Cheshire Community Foundation’s Small Grants Programme in the UK

Deadline: 10-Aug-25

Applications are now open for the Cheshire Community Foundation’s Small Grants Programme.

Focus Areas

• No Poverty
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • helps people improve their financial skills and resilience, if they’re in a vulnerable financial position
    • builds awareness of how to access financial support to which you may be entitled, or responsible sources of finance to turn to
    • helps people build skills for work, or to gain experience which will help them move closer to a job
    • helps create equal access to services which can help people save money.
• Zero Hunger
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • Builds awareness of and access to sources of affordable, healthy food across Cheshire and Warrington for those who are financially vulnerable
    • Helps people access emergency food support when they need it
    • Helps to build cooking and growing skills where people feel this will help them to eat well with the resources they have.
• Reduced Inequalities
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • empowers and promotes inclusion and equity for everyone in Cheshire and Warrington.
• Good Health and Wellbeing
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • helps people experiencing or supporting those are living in addiction
    • helps people living with long-term health conditions to cope with the challenges their condition creates for accessing services, finding support or taking part in activities to improve a sense of wellbeing
    • helps unpaid carers of any age
    • supports people experiencing mental health challenges
• Quality Education
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • helps to remove barriers which may be facing children and young people when it comes to being ready for school, accessing their education and being in a fit state to learn
    • helps young people grow their sense of aspiration for the future
    • helps to grow skills for employment and entrepreneurship in Cheshire and Warrington.
• Climate Action
  • They’re keen to fund work which:
    • helps grassroots community organisations use nature to support better wellbeing.

Funding Information

• The maximum grant you can apply for under this programme is £2500

Eligibility Criteria

• To apply for a grant, you must meet the minimum requirements. That means you must:
  • Be a non-profit organisation with its own constitution or other governance document.
  • Show them your governance: you must be able to provide:
    • Copies of your constitution or governing document (if your organisation is a community interest company, your governance document should describe your asset lock)
    • And your most recent set of annual accounts or (if you’re a new organisation) your financial plan for the year
    • And a bank statement for your organisation dated within the last three months
    • And your safeguarding policies.
  • Have well-run finances and be able to tell them about your reserves (they look for 3-12 months of free reserves, but if your organisation doesn’t have this, you’ll need to show them your healthy cashflow) and financial procedures which are right for your size of organisation. This must include at least two, unrelated, signatories for payments.
  • Name your key people: you must have at least three unrelated trustees, committee members or directors, depending on your constituted structure.

Ineligibility Criteria

• They can’t fund:
  • Work which isn’t for the benefit of people living in the local authority areas of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington, delivered locally.
  • Organisations providing statutory services such as nursery schools, schools, parish councils or hospitals, or for-profit business.
  • Activities which are primarily about delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage or National Curriculum.
  • Counselling or other mental health therapeutic activities unless delivered by qualified, BACP-registered or accredited professionals using an established ethical framework.

For more information, visit Cheshire Community Foundation.