.
Set up your organisation profile first
Takes about 5 minutes. This is what makes your checks specific to your business.
Get the full toolkit
Premium adds unlimited eligibility checks plus everything you need to apply, for any grant.
- Unlimited eligibility checks
- Get a step-by-step application plan
- Generate a first draft you can work from
- Review your draft against the criteria
- Build a budget template
- Read the grant in plain English
Get notified about grants like this
Create a free account to receive alerts when new charities & non-profit funding opens.
Create free accountLast updated: 6 August 2026