Grants process explained

Your organisation’s size, structure and governance will determine how much funding you can apply for. 

 Eligible for grants over £5,000: 

• • Incorporated not-for-profit organisations (e.g. CIO, CIC limited by guarantee, charitable companies) registered with the Charity Commission, Companies House or FCA Mutuals Public Register. 

• • Registered charities that aren’t an incorporated structure. These cannot use grants for PAYE staff, only freelancers. 

Eligible for grants of £5,000 or less: 

• • Incorporated not-for-profit organisations (e.g. CIO, CIC limited by guarantee, charitable companies) registered with the Charity Commission, Companies House or FCA Mutuals Public Register. 

• • Registered charities that aren’t an incorporated structure. These cannot use grants for PAYE staff, only self-employed workers. 

• • Small unincorporated and unregistered organisations – if your organisation’s annual income is less than £10,000 and the grant doesn’t push income above £10,000 in the current financial year. 

Not eligible for grants:  

• • For-profit, overseas and statutory (e.g. schools and hospitals) organisations or activities.  

All applicants must have: 

• • A minimum of three unrelated trustees/committee members/directors, with none registered as Persons with Significant Control. 

• • A governing document showing how your group is managed (e.g. constitution, memorandum and articles of association) with a dissolution clause/asset lock that ensures the organisation is fully constituted as not-for-profit. 

• • A bank account in the organisation’s name with at least two unrelated signatories, and at least two signatories required to authorise all transactions. 

• • Financial accounts that clearly show the organisation’s gross income. Or, if you’re a new organisation, an income and expenditure report. This should include details of any assets and reserves, as well as policies relating to them. We don’t accept draft accounts unless the criteria states otherwise.

• • Relevant safeguarding policies if working with children or vulnerable adults. 
     

If you’re still unsure, use our eligibility checker and view the specific criteria for each grant. You can book a 1:1 support call to ask our team any questions about your governance and eligibility here.

Visit our open grants page to see what funding you can apply for and what grants are coming up. Click through to each grant page for more information on what can be funded, guidance and criteria, and application deadlines.

When you’re ready to apply for a grant, you need to complete an application through our grants portal. The online application will ask you a few brief questions (we include word counts) about your proposed activity and budget. This is your opportunity to tell us why your activity is a great fit for the grant. You’ll also need to attach the following documents to your application: 

• • List of trustees/committee members/directors and CEO/equivalent, noting if any are related or living at the same address. 

• • Financial accounts that clearly show the organisation’s gross income. Or, if you’re a new organisation, an income and expenditure report. This should include details of any assets and reserves, as well as policies relating to them. We don’t accept draft accounts unless the criteria states otherwise.

• • Governing document showing how your group is managed (e.g. constitution, memorandum and articles of association).

• • Three quotes for capital expenditure items of £500 or more, if applicable. 

• • Safeguarding policies and procedures. 

Make sure you read our guidance on the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in applications and reporting and our example applications for activity and core cost funding before starting your application. 

A trained grants assessor reviews every application against the following checks. We may contact you if we need more information to support your application. 

• • Are your governance documents correct for your organisation’s size and structure?
  • Are your finance documents prepared appropriately? 
  • Does your organisation’s work and proposed activity meet the priorities of the programme? 
  • Is it clear that your organisation has the capacity to deliver the activity? 
  • Although not always essential, does your organisation have any experience in delivering similar activities? 
  • Is your activity well planned and does it allow you to do what you want to do and when? 
  • Does your budget align with the proposed activities?

Applications are reviewed by a grants panel made up of experts and people with lived experience relevant to the programme. The panel, delegated by Leeds Community Foundation’s trustees, will decide which funding is granted – with every decision ratified by the board. Panels typically meet 8-10 weeks after the application deadline. 

You’ll typically receive an email with the outcome of your application 10-12 weeks after the deadline.

If successful, you’ll need to: 

• • Fulfil any conditions in your offer email. 
  • Sign and return your funding agreement. 
  • Provide a recent bank statement (if you haven’t before).

If it’s your first grant from us, we’ll contact the referee you provided in your application for a reference. Your grant will be paid within three weeks of these steps being completed.

If unsuccessful, you’ll receive personalised feedback from our panel. Don’t be disheartened, many unsuccessful applications are due to receiving more than we can fund.

After receiving your grant funding, you can get started with your activity. Our communications toolkit has guidance on how to communicate about your grant. 

For some grants, a member of our team might visit you, or you might be asked to attend check-in meetings or events. 

Make sure to get in touch with our dedicated grants team if you plan to make significant changes to your activity, or to reallocate your budget. 

Your funding agreement will include details for any online reports you need to complete for your grant, which help us learn about the outcomes and impact of your activity. You will access and complete your reports through our grants portal. Failing to complete your report may affect the outcome of your future applications. Reporting on your project is a great opportunity to reflect on your learnings and evaluate your outcomes and impact. 

Take a look at our grants support and resources page, where you can find resources to help you with reporting and evaluation.