GrantRadar

The Matthew Good Foundation

Grants for Good

Grants for Good gives unrestricted grants of £2,000-£5,000, funded by the Matthew Good Foundation's business partners, to small UK charities, voluntary and community groups and social enterprises with annual income under £50,000. Each quarterly round shares £15,000 between five shortlisted projects, with the amount (£5,000, £3,500, £2,500 or £2,000) decided by a vote of partner-business employees. The application is short and monitoring light-touch, but it is very competitive (up to 1,000 applications per round).

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£2,000 – £5,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • UK-based community groups, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises with annual income under £50,000 and a bank account in the organisation's name (personal accounts cannot be paid)
  • CICs are welcome; unregistered organisations may apply if they meet all the criteria; UK-registered charities working overseas are accepted
  • New organisations without a full year of accounts give their income to date

What it funds

  • Unrestricted funding that can be used for any of the organisation's costs, including core running costs, for small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises making a big impact on people, communities or the environment

The foundation looks for innovation, scalability, strong leadership, a compelling story and clear impact with specific figures related to the grant amounts.

What it will not fund

  • Individuals
  • Activities promoting political or religious beliefs
  • Sponsorship or fundraising events
  • Amateur or private sports clubs (unless serving excluded groups or extending community benefit)
  • Organisations with annual income of £50,000 or more
  • Regular Ltd companies and sole traders
  • Organisations registered outside the UK
  • Less likely to be shortlisted: equipment for sports or music clubs; projects linked to major organisations; seasonal events; day-to-day costs of community centres, village halls or food banks; residents' associations; PTAs; work that is primarily the responsibility of statutory bodies

How to apply

  1. Read the eligibility guidance and advice on the Grants for Good page
  2. Complete the online application form (linked from APPLY NOW) in one sitting; it cannot be saved and returned to
  3. Applications are longlisted at the end of each quarterly window (16 Dec-15 Mar, 16 Mar-15 Jun, 16 Jun-15 Sep, 16 Sep-15 Dec)
  4. If longlisted: the foundation contacts your named referee, holds a short informal video call and carries out due diligence
  5. If shortlisted (five per round): approve a feature page about your project, which partner-business employees vote on
  6. Funding is transferred once the vote closes

Unsuccessful applications stay in the pool for future rounds without reapplying.

Have ready

  • Details of a named referee

New organisations without a full year of accounts are asked to state income achieved so far.

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