GrantRadar

Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation

London Luton Airport Community Trust Fund

Short-term grants (up to one year) of up to £10,000 from London Luton Airport Operations Ltd (LLAOL), administered by Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation, for charitable and not-for-profit groups delivering work in the communities around the airport: Central Bedfordshire, Dacorum, eastern parts of the former Aylesbury District, Luton, North Herts, St Albans and Stevenage. Projects must meet one of three priorities: Healthy Today (mental and physical health and wellbeing), Skilled Tomorrow (upskilling young people up to age 30, with literacy particularly welcomed in the National Year of Reading) or Alleviating Poverty. Revenue or capital costs can be funded; BLCF says 15% of Community Trust Fund applications were successful in 2025.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £10,000
Deadline
51 days left
8 December
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • The fund page says grants 'will only be considered for charitable organisations delivering work in' Central Bedfordshire, Dacorum, eastern parts of Aylesbury District (Great Brickhill, Wing, Wingrave, Cheddington, Edlesborough and Pitstone), Luton, North Herts District, St
  • Albans District and Stevenage
  • The criteria document says it funds registered charities and other not-for-profit groups making a positive difference to people in the community (for example community groups, sports groups and PTAs)
  • You must be able to demonstrate: a constitution or other governing document; a committee of at least 3 unrelated Trustees / Directors (no-one with 'significant control'); good financial management and health, without large free / unrestricted funds; a comprehensive safeguarding policy (for work with children / adults at risk); a clear plan to work in partnership with others; and that you have sought funds from a range of sources, made efforts to become self-sustaining, and have a clear strategy for when funding ends
  • Social enterprises (including CICs) have specific guidance; CICs must be limited by guarantee (other private limited companies and profit-making organisations are excluded)
  • For a consortium or partnership bid the lead organisation must meet these requirements, and you should contact BLCF first
  • National organisations are only funded where there are clear local benefits
  • Groups with 3 or more active BLCF grants cannot apply, and the page says groups that have received funding from London Luton Airport Operations Ltd in the past 12 months, or any other London Luton Airport Ltd funding stream managed by BLCF, cannot apply

What it funds

Short-term funding (up to 1 year) for community groups that match the aims of London Luton Airport's Community Engagement Strategy, meeting one of these priorities:

  • Healthy Today (mental / physical health and wellbeing)
  • Skilled Tomorrow (upskilling young people up to the age of 30); applications with a focus on literacy are particularly welcomed, in recognition of the National Year of Reading
  • Alleviating Poverty (supporting people to support themselves)
  • Revenue or capital costs, provided that all costs can be quantified and, where relevant, 2 written quotations of cost provided
  • Core costs, such as rent and utilities (up to 15% of the grant)
  • Projects demonstrating that they seek to build sustainable partnerships (these have a better chance of success)

What it will not fund

  • Groups with 3 or more active BLCF grants
  • Groups that have received funding from London Luton Airport Operations Ltd in the past 12 months, or any other London Luton Airport Ltd funding stream managed by BLCF
  • Groups who have provided low quality monitoring on previous grants
  • Individuals
  • National organisations (unless clear local benefits)
  • Private Limited Companies (except Community Interest Companies - CICs - limited by guarantee)
  • Profit-making organisations
  • Organisations or activities that promote political parties or religion (activities that demonstrate wider public benefit are funded)
  • Professional marketing / advertising (unless you can demonstrate that this is only to publicise the funded work to engage beneficiaries)
  • Professional fundraising
  • Retrospective costs
  • General appeals or sponsorship
  • Animal welfare, unless the project directly benefits people
  • Trips (excluding respite care) and / or fundraising events

How to apply

  1. Read the fund's criteria document carefully
  2. Optionally join BLCF's online Meet the Funder session on Monday 12 October 2026 at 1.30pm (booking via Ticket Tailor, linked from the fund page)
  3. Complete BLCF's short online Expression of Interest form (only your governing document is needed at this stage) by Tuesday 8 December 2026
  4. After the EOI deadline, if appropriate, a member of the Grants Team contacts you to discuss a possible application
  5. Organisations whose prospective applications closely align with the fund priorities are invited to make a full application (subject to available funds), uploading the budget, project plan and supporting documents
  6. Full applications are assessed, including due diligence checks; only those clearly meeting the criteria go to a community panel of local residents, which decides the outcome

BLCF reserves the right to close applications early if the fund is heavily subscribed, so apply as soon as you can.

On 4 Oct 2026 the page said the EOI form for the 8 December deadline 'will be available soon'.

Successful applicants complete interim and end-of-project monitoring reports, including receipts for spending.

Have ready

  • Expression of Interest stage: governing document only
  • Full application: full budget breakdown and project plan for the project or activity
  • Annual accounts: most recent signed annual accounts and / or management accounts, audited / independently examined where required
  • Governing documents: constitution, memorandum and articles, articles, or set of rules
  • Bank statement dated within 3 months, in the name and correct address of the organisation applying, with at least 2 unrelated signatories
  • Equal opportunity policy
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Trustees and directors (names, roles, confirmation of any related trustees / directors and any other potential conflicts of interest)

Only the governing document is required at Expression of Interest stage. For capital or other costs, 2 written quotations are needed where relevant.

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