Community Foundation for Surrey

Main Grants Programme

The Community Foundation for Surrey's Main Grants Programme pools a family of over 80 donor funds to support the broad scope of social welfare in Surrey, from mental health, loneliness and homelessness to employability, digital exclusion, heritage and the natural environment. Charities, community groups and other VCSE organisations send one short Expression of Interest and the Foundation matches it to suitable funds, then invites the strongest to make a full application; you do not need to pick a fund. It funds core costs, staff, new and existing projects and small capital items, and prioritises grassroots and medium-sized Surrey organisations serving communities facing disadvantage. Requests under £1,500 are not considered, the average grant is around £6,000-£7,000 and the Foundation says requests of £7k or less are more likely to succeed; the next round (Round 3) takes EOIs from 9am on 2 November to 5pm on 11 December 2026.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: From £1,500
Deadline: 54 days left; 11 December
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Community groups, charities and other VCSE organisations whose work benefits people in Surrey, meaning the 11 boroughs/districts covered by Surrey County Council (London boroughs such as Croydon, Sutton and Kingston are not included)
Eligible: registered charities; CIOs; charitable trusts (other than educational establishments); voluntary and community groups; faith groups where the project clearly benefits the wider community and is open to people of all faiths or none; educational establishments only for exceptional projects outside statutory support that benefit school communities facing particular disadvantage; organisations with potential national reach that reflect local benefit; community benefit societies with charitable status; CASCs; not-for-profit organisations such as CICs with a clear social purpose (for their charitable activities); and newly established organisations in any of these categories
Not eligible: the public sector, private companies, for-profit businesses, CICs limited by shares, councils, non-charitable housing associations, NHS bodies including GP surgeries, animal welfare charities and individuals
Minimum requirements: a management committee of at least three unrelated people; a signed constitution or set of rules; a bank account in the group's name requiring two signatories; a financial policy; and a safeguarding policy (mandatory if you work with children, young people or vulnerable adults)
CICs and other social enterprises must also have at least three directors, the majority unpaid, no Persons with Significant Control, and any paid directors' pay approved by a majority of non-executive directors
Small or unconstituted groups can apply through another organisation (e.g. a CVS, charity, church or parish council) acting as fund holder
Priorities: communities in Surrey facing disadvantage; local small grassroots organisations (income under £100,000); medium-sized local organisations with turnover up to £1M that lack capacity to at…

What it funds

Work supporting the broad scope of social welfare, to help make life better for the people of Surrey, including:

Access to and engagement with heritage
Access to and engagement with the natural environment
Capacity building of the voluntary and community sector
Community cohesion
Digital exclusion
Educational opportunity
Employability
Engaging children and young people with the creative industries and raising aspirations for careers in media and related fields
Financial literacy
Homelessness
Human rights and equality
Independent living
Loneliness and/or isolation
Mental health
Physical health
Response to climate change
Sport, exercise and leisure activities
Substance misuse and addictions
The impact of poverty
Violence and crime
Wellbeing
Small capital grants for organisations providing palliative care or supporting those with long-term illnesses
Charitable activities and projects
Core costs / essential running costs
New projects, pilot projects and existing projects
Repeat/continuation funding for projects
Staff costs
Full cost recovery to cover the overheads which relate to projects (encouraged)
Small capital costs (typically items under £10,000 such as specialist equipment, tools and materials, IT kit)
For food banks, baby banks and similar: projects improving long-term sustainability (e.g. shelving or storage, a volunteer coordinator, volunteer training) rather than simply donations
Emergency funding requests from organisations previously funded by the Foundation which can demonstrate a solid plan towards sustainability

What it will not fund

Projects without a specific benefit to Surrey residents
Projects which have already taken place, or items purchased prior to or during a grant application
Projects run by faith groups where the project is exclusively for the benefit of members or involves proselytising
General appeals and fundraising events
Costs for social businesses (e.g. CICs) which are not directly linked to charitable activity
Requests to build reserves
Commercial sponsorship
Building projects including renovation and repair
Delivery of services which are statutory obligations
Political activities
Events, unless the lasting difference the event will make to participants can be demonstrated
Residential trips, unless part of a clear programme with interventions before and after the trip to embed impact
Emergency requests from organisations not previously known to the Foundation
For-profit businesses and CICs limited by shares
County or borough councils and other public/statutory organisations
Housing associations which are not registered charities
GP surgeries or other NHS entities including hospital trusts
Animal welfare charities (charities using animals for therapeutic support for people can be considered)
Individuals (other than through the Foundation's separate individuals' programmes)
Applications for less than £1,500 in the main rounds

How to apply

Check the eligibility criteria on the Foundation's Eligibility Checker page and the deadlines table on the Apply page
Optionally book a free online Q&A session with the Grants Team (general sessions listed for 16 October, 18 November and 26 November 2026) by emailing grants@cfsurrey.org.uk
Submit a short Expression of Interest (EOI) through the Foundation's Plinth portal (apply.cfsurrey.org.uk) while the round is open, saying what you want to do and how much you want to apply for; for Main Grants Round 3 (2026-27) EOIs open at 9am on 2 November 2026 and close at 5pm on 11 December 2026
All EOIs received before the deadline are considered together; the Grants Team matches them against its funds' criteria and invites the strongest matched EOIs to make a full application, sending a link to the application form at least a month before the application deadline
If invited, complete the online application form and attach your supporting documents by the full application deadline (5pm on 2 March 2027 for Round 3)
The Grants Team completes due diligence checks and shares applications with Fund-holders, who make the final decision; your application may be considered by several funds
Decisions are notified by the date given for the round (week of 26 April 2027 for Round 3)
If funded, submit an End of Grant report on your project

You do not need to research the Foundation's funds or name a fund; one EOI is matched to all suitable funds.

Main Grants Round 2 (2026-27) EOIs closed on 2 July 2026 and is at the invited-application stage; the following round, Round 1 (2027-28), takes EOIs from 1 March to 13 April 2027.

Some of the Foundation's Area Funds offer separate small grants of up to £2,500; email grants@cfsurrey.org.uk with your location to ask.

Have ready

Governing document / constitution
Financial policy
Most recent Report and Accounts (if on the Charity Commission website you need not submit them, but say so)
A recent bank statement no older than three months, with transactions redacted
Safeguarding policy and procedures
A quote, if applying for larger capital costs

If your Report and Accounts are older than 12 months, the Foundation will require an update on your financial position.

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