Small Grants Scheme

Small Grants Scheme Guidelines

These guidelines were last updated on 8 March 2022.  Guidelines and application forms are updated regularly throughout the year – please ensure you download the most recent guidelines to read through and to use the most recent application form links. 

The Foundation understands that charities are now operating in different circumstances due to the pandemic.  We are keen to be as flexible as can be in our support of small charities following this difficult and constantly changing period, while maintaining a focus on those who can demonstrate a clear (usually local) need for their services and financial viability over the twelve months from the date of their application.

Who Can Apply

Our Small Grants Scheme is designed to support charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities.  Please note we are not able to support individuals.  School PTAs and Friend groups are not eligible to apply.  We are unlikely to support newly set up charities without a track record.

Online applications can be accepted from charities that have an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum.  Larger or national charities will normally not be considered under this scheme.  We take into consideration your latest complete financial year, however, if you expect your turnover to exceed £150,000 in your current financial year, you are unlikely to be supported.

Please note that competition is intense; we receive many more applications than we are able to fund.

What the Foundation will Fund

Our focus will be to make one-year grants only, to cover core costs, projects, essential equipment or building projects.

Our priority will be to support local charities still active in their communities which are currently delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community.

If applying for funding towards a capital project please apply towards the end of your fundraising campaign, when the majority of funding has been raised and you have an estimated start date for the works.  We are unlikely to consider a request if the lease is less than 10 years.  If your application is successful, the pledged grant offer is only valid for 12 months.  Please note that the Foundation does not fund feasibility studies.

The Foyle Foundation does not fund religious activity or activities promoting religion.  If applying from a religious organisation and/or place of worship we will expect to see a clear division in both your accounts and application between your religious and non-religious activity. 

Applicants must show how any grant will make a significant difference to their current work.

Charities must demonstrate ongoing financial viability over the next 12 months.  If you cannot demonstrate this, your application is likely to be declined. For example, you must let us know:

• the impact of COVID-19 on your organisation to date
• if you needed to reduce staff and other costs, or cut back your normal services
• the impact on your volunteers (if applicable)
• what services you are now providing and to whom and by what means
• what your contingencies or fallback position will be if further disruptions to your operation occurs
• if you have any reserves and how they are being used to support your charity at this time.
• what income you have raised to date for the current year
• your current shortfall for the year and how you consider that this can be met
• if you were able to access any local government, public agency or lottery funding
• the details of any other funding sources you are applying to

How Much Can You Apply For

Charities can apply for between £2,000 and £10,000.  Please note that if successful, the Trustees may award less than the amount requested.

 When Can You Apply?

There are no deadlines - online applications can be submitted at any time.  Once received, it will take up to four months, occasionally longer, to receive a decision from Trustees.

If a previous application is declined, the charity is eligible to reapply 12 months after the previous request date.

If a previous application is approved, the charity is eligible to reapply to the Foundation from 12 months after the approval date (providing all requirements of last grant are fulfilled).  However, please note that once you have received a grant from The Foundation it is unlikely that you will be a priority for funding in the following year.

Other Information

If a grant is awarded it can only be used for expenditure or purchases after the grant is approved.  The Foundation does not support retrospective funding. 

The Foundation is unlikely to consider a request for building related costs if your lease is for less than 10 years.

We are unlikely to consider applications from grant making charities.

Generally, the applying charity must be requesting funds for themselves rather than fundraising on behalf of another organisation. The applying charity must take full responsibility for any grant made, and funding for projects/activities/services must be managed/delivered/provided by the applying charity.

The Foundation is unlikely to support charities that have built up considerable unrestricted reserves.

Please note that we purposely do not have a word limit to allow applicants the space to give us the information necessary to explain the project and the need for funding, but please keep answers relevant, clear and succinct.   

Further information regarding the scheme, attachments and the application from can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions.

Safeguarding

We expect all charities applying to the Foyle Foundation, regardless of the type of charity to have considered their safeguarding responsibilities and to have suitable policies and procedures in place to protect from harm people who come into contact with the charity.

As per Charity Commission guidance, if your charity works with children or adults at risk you should:

• Establish good safeguarding policies and procedures that all trustees, staff and volunteers follow, which fit with the policies and procedures of your local authority safeguarding partner or safeguarding children or adults board
• Make sure all staff and volunteers receive regular training on child protection or working with adults at risk
• Appoint a safeguarding lead to work with your local authority safeguarding boards and/or create a plan for responding to concerns overseas
• Manage concerns, complaints, whistleblowing and allegations relating to child protection or adults at risk effectively
• Have clear policies when DBS checks are required, how you assess the level of check needed and how you handle the information

You must follow relevant legislation and guidance (please refer to this government guidance for safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees for more information).  If you do not have adequate safeguarding policies, we may be unable to fund you.

How To Apply

Applications need to be submitted online.  Information/Documents you will need:

• Accounts:
  1. Latest signed accounts
  2. Income and expenditure figures for the last financial year (applicable if there has been a completed financial year since your latest signed accounts, but for which accounts have not yet been finalised and signed.)

• Annual Budgets:

1. Current annual budget (including information on how you have revised these figures due to the current COVID-19 situation)
2. Annual budget for year grant requested in (applicable if the request is for funding which would be used in the year after your current financial year.  This will often be the case when you are approaching your current year end.)

• Copy of latest bank statement

• Request budget (not required if request is for core costs)

• Permission of a Trust and Charity’s Management Team to submit the request on behalf of the charity

Creating an Account & Starting a New Application

You will need to create an account using your email address as part of the application process.  Once an account is created, you will receive email confirmation of this within a few minutes.  If this is not received please contact the Grants Team before proceeding.

You will be able to save an application you are working on and return to it later via your account.  A copy of the application questions can be emailed to yourself or others after you begin to complete the form.

1. Click on the following link to create or access your account.  From here you can access in progress applications and view previously submitted applications.

2. Click on the following link to create a Small Grants Scheme application.  

Note that applications you are working on will timeout after 60 minutes.  The timer is reset either when you save or navigate between pages.  Typing alone will not reset the timer.

Many applicants choose to type their answers onto a Microsoft Word document and then copy and paste onto the online form once ready to submit their application.

Further information regarding the scheme, attachments and the application from can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions.

Personal Information

The Foyle Foundation is committed to protecting all personal information you provide to us. We will only use contact information you provide for administration, evaluation and research purposes to facilitate our grant making and to further our charitable activities. Personal contact information will not be made public in anyway.  Please also see our Privacy Notice.