Why Is Trust And Foundation Core Funding For Charities So Important?

Core funding for charities are grants from UK trusts and foundation for core costs, salaries and overheads; sometimes referred to as unrestricted funding.  It's a bit of a Holy Grail for fundraisers, becuase the majority of charity grant makers, prefer to provide restricted funding for projects.  However, you still have to pay staff, rent and other general running costs, and that can be a real struggle. 

How To Find Far More Trust And Foundation Core Funding Grants!

You can download the full core cost grant funding list from Charity Excellence or, better still, use the core funding search category in its Funding Finder database, which has 150+ UK trust and foundation core funders, including many much less well known ones, to help you secure the funding you need; everything is free.  

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UK Charity Core Grants - Unrestricted Funding For Core Costs, Salaries & Overheads

This list is a selection of some of the charity core funding grant makers listed in the Funding Finder database. 

1. A B Charitable Trust- small to medium-sized registered UK Charities that defend human rights and promote respect for vulnerable individuals in the UK; most grants £10k - £20k.
2. Albert Hunt Trust– charities with income under £250k, capital, core/running costs, hospice, homeless, health & wellbeing, UK wide, not overseas.
3. Allen Lane Foundation- small grants for start-up, core or project costs.
4. Ashley Family Foundation- projects protecting rural communities and encouraging participation in the arts, particularly that of textiles, in England and Wales; core costs, including salaries and overheads.
5. Bailey Thomas Charitable Fund -to assist with the care and relief of those affected by learning disability in the UK. Funding for both specific projects and general running and core costs.
6. Bank of Scotland Foundation – Invest programme Programme- registered charities working to address social exclusion and social disadvantage, between £20k - £40k pa, over 2-5 years.
7. BBC Children In Need- will only fund direct project costs (not full cost recovery), but can include salaries, volunteer expenses, building hire costs and travel costs. 
8. Blagrave Foundation- core focus is the 14-25 years age group. Main geographic area is in the South of England across Berkshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Wiltshire.
9. Bromley Trust -tends to provide unrestricted support (core funding) to specialist UK registered charities working in the areas of human rights and prison reform.

UK Charity Core Funding Grants Cont'd

1. Tesco Community Grants - Projects that benefit the community - from improving community buildings and outdoor spaces to buying new equipment, training coaches or volunteers and hosting community events - £1,500, £1,000 or £500. 
2. The Fore - up to £30,000, with the potential to have a transformational impact, particularly for small organisations working with marginalised groups and led by people in the community that may have found it hard to access trust and foundation funding in the past. Registered charities or CICs, with income less than £500,000 pa. 
3. Thomas Wall Trust - Up £5,000 to support literacy, numeracy, digital and additional skills for learning likely to assist employment prospects. Registered charities, with income under £0.5m pa. 
4. Triangle Trust 1949 Fund - Two grant rounds each year – one for work supporting young carers/young adult carers and one for work supporting young people with criminal convictions. Grants of up to £60,000 over two years are available.
5. Trusthouse Charitable Foundation - Small Grants (up to £10,000) and Major Grants (up to £100,0000) programmes. For both programmes, organisations need to be based in or working in the most deprived areas.
6. Tudor Trust - Smaller community-led groups that support people at the margins of society in the UK. Normally £10k plus, for up to 3 years. Will consider grants to help strengthen your organisation and may consider making short-term loans and multi-year grants.
7. Tweed Family Charitable Foundation - Registered non profits with an turnover under £1m pa. Support for community and educational projects that inspire socially disadvantaged young people to achieve their full potential, through mentoring, education and community activities. Will fund multi-year and core costs. 
8. Virgin Community Anchors Fund - Organisations that support their local community in the NE of England; grants of between £10,000 and £30,000. The funds can be used for core costs, to continue to pay for existing work or to design and launch a new activity. The award can be spread over 1, 2 or 3 years.  
9. Volant Trust - Primarily Scotland - social deprivation, with a particular emphasis on supporting women, children and young people at risk; projects and core costs. Multi-year awards (for up to 3 years) of up to £15,000 pa.

UK Charity Core Funding Grants Cont'd

1. Weaver's Company Benevolent Fund- smaller UK based charities working with young offenders, prisoners and ex-prisoners, and young disadvantaged people, especially those at risk of criminal involvement. Will consider innovative projects, pump-priming funding and core costs.
2. Whitely Animal Protection Trust- most grants up to £25k. Will consider essential core funding to smaller charities finding it hard to maintain their activities. 
3. William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust- one-off grants to UK registered charities based in Birmingham or West Midlands. Will consider core costs.
4. Woodroffe Benton Foundation- smaller UK registered charities for relief of hardship; care for the elderly; environment and conservation. Up to £2.5k.
5. Woodward Charitable Trust– core costs, small to medium charities, children, disability, disadvantaged women and families, prisoners, minority groups.
6. YAPP Charitable Trust- core costs and existing work, registered charities, with income £40k.
7. Zurich Community Trust - Local grant programmes around Birmingham, Fareham, Farnborough, Gloucestershire, Glasgow, Leeds and Swindon. Fund a range of issues including supporting carers, special needs children and young people, older people, those with disabilities, counselling and homeless people. Open to funding specific running costs, such as salaries, purchases or project costs.

How To Find Even More Charitable Trust & Foundation Grant Funding

Find funders using the Funding Finder database and 50+ funder lists.  Health check your fundraising online in 30 mins, to find out how to secure more funding, and access the huge resource base, including the 50+ downloadable funder lists.

Fast, Simple And Everything Is Free.

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