GrantRadar

tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

The UK Fund

The UK Fund offers large grants to grow proven projects. We fund work with impact that can scale, change systems, and benefit communities across the UK.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£500,000 – £5,000,000
Deadline
Not published
no closing date given
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Registered charities; companies limited by guarantee (with a not-for-profit clause or registered as a charity); CICs; CIOs; community benefit societies; co-operative societies (with a not-for-profit clause and registered with the FCA); statutory bodies such as town, parish or community councils; local authorities; and universities
  • Partnerships can apply, but every funded partner must be one of these types
  • CICs, non-charitable companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies and co-operatives must have an asset lock
  • The organisation needs at least 2 board or committee members (or directors, for companies) who are not related
  • No income limit is stated, and current grant holders can apply
  • In practice, applicants must show strong evidence that existing work is effective and ready to scale across more than one UK country, so the programme suits established organisations
  • Individuals, sole traders, organisations based outside the UK and profit-distributing companies cannot apply
  • Projects delivered in Wales must be bilingual

What it funds

Scaling up existing, evidenced work (for example reaching more people, expanding into new areas, strengthening organisational infrastructure or improving support for current beneficiaries) that meets one of five aims:

  • Improving relationships between people with different life experiences
  • Helping people and communities connect meaningfully online when it is hard to meet in person
  • Supporting people from all backgrounds to influence the future of their communities
  • Helping children and young people facing specific challenges to change the systems that affect them
  • Helping more organisations to involve and listen to children and young people

Projects must meet all 4 criteria: benefit communities across the UK (activity in more than one UK country, cross-country partnership, or learning shared to drive systems change elsewhere in the UK); scale up proven impact; support people experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination; and help create lasting change to services or systems.

Costs include staff (including sessional workers), organisational development (training, governance, IT, sharing learning), transport, utilities and running costs, volunteer expenses, learning and evaluation, equipment, translation or interpretation, and small capital costs.

Some non-party-political campaigning can be funded.

What it will not fund

  • Brand-new projects or services, or completely new ways of working
  • Individuals and sole traders
  • Organisations based outside the UK
  • Companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including companies limited by shares)
  • Statutory activities and activities that replace government funding
  • Large capital or building projects
  • Loans, endowments or interest
  • Paying someone else to write your application
  • Activities where a profit will be distributed for private gain
  • Fundraising activities
  • VAT you can reclaim
  • Alcohol
  • Retrospective costs
  • Items that only benefit an individual rather than the wider community
  • Religious activities (religious organisations can be funded if the project benefits the wider community and has no religious content)
  • Projects whose main purpose is political activity, and any party-political activity

How to apply

  1. Watch The UK Fund video (with tips, examples and a checklist) and read the full list of application questions
  2. Stage 1: apply online through the Fund's application portal, describing your idea in three written answers of up to 1,000 words each (what you want to do and why; how you meet the aims and all four criteria; what you hope to learn and its impact), or by video, together with organisation details and two named contacts
  3. The Fund reviews the application, may contact you, and invites to the second stage only applications that strongly fit what it wants to fund; unsuccessful applicants are told why
  4. Stage 2: send the more detailed information requested, such as financial information and a detailed project proposal (you have at least 2 weeks); a member of staff reviews it and may follow up by phone or email
  5. The Fund makes a final decision and gives feedback if it declines

Easy Read, PDF and BSL versions of the form are available, and you can describe your idea by video instead of in writing.

The Fund aims to support around 20 projects a year and warns that it has to decline some strong applications.

Have ready

  • Stage 1: no documents; the online form (or a video) and organisation and contact details
  • Stage 2: financial information and a more detailed project proposal, as requested
  • Safeguarding policy (if working with children, young people or vulnerable adults)

The Fund may ask to see your equalities policy during assessment.

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