The fund is open to grassroots charities and community groups working with disadvantaged teenagers. Grants of £500 to £1,000 can be used to support a wide range of activities, including emotional and mental health support, essential items, awareness-raising, and projects that build peer connections or promote physical health and wellbeing.
Funding is open to UK charities, voluntary organisations and schools and can be used for a wide range of purposes, including equipment, capital works, and project or core costs. Previous grants have supported things like residential and respite care, play and therapy schemes, employment and skills projects, family support, independent living initiatives, and community-based activities.
Another Way Women’s Foundation is offering grants of up to £5,000 for projects that support women in business and girls in science education. The funding is open to UK-based individuals and not-for-profit organisations and can be used to support pilot projects or service delivery. There’s also a smaller grant option of £1,000, aimed at more concise project ideas.
As we move into 2026, Sharon reflects on the growing pressures facing the VCSEF sector, from rising costs and reduced funding to fewer volunteers and increasing demand for services. Nationally, many charities are scaling back, and locally in Wolverhampton long-established groups are feeling the strain, raising important questions about how small grassroots organisations can be supported now and in the future. Sharon highlights the vital preventative role the sector plays across health and social care and makes a clear call for action to match the rhetoric around civil society. She also invites colleagues to continue the conversation at the next VCSEF Alliance Meeting.
Here’s an update from The National Lottery Heritage Fund on their current funding, including a number of resources for those interested in applying.