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
Second round deadline - 4th Novembergrant 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.
Please note, there is a high level of demand for this fund.
Application deadlines
First round applications open – 9th April 2026.
Closing deadline for applications – 6th May 2026.
Second round applications open – 7th October 2026.
Closing deadline for applications – 4th November 2026.
Grant Guidelines
Please ensure you satisfy all of the criteria and conditions outlined within our Grant Making policy and our Freemasons programme guidelines. Do contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss your project/need prior to submitting an application.
How to Apply
Please click on the Apply Now button below to submit an application.
Please note that if this is your first time using our new grants application portal since it was introduced in 2026, you will need to register an account for yourself as the applicant contact.
In order to successfully submit your application, you must supply the following Supporting Documentation:
- Safeguarding Policy: Please ensure this is in date, reviewed annually and covers the appropriate safeguarding topics for your organisation.
- Constitution: If not already supplied to GCF or changed since a previous GCF application.
- Management Committee details: This should be completed in the contact details section.
- Annual Accounts or Finance report: If these are available on Charity Commission or Companies House you do not need to supply – please detail in your application where they can be found publicly.
If successful:
- You will be sent a Grant Acceptance letter that will need to be manually signed by two authorised, unrelated, signatories for your organisation.
- You will need to provide a current (3 month) bank statement in the name of your organisation.
- If this is your first application to GCF, you will also need to provide a referee for your organisation before any award can be made.
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