Community Foundation North East

Community Foundation North East General Application

Community Foundation North East's General Application lets small charities and community organisations in Tyne and Wear or Northumberland apply at any time of year when none of its current fund-specific calls fits their needs; the Foundation then matches the application to one of its 300-plus funds. Grants start at £1,000 and general applications do not normally exceed £10,000 (average around £6,000; typical around £5,000), usually for 12 months. Core costs, project delivery and capital items can all be funded, and the Foundation aims to decide within 12 weeks of receiving a complete application.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £1,000 – £10,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Small, local charities and community organisations based in Tyne and Wear (Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland) or Northumberland: registered, exempt and excepted charities, CIOs and charitable trusts; constituted unincorporated associations; companies with charitable objectives; charitable schools and academy trusts; CICs and other non-charity social enterprises set up for community benefit (with a business plan); co-operatives and community benefit societies; and CASCs
The focus is on organisations with income up to £1 million, with priority to those up to £0.5 million
Applicants must have a governing document, a board of at least three unrelated trustees/directors with equal control, a bank account in the organisation's legal name with two unrelated signatories, adequate accounts approved by the governing body showing income, expenditure and reserves, adequate adult and child safeguarding policies, and no overdue monitoring
First-time grantees must complete their first grant and submit monitoring before applying again

What it funds

Legally charitable work in line with the applicant's objects that supports one or more of the Foundation's strategic impact areas
Funding can cover day-to-day running or core costs, specific projects and capital items such as new equipment or building work; unrestricted funding can be offered to registered charities, while non-registered charities receive restricted funding
Grants usually run for 12 months, though shorter or longer periods can be requested

What it will not fund

Contributions to general appeals or circulars
Advancement of religion
Advancement of animal welfare
Grant-making or equivalent gifts in kind by other organisations (necessary goods for a service, e.g. food parcels or activity packs, can be funded)
Activities primarily intended to support a public body in fulfilling its statutory obligations
Activities which have already taken place
Privately owned and profit-distributing companies or partnerships
CICs and other social enterprises are not normally supported to provide continuing services (these should be funded by trading)
Cost-of-living support for individuals

How to apply

Check the current calls for applications on the Apply page; if none matches your needs, use the general application route
Read the eligibility guidance for new applicants and the FAQs (attending an in-person 'Time to Talk' session is recommended for first-time applicants)
Register on the grantee portal, allowing up to two working days for registration to be checked
Complete and submit the general application on the grantee portal with all supporting documents, using the Help Notes for each question
The Foundation checks eligibility, matches the application to an available fund and assesses it, usually with a donor or advisory panel recommending; it may contact you for more information
If successful, accept the grant agreement and agreed outcomes; payment is usually made within 14 days of acceptance

The general route is only open to organisations in Tyne and Wear or Northumberland; other areas should look for a specific fund call.

First-time applicants are advised not to submit several applications at once.

Have ready

Governing document (constitution or memorandum and articles of association)
Most recent financial accounts approved by your governing body, showing income, expenditure and reserves (management accounts or a cashflow forecast if you do not yet have annual accounts)
Safeguarding policies and procedures (adults and children)
Business plan (non-charity social enterprises such as CICs only)

Missing information or documents may delay the application or lead to it being withdrawn.

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