GrantRadar

South West Water

Better Futures Fund

Community grants of £2,000 to £15,000 from South West Water (part of the Pennon Group's £5m Better Futures Fund) for not-for-profit groups, charities, CICs and schools in South West Water's service area. Projects must involve nature and the environment, education, community, or support for vulnerable people. Applications are made through the ActionFunder platform, where a project profile is matched automatically to the fund, and South West Water's committee reviews applications quarterly. The current round is open until 31 December 2026; at least £169,000 a year is awarded in the South West Water region.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£2,000 – £15,000
Deadline
74 days left
31 December
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Organisations located within South West Water's service area: schools, colleges or academies; registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations; constituted groups or clubs; Community Interest Companies (CICs); and local community groups such as cricket clubs, allotment groups, scout groups and garden clubs
  • ActionFunder lists eligible types as community groups or other informal groups, registered charities, and social enterprises or community businesses
  • Profit-making businesses, individuals and applicants under 18 cannot apply
  • Funding is given once every 12 months per organisation, and a project unsuccessful in the same financial year cannot reapply

What it funds

Projects that involve one or more of:

  • Nature and the environment (projects and organisations that directly impact and protect nature for the benefit of community health and wellbeing)
  • Education (new opportunities to help people of all ages grow and develop)
  • Community (groups that bring people together to create a sense of purpose within communities)
  • Vulnerability (organisations providing care and support to people who need extra help)

The ActionFunder fund page also names physical activity, education, health and wellbeing and environmental impact as focus areas.

Eligible costs include equipment hire and purchase, skills and training, employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project, and professional fees (e.g. builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency).

Funded projects are to be delivered by 31 March 2027.

What it will not fund

  • Applications submitted by a person aged under 18
  • Commercial businesses that make a profit (e.g. limited company, sole trader)
  • Individuals
  • Organisations and projects based outside South West Water's service area
  • Projects where South West Water is not the majority funder and further funding is needed to complete
  • Retrospective costs - only new projects are funded
  • Projects with a political or religious purpose (religious organisations can be funded if the project benefits the wider community and has no religious content)
  • Projects that have been unsuccessful with an application in the same financial year (April to April)

How to apply

  1. Click 'Apply Now' and create a free profile on ActionFunder (sign up and set up your organisation profile)
  2. Create a project application outlining what you need the funding for and the expected impact (written pitch; a 90-second video pitch is encouraged but not required)
  3. Your project is automatically submitted to the funds whose eligibility criteria it meets, including Better Futures
  4. The Better Futures Committee reviews applications quarterly
  5. If successful, accept the funding invitation sent through ActionFunder and provide further due diligence information before the grant is transferred

Applications close on 31 December 2026. Not hearing back does not mean you were unsuccessful - applications may be revisited at a future review; declined applicants get an email.

Grant sizes vary - ask for what your project truly needs, and South West Water must be the majority funder.

Have ready

Note: No documents are listed for the application itself; successful applicants are asked for further due diligence information before payment.

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