The Shears Foundation

Shears Foundation Small Grants Programme

A family foundation's small grants programme for charitable organisations with an income under £1.5 million working in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, the former Harrogate District, the City of York, the City of Bradford or Greater Manchester. Grants of £3,000 to £6,300 can cover project or core costs, including staff and overheads, in the Foundation's priority areas of arts and culture, education, the natural environment, stronger communities, and health and medicine. Applicants must have a phone or Zoom call with the Foundation Administrator before applying; applications are taken at any time and decided quarterly (next cut-off 30 November 2026).

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £3,000 – £6,300; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

UK organisations with charitable purposes and an annual income under £1.5 million: registered charities, Community Interest Companies, Community Benefit Societies and exempt charities (a non-charity must show clear charitable purpose including a constitutional asset lock)
Not individuals
The organisation must be governed by at least three unconnected trustees or directors, normally need two or more people to authorise payments, have a proportionate safeguarding policy, not be under statutory investigation, and be a going concern
Work must be in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland (around 55-60% of grants), the former Harrogate District, the City of York, the City of Bradford or Greater Manchester; national organisations doing specific work in these areas are normally considered
Faith groups can apply for secular work with wider community benefit
New applicants are welcome; previous successful grantees with good monitoring score higher

What it funds

Project and core costs, including staffing and operational overheads (and lease/rent costs), for work in one of the priority areas:

The development of culture and the arts
Educational opportunities for adults and/or children
Protection, preservation or enhancement of the natural environment
Creating stronger, better, more sustainable communities
Promoting health and medicine, with an emphasis on research or education

Trustees look more favourably on work funded from a range of sources or where the grant covers the full cost of a single piece of work, and on collaborative work with other groups.

The scoring system also rewards applications that address the cost of living crisis, fit several priority areas, and show sensible free reserves (3-6 months' operating costs scores highest).

What it will not fund

Capital projects: buying, refurbishing or significantly repairing buildings or land, major outdoor works, vehicles, larger equipment, computers and computer systems, software, web development, collections and acquisitions
Requests below £3,000 or above £6,300
Individuals
Organisations with an income over £1.5m that the Foundation has no existing relationship with
Organisations with fewer than three unconnected/unrelated trustees or directors
Work that advances or promotes a particular religion or faith (faith groups may apply for secular work with wider community benefit)
Work outside Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, the former Harrogate District, the City of York, the City of Bradford and Greater Manchester
Charities working overseas, unless the Foundation is currently supporting them (from 1 March 2026)
Hospices
Domestic pets (charities using animals for medical/care support may be considered)
Organisations under any kind of statutory investigation
Applicants who have not had a phone or Zoom call with the Foundation before applying
Organisations registered outside the UK, unless there are special circumstances

How to apply

Check the priority areas, exclusions, grant-making policy and published scoring system on the How to apply page
Book a phone or Zoom call with Carla Greenwood, Foundation Administrator (07860 131297, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, or via the booking link on the home page) - applications without a prior call are not considered
Register on the website ('Get started' / 'Am I eligible for funding?') to access the online application form (a preview is available)
Complete the online form: organisation details, expenditure and free reserves, the work to be funded, priority areas, need, beneficiaries, environmental impact, diversity/equality/inclusion, outcomes, costs and bank details, and upload the required documents
Applications that score highly enough are considered by trustees at the end of the quarter; successful grantees complete a monitoring and learning form

Applications can be made at any time. Quarterly cut-offs are 31 May, 31 August, 30 November and 28/29 February; the current quarter's cut-off is 30 November 2026, with decisions in December and early January. Later applications roll into the next quarter.

Call slots book up in the last week before a deadline, so book early in the quarter.

Success rate for the small grants programme in 2025/26 was 35%.

Have ready

Bank statement
Most recent financial statements/accounts
Safeguarding policy

The online form also asks for an environmental impact statement, an equality, diversity and inclusion statement, and confirmation that the organisation is not under statutory investigation.

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.