Unrestricted Core Cost Grant Funding For UK Charities & CICs

A grants list of UK core cost funding for charities and CICs.  Unrestricted grants for core costs and salaries. Use the Core Cost funding search category in the free Funding Finder directory to find far more.  It has 200+.  This guide also explains the meaning and benefits of core funding grants, with examples, and the difference between restricted and unrestricted funds.

What is the Meaning of Charity Core Costs?

Core cost grants are funding for charity and CIC running costs, such as salaries and other overhead costs that don't appeal to many grant makers, such as rent, utilities, staff wages and other general running costs.

What Does Restricted Funds Versus Unrestricted Funds Mean?

Restricted funds are grant funding that may only be spent on specific activities and not any other cost, such as general salaries, although many grant makers will allow a small proportion of funding to be use for core costs.  Examples of unrestricted funds are grants that may be used for any project or activity and also for general running costs, such as salaries.

Why are the Benefits of Core Grant Funding for Charities and CICs?

Often referred to as unrestricted grants, core cost funding for charities is critical to pay salaries and keep the lights on.  The much more common project grants may include a percentage of core funding but charities often struggle to cover their general salaries and running costs with this.  Core funding grants also enables charities and CICs to fund projects that may have significant impact but not be attractive to funders and to apply funding more flexibly.

How Do I Find Far More Charity Core Cost Funding Grants?

Use Funding Finder, to find a huge range of UK grants - its Core Funding search category has 200 grant makers and Help Finder to find lots of companies that make donations to charities.

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UK Charity Core Cost Funding - Unrestricted Grants List

This list is a selection of the 250 core cost grant funding for charities and CICs from the free Funding Finder grants directory.  You can also filter your searches by cause and location to get a list of core funding specific to your charity or CIC.

1. A B Charitable Trust- small to medium-sized registered UK Charities that defend human rights and promote respect for vulnerable individuals in the UK; most grants £10k - £20k.
2. Albert Hunt Trust– charities with income under £250k, capital, core/running costs, hospice, homeless, health & wellbeing, UK wide, not overseas.
3. Allen Lane Foundation- small grants for start-up, core or project costs.
4. Ashley Family Foundation- projects protecting rural communities and encouraging participation in the arts, particularly that of textiles, in England and Wales; core costs, including salaries.
5. Bailey Thomas Charitable Fund - to assist with the care and relief of those affected by learning disability in the UK. Funding for both specific projects and general running and core costs.
6. Bank of Scotland Foundation – Invest programme Programme- registered charities working to address social exclusion and social disadvantage, between £20k - £40k pa, over 2-5 years.
7. BBC Children In Need- will only fund direct project costs (not full cost recovery), but can include salaries, volunteer expenses, building hire costs and travel costs.
8. Blagrave Foundation- core focus is the 14-25 years age group. Main geographic area is in the South of England across Berkshire, Hampshire, Sussex and Wiltshire.
9. Bromley Trust - tends to provide unrestricted support (core funding) to specialist UK registered charities working in the areas of human rights and prison reform.

UK Core Cost Funding Grants Cont'd

1. Tesco Community Grants - Projects that benefit the community - from improving community buildings and outdoor spaces to buying new equipment, training coaches or volunteers and hosting community events - £1,500, £1,000 or £500.
2. The Fore - up to £30,000, with the potential to have a transformational impact, particularly for small organisations working with marginalised groups and led by people in the community that may have found it hard to access grant funding in the past. Registered charities or CICs, with income less than £500,000 pa.
3. Thomas Wall Trust - Up £5,000 to support literacy, numeracy, digital and additional skills for learning likely to assist employment prospects. Registered charities, with income under £0.5m pa.
4. Triangle Trust 1949 Fund - Two grant rounds each year – one for work supporting young carers/young adult carers and one for work supporting young people with criminal convictions. Grant funding of up to £60,000 over two years is available.
5. Trusthouse Charitable Foundation - Small Grants (up to £10,000) and Major Grants (up to £100,0000) programmes. For both programmes, organisations need to be based in or working in the most deprived areas.
6. Tudor Trust - Smaller community-led groups that support people at the margins of society in the UK. Normally £10k plus, for up to 3 years. Will consider grants to help strengthen your organisation and may consider making short-term loans and multi-year grants.
7. Tweed Family Charitable Foundation - Registered non profits with an turnover under £1m pa. Support for community and educational projects that inspire socially disadvantaged young people to achieve their full potential, through mentoring, education and community activities. Will fund multi-year and core costs.
8. Virgin Community Anchors Fund - Organisations that support their local community in the NE of England; grants of between £10,000 and £30,000. The funds can be used for core costs, to continue to pay for existing work or to design and launch a new activity. The award can be spread over 1, 2 or 3 years.
9. Volant Trust - Primarily Scotland - social deprivation, with a particular emphasis on supporting women, children and young people at risk; projects and core costs. Multi-year awards (for up to 3 years) of up to £15,000 pa.

Core Cost Funding Grants Cont'd

1. Weaver's Company Benevolent Fund- smaller UK based charities working with young offenders, prisoners and ex-prisoners, and young disadvantaged people, especially those at risk of criminal involvement. Will consider innovative projects, pump-priming funding and core costs.
2. Whitely Animal Protection Trust- most grants up to £25k. Will consider essential core funding to smaller charities finding it hard to maintain their activities.
3. William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust- one-off grants to UK registered charities based in Birmingham or West Midlands. Will consider core costs.
4. Woodroffe Benton Foundation- smaller UK registered charities for relief of hardship; care for the elderly; environment and conservation. Up to £2.5k.
5. Woodward Charitable Trust– core costs, small to medium charities, children, disability, disadvantaged women and families, prisoners, minority groups.
6. YAPP Charitable Trust- core costs and existing work, registered charities, with income £40k.
7. Zurich Community Trust - Local grant programmes around Birmingham, Fareham, Farnborough, Gloucestershire, Glasgow, Leeds and Swindon. Fund a range of issues including supporting carers, special needs children and young people, older people, those with disabilities, counselling and homeless people. Open to funding specific running costs, such as salaries, purchases or project costs.

Core Funding Grants for CIC Companies

To create a core funding list for your CIC, select the Social Enterprise search category in the People and Groups pull down menu and the Core Funding category in the Sector & Type pull down menu, this will give you a list of grant funding for either CICs or core funding.  If you choose 'All selected category' in the Any or All Selected Categories pull down menu it will create a list of funders that make grants to CICs and who also make core funding grants. You can select locations, such as UK Wide, your UK Country and major UK cities and/or English counties to refine your search even more.

How To Find Even More UK Grant Funding

• Funding Finder - with categories for Core Cost Funding and Small Charities & Community Groups.
• Help Finder – find anything for free, including companies that make financial donations and raffle prizes.
• Data Finder – for fundraising bids & research, impact reporting, planning and campaigning.

Plus, 100+downloadable funder lists, 40+ policies, 8 online health checks and the huge resource base.

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To access help and resources on anything to do with running a charity, including funding, click the AI Bunny icon in the bottom right of your screen and ask it short questions, including key words.  Register, then login and the in-system AI Bunny is able to write funding bids and download 60+ charity policy templates as well.