Ballinger Charitable Trust

Ballinger Charitable Trust grants

Grants from the Ballinger Charitable Trust for charities, CICs and community groups with a permanent base in North East England that work with children and young people (0-19, or up to 25 with SEN) or older people (over 55). About 95% of grants are unrestricted, and the typical award is £10,000 to £20,000 a year for an initial 2-3 years, with smaller grants for start-ups. The Trust gives about £4.5m a year but 98% is committed to existing long-term grantees, so the success rate is about 1 in 50 (2%); the online application takes about 5 minutes.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Amount not specified; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises and CICs with a permanent base in North East England, using the funding to support young people (0-19, or up to 25 with SEN) or older people (over 55) in the region
CICs are supported only if they have a credible enterprise model with a demonstrable income stream and strong, independent governance
Priority goes to organisations based in the heart of disadvantaged communities with long-term relationships with the people they serve
The Trust tries to spread funding proportionally across the North East's 12 local authority areas
No income limits are stated
Very few new grantees are taken on each year, as most funding goes to existing long-term relationships

What it funds

Unrestricted/core funding (the Trust's preference; 95% of grants) or project/capital funding for charitable organisations supporting young or older people in the North East. Young people: organisations supporting the health, development and well-being of children and young people aged 0-19 (25 with SEN), with priority to those working within and based in the heart of a community experiencing disadvantage, with open-access, long-term relationships with their young people; in practice only organisations delivering a wide range of general youth activities. Older people (over 55):

Local community groups, prioritising more disadvantaged areas including rural or coastal isolation
Dementia support and advice
Support for serious health inequalities such as sight loss, hearing loss and cancer
Family carers

Multi-year, core, weekly activities or larger grants for new dementia support are all considered.

Typical grants are £10,000 to £20,000 a year for 2-3 years, with smaller grants to start-up organisations.

The Trust also runs community micro-grant events for volunteer-led groups with local infrastructure organisations.

What it will not fund

Uniformed groups
School-based projects
Youth organisations with a narrow focus such as arts or sport (only general youth work is funded)
Applications from, or on behalf of, individuals
Organisations without a permanent base in North East England
Non-charitable purposes
CICs without a credible enterprise model, demonstrable income stream and strong independent governance

How to apply

Check the priorities on the home page and the basic eligibility on the Check Eligibility & Apply page (permanent North East base, supporting young or older people)
On the Check Eligibility & Apply page, select your organisation type and enter your postcode
Complete the short online form for either the Unrestricted / Core Grant (about 5 minutes) or the Project / Capital Grant; you receive a copy by email
The Trust researches your website, latest annual report and accounts and social media
If you fit its priorities and it has funding available, the Trust visits and may ask for follow-up written information
Trustees finalise awards at quarterly meetings, usually March, June, September and December
If funded, provide light-touch annual reporting, based on your latest published annual report

The Trust cannot arrange pre-application meetings but attends funding fairs and meet-the-funder events.

Volunteer-led groups may be reached through micro-grant events run with local infrastructure organisations rather than the online form.

The success rate is about 2% (Q2 2026: 117 applications received, 3 funded).

Have ready

Note: No attachments are listed for the initial application; the Trust uses your published annual report, accounts and website, and may ask for more information only at the visit stage.

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