Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know how my application is progressing? When can I expect to hear the result?
We will acknowledge receipt of your application within 2 weeks. Usually 6 weeks from then, we will let you know if your appeal will go forward to the next Grants Committee meeting or if you have not been successful.

Fast Track grants operate on a rolling basis, and you should receive a final answer within 6-8 weeks of applying to us.

Please note that these timescales are only applicable if we receive all the information requested as stated in the guidelines.

If I have not been successful how soon can I apply again?
You can apply after six months from the date of notification of the result of your last application.

Can I apply for a Small Grant and a Large Grant at the same time, or a Small Grant and a Fast Track Grant?
No. You can only make one application at a time.

You cannot apply for a further grant if it is less than 12 months since a grant was awarded to your organisation.

Can I find out why my application has been turned down?
Yes. Please contact us for further details.

How many applicants do you help?
In 2008-09, we received 1,709 applications and gave grants to 205 (11%).

What is the average grant?
In 2008-09, the average Large Grant was just under £19,000; the average Small Grant was just under £6,000 and the average Fast Track Grant was approximately £2,700.

What should I do if I don’t understand the guidelines?
Please ring the Foundation’s offices, on 020 7264 4990.

Are there deadlines?
The Grants Committee meets quarterly to consider supported applications in January (deadline end of November), April (deadline end of February), July (deadline end of May) and October (deadline end of August). Please note however that we cannot guarantee that any appeal will go to a particular meeting.

Our organisation is not a registered charity: can we still apply?
We accept applications from social enterprises, self-help groups and other similar not-for-profit organisations. We may ask to see a copy of your constitution to verify your status as we are only allowed to help organisations whose primary function is charitable. However, if you are applying for a grant for an overseas project, you must be a UK registered charity.

Can I e-mail my application?
We do not currently accept e-mail applications as we do not have sufficient resources to handle these. Follow the link to our ‘Contact Details’ page for the address to write to.

We are not based in the UK: can we apply?
No. We only accept applications from UK based organisations.

Our annual income is £450,000: are you strict on the ruling that you have to be below £300,000 to apply for a Small Grant?
Yes. We have to target our funds where they will have most impact and the Trustees regularly review the threshold.

We are a fairly new organisation and don’t have any accounts yet: can we still apply?
No. You need to wait until you have at least one year’s accounts to show us and can provide evidence that your project is successful.