GrantRadar

Portal Trust

Portal Trust Grants for Organisations

The Portal Trust funds charities, schools and other education providers for educational projects that help young Londoners under 25 from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds, in its 14 inner London boroughs. Grants are made under six themes (Missing Out, Next Steps, Scholarships & Bursaries, New Ideas, Stepping Up, Portal Network), with projects typically costing £5,000-£100,000 and theme grants usually £25,000-£35,000 a year for one to three years. Applications go through an Expression of Interest, an invited second stage and a Grants Committee that meets in March, June and October; the process can take eight months or more.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£5,000 – £100,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • UK registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations, Community Interest Companies, social enterprises, education establishments (registered as charities or exempt), hospitals and hospices
  • For-profit companies and unregistered organisations cannot apply
  • The project must support children or young people under 25 from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds or areas of high deprivation, with all or some beneficiaries from the Trust's area of benefit - the 14 inner London boroughs of Camden, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster and the City of London - and align with at least one funding theme
  • Organisations whose application is rejected must wait 12 months before reapplying

What it funds

Educational projects for young people under 25 from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds that align with at least one of six themes:

  • Missing Out (helping young people at risk of disengaging from education - e.g. in PRUs, YOIs, hospitals, care or the justice system - re-engage with learning)
  • Next Steps (vocational, creative or alternative pathways into education, training and employment)
  • Scholarships & Bursaries (charities and further/higher education institutions removing financial barriers to education
  • 3-year grants)
  • New Ideas (testing innovative approaches that influence education policy and practice)
  • Stepping Up (arts, sports, environmental, educational, faith or community enrichment that builds confidence, resilience, soft skills and social responsibility outside formal education)
  • Portal Network (the Trust's partner organisations and those collaborating with them)

Budgets can include monitoring and evaluation, salaries (with inflation for multi-year grants), reasonable overheads and explained in-kind costs.

What it will not fund

  • Projects that don't align with the Trust's funding priorities
  • General fundraising appeals or campaigns
  • Supplementary schools
  • Youth or community groups not directly linked to the Trust's focus areas
  • Equipment or staff costs that local authorities or central Government should fund
  • Projects seeking to replace reduced or withdrawn statutory funding
  • Activities or work that have already taken place before applying
  • Costs already covered by other funding or grants
  • Capital costs solely for buying or repairing buildings, vehicles, sports gear, or improving school grounds
  • For-profit companies and unregistered organisations
  • Organisations rejected in the last 12 months

How to apply

  1. Read the Grants Strategy 2026+ and the theme pages, then take the online eligibility quiz
  2. Optionally contact the Trust (hello@portaltrust.org, 020 7480 5884) to check fit; staff cannot review drafts
  3. Complete the online Expression of Interest form for the theme your project addresses (it cannot be edited after submission)
  4. The Trust aims to contact you within four to six weeks if anything needs clarifying
  5. If your project is a good fit, you may be invited to submit a second-stage application, using the Trust's budget template
  6. The Grants Team may arrange a visit or conversation, then presents your application to the Grants Committee (meets March, June and October)

The process can take eight months or more and consideration at a specific meeting cannot be guaranteed.

If rejected, wait at least 12 months from the rejection date before reapplying.

Have ready

  • Expression of Interest form
  • Budget using the Trust's budget template (second stage)

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