Main Grants Programme
Our Main Grants Programme benefits people who are disadvantaged or isolated. To be eligible for a grant from this programme, organisations must work with people who are disadvantaged due to poverty, disability, age, location or culture.
deadline
Thursday 6th February 2025grant amount
Up to £5,000current status
OpenAbout the Main Grants Programme
Our main grants programme benefits people who are disadvantaged or isolated. To be eligible for a grant from this programme, organisations must work with people who are disadvantaged due to poverty, disability, age, location or culture.
We also give priority to groups that:
• Enable people to take opportunities that would otherwise not be available
• Reflect the concerns and priorities of people living and working in the area
• Involve local people in improving their community
To be eligible for a grant from the Main Programme you must be able to demonstrate that you will benefit people in your community by helping them to lead more fulfilling lives, particularly where there is known deprivation, disadvantage, or isolation. Disadvantage may be the result of poverty, disability, age, location or culture.
Who can apply?
This programme is for voluntary and community groups with charitable aims, registered charities or Community Interest Companies with more than three unrelated Trustees or Board Members and a bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two signatories.
Applicants must be based and working in Gloucestershire.
What can you apply for?
GCF’s priorities include projects or activities which:
- Reflect the needs and concerns of their beneficiaries by adding value to existing community provision;
- Enable people to take up opportunities that would otherwise not be available to them;
- Encourage local volunteers to engage with their communities;
- Develop partnerships with other local organisations and groups;
- Demonstrate imagination and initiative by securing funds from diverse fundraising activities.
Please note that the panel have taken a decision not to support capital building and renovation projects for the foreseeable future whilst demand for our funds remains high.
How much do we award?
Awards are available of between £1,000 and £10,000. Please note that it is very unusual for the panel to award grants in excess of £5,000.
On average, we have supported between 40% and 50% of applications to this programme in the past year and in some cases have only been able to award partial grants as a result of high demand on our funds.
Application deadlines
There are three rounds of panel decisions during the year. The closing dates for Expressions of Interest during 2025 are:
Thursday 6th February 2025 for decisions in April
Thursday 24th April 2025 for decisions in July
Thursday 11th September 2025 for decisions in November
*Expressions of Interest can be received anytime before the application date but the sooner you contact us the longer you will have to complete a second stage application ahead of the deadline if you are invited to apply. Due to the volume of communications we have to manage we will be strict with these deadlines.
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 link below.
How to Apply
We are making some changes at GCF to try to improve our application process and reduce the number of unsuccessful applications. We are trialling a two-stage process. If you have any questions or feedback please do get in touch with Sarah Sharma on grantsmanager@gloucestershirecf.org.uk
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, or other parties, if more than one person needs to contribute to the form.
Once received, our Grants Manager 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.
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. Alternatively, if you belong to a small organisation that does not have a bank account another charitable organisation can look after the funds for you, but you must provide written authorisation from the organisation that will do this.
If you wish to see a Word version of the full application questions you will be asked, you can view it HERE
Full Guidelines