Islington Giving / Cripplegate Foundation

Disability Fund

Small grants of up to £3,000 from Islington Giving (run by Cripplegate Foundation) to help organisations serving Islington residents become more inclusive, so that disabled people can take part in arts, culture, sport and community activities. Money can pay for 1:1 support workers or volunteer expenses, disability awareness training, disability advisors, accessible communications, equipment and, in limited cases, small physical access works. It is rolling, with no deadline, and decisions come within weeks. Groups that already have a relationship with Islington Giving or Cripplegate are prioritised; new groups are asked to get in touch first.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £3,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Organisations whose work benefits people resident in the London Borough of Islington
Cripplegate's funding FAQs list eligible types as registered charities, CIOs, charitable companies, social enterprises, registered CICs, constituted organisations, and unincorporated organisations with a management committee of at least three people
The Disability Fund application form says you need at least three unrelated people on your management committee
Priority goes to groups with an existing relationship with Islington Giving or Cripplegate Foundation, and new groups are asked to contact the team before applying
No income limit is stated for this fund
Organisations that have had a Disability Fund grant can apply once more for repeat funding, at least a year later, and must show what they did to find other funding

What it funds

Costs that remove barriers stopping disabled people (anyone with a physical disability, learning disability and/or mental ill-health) from using an organisation's services in Islington. Examples:

A support worker, or volunteer expenses, to give 1:1 support to an individual or group so they can take part in a service, opportunity or activity
Disability awareness or inclusion training for staff
Recruiting disability advisors or consultants
Reviewing and adapting communications so disabled people are represented and welcomed
Equipment that lets disabled people, including people with hearing impairments, take part

In limited circumstances, small-scale physical access improvements or building adaptations up to the value of the grant (discuss with the team before applying).

The whole grant must be spent on resourcing inclusivity.

Past grants include £3,000 for a 6-month 1:1 support pilot (Talk for Health), £3,000 for technology and internet access (Single Homeless Project) and £250 for SEN staff training (Kanga).

What it will not fund

Administration costs for the organisation (the whole grant must be spent on inclusivity)
Contributions to large capital projects
Work that does not benefit Islington residents
Political parties or political lobbying
Religious bodies where the money would be used for religious purposes or promotion of religion
Individuals (except through Cripplegate's identified partners)
Medical or academic research
Costs already incurred or projects that have already taken place
Residential care services or residential facilities
General appeals
Trips or outings (unless part of a bigger project)
Debts
A further application within a year of a previous Disability Fund grant (one repeat grant is possible, with evidence of efforts to find other funding)

How to apply

Read the Disability Fund guidance for applicants
If you are new to Islington Giving/Cripplegate, or want to apply for physical access or building adaptation costs, contact the Programme team first (020 7288 6942, grants@cripplegate.org.uk)
Complete the 2-page application via the online Google Form, or download the Word form and email it to grants@cripplegate.org.uk
Have a follow-up conversation with Islington Giving staff to clarify your application
If successful, sign and return the offer email's terms and conditions so funds can be released
After the grant, report on how the funds were spent and share learning, case studies or other public examples of your work

No deadline; applications are considered as they arrive.

New organisations, or those not funded in the last two years, face extra due diligence, which can lengthen the decision time.

Have ready

Application form (online or Word)
Breakdown of the proposed costs (in the form)
Most recent annual accounts, or a summary of income and expenditure for the last financial year
Constitution or governing document (new applicants, or those not funded for two years or more)
Recent bank statement (new applicants, or those not funded for two years or more)

New or lapsed applicants also describe their safeguarding approach, risk management and insurance cover in the form.

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.