Grants, whether they be big or small, make a huge difference to charities.
They rely on grants and donations to keep afloat and support those in need. While their work is essential - finding even small grants for charities and applying for them is not the easiest endeavour.
As specialists in the third and not-for-profit sector, we at S3 Solutions can offer a couple of tips and tricks as to where you can find small grants to help your charity prosper.
Know Where to Look With FundReady
FundReady is Ireland’s leading funding information and support service for not-for-profit organisations.
Through its advanced digital platform and team of specialist advisors, FundReady provides you with access to the latest funding opportunities, advice, guidance and practical support to write and submit funding applications. The service is tailored and aligned to the funding needs and profile of each organisation.
It is a subscription support service, offering support packages to meet the needs of organisations of all sizes and types in the third not-for-profit sector.
Operated by the S3 Solutions team, we have supported clients across Ireland to secure over £120 million of investment for new capital projects, services, equipment and organisational developments through FundReady.
If you are a charity looking for funding, you can trust us to help.
Our Top Small Grant Sources
To help get you started, listed below are some of our top funding sources that are ideal for supplying small grants.
Like most grants, these will be awarded depending on how well a charity meets the outlined criteria. This usually relates to supporting a certain beneficiary type, by meeting a specific need that also aligns with the mission of the organisation supplying the grant.
With this in mind, here’s a number of grant sources that are worth looking into:
The Edward Gostling Foundation
The Edward Gostling Foundation believes in supporting the following people to have as many of the same choices and quality of life opportunities as others more fortunate than themselves:
Those living with a physical disability
Those living with a mental disability
Those living with a long-term illness
To outsource help in achieving this goal, the Foundation provides grants to other charities with a gross annual income of £5 million or less and operating front line services supporting this beneficiary group.
It operates two grant programmes that are available to apply for anytime throughout the year, providing they fit in with the Foundation’s four key themes:
Health and wellbeing e.g. information providing, guidance, advice, training and moral and emotional support
Independent living at home e.g. equipment to aid getting in and out of chairs, beds and bathrooms easily and independently
Respite e.g. giving caregivers a break by ensuring the person they care for is being safely looked after by a specialist
Transition e.g. education, training, coaching and development to promote independent living and/or support to help people into paid work
The two grant programmes are:
Small grants - limited to small and medium-sized charities with a gross annual income of £3 million or less. This programme is aimed at charities needing urgent grant support of up to £5,000 to help maintain an existing service.
Capital grants - open to all charities with a gross annual income of £5 million or less wishing to apply for a grant in excess of £5,000 towards the cost of funding a new project.
The Foyle Foundation
The Foyle Foundation offers a Small Grants Scheme which is designed to support UK-based charities working at grassroots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities.
The Foundation places great focus on charities that are active in their communities, helping the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community via in-person or online methods.
The grant came about as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an aim to be as flexible as possible to support small charities during this difficult and constantly changing time.
The Foundation’s focus is to make one-year grants to cover the following:
Essential equipment
To enable ongoing service provision, homeworking, or delivery of online digital services
Eligible charities require an annual turnover of less that £150,000 per year. Applications can be made for grants worth between £1,000-£10,000, with no deadline currently in place.
The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, charitable grant-making body which supports a wide range of causes across the UK, including:
Arts
Community
Education
Faith
Health
Museums and heritage
Welfare
Youth
The reason for the grant must fall within one of the following three categories:
Capital e.g. bricks and mortar or tangible things such as a building project, repairs or equipment
Revenue e.g. ‘core costs’, such as unrestricted funds to cover rent, utilities and salaries
Project work e.g. the costs involved in delivering the project including staff costs and a reasonable percentage of overheads if relevant
In total, the Foundation donates over £80 million annually to the above causes. It’s grant programme, titled ‘Regular Grants’ accepts applications requesting under £100,000 in funding, with no specific deadline set.
If you’re a charity that’s looking for a grant to give you a boost or fund a specific activity, there’s so many options available for you to apply for. If you want a useful round-up of what’s out there, check out FundReady today.
For more information and advice on small grants for charities, get in touch with us and we’ll happily steer you in the right direction.