Gloucestershire Freemasons Grant Programme
Our Freemasons grant programme supports initiatives for older people, people with disabilities and young people facing disadvantage. This programme is open to organisations in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire and is particularly interested in supporting smaller, grassroots organisations where a grant of £2,000 can make a significant difference.
deadline
Thursday 6th March 2025grant amount
Between £250 and £2,000current status
OpenAbout the Freemasons Grant Programme
The Freemasons Fund was established with Gloucestershire Community Foundation in 2010. Their original investment was matched by the government as part of the Office of the Third Sector’s Grassroots Grants endowment building programme for Community Foundations.
The Freemasons Grant Programme supports initiatives for older people, people with disabilities and young people facing disadvantage. This programme is open to organisations in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.
Who can apply?
Freemasons Grants are targeted at small, local, voluntary and community organisations where a small amount of money can make a significant difference. Applicants must be based and working in Gloucestershire (including South Gloucestershire). Most successful applicants have an annual income of less than £350,000.
To apply to the Freemasons Programme you do not have to be a registered charity, as long as the work you do has charitable aims and you have a constitution (set of rules), a management committee, use of a group bank account with at least two signatories, and a child or vulnerable persons safeguarding policy.
We aim to fund organisations working with:
- older people
- those with disabilities and
- young people facing disadvantage.
What can you apply for?
This funding programme prioritises applications for funding towards specific project costs or items of equipment.
Recently awarded projects include:
- Specialised summer playscheme for children and young people with disabilities
- Creation of an inclusive and accessible woodland site for conservation and wellbeing activities for people with mental health difficulties
- Peer mentor programme for disadvantaged young people supporting their engagement in youth projects
- Equipment for older men with disabilities to undertake woodwork activities
How much do we award?
Grants range in size between £250 and £2,000. There is a high level of demand for this fund. On average the panel support around 4-6 applications each round with a total value of £7,000-£8,000. Application success rates are around 40-50%.
Deadlines for Expressions of Interest
There are three rounds of panel decisions during the year. The closing dates for expressions of interest during 2025 are:
Thursday 6th March 2025 (decisions due in early May)
Thursday 10th July 2025 (decisions due in September)
Thursday 23rd October 2025 (decisions due in early December)
Full applications are usually requested within 1 week of these dates. The earlier you submit an Expression of Interest the longer you will have to complete a full application.
Grant Guidelines
Please ensure you satisfy all of the criteria and conditions outlined within the Grant Guidelines.
Do contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your project/need prior to submitting an application.
The guidelines are available by clicking on the button to the right.
How to Apply
We have a two-stage application process to try to reduce the number of unsuccessful applications.
Stage One:
Please complete an online Expression of Interest form using the link at the bottom right of the screen marked ‘Apply Now’
You can return to your online expression of interest form as many times as is needed, and save it as you go along. The online form link can also be shared with colleagues.
Stage Two:
Once received, our Grants Team will review the expression of interest form and contact you to let you know the next steps, either inviting you to complete a second stage application form and the application timelines or advising you of the reasons why your proposed funding request is unlikely to be eligible. Each expression of interest will be reviewed against all of our open grants programmes so that we can advise you of any relevant funding available for your proposed project so there is no need to duplicate expression of interest forms across our different grant programmes.
As part of the full online application process you will be asked to attach the following supporting documents:
- A constitution/governing document/set of rules, that sets out the purpose of your organisation and how it is managed.
- A copy of your most recent annual accounts or financial records (if not already publicly available). If you do not have financial records that cover a full year then you will need to provide the records you currently have.
- A safeguarding policy if your organisation works directly with children or vulnerable adults.
- If your application is successful, we will also request a copy of a bank statement or other evidence of a bank account in the name of your organisation. The bank account must have at least 2 signatories.
If you wish to see a Word version of the questions you will be asked in the main application form, you can view them HERE
Full Guidelines