The Leeds Fund Small grants

Key information

• We actively welcome more applications from and/or benefitting people under-represented in our grant making: LGBTQIA+, racially minoritised, d/Deaf or disabled people. We plan to award at least 20% of the available funds to applications that support these communities.
• Organisations must have an income over £75,000 and under £150,000 in the most recent financial year to be eligible for this fund. Smaller organisations should apply for The Leeds Fund Microgrants.
• Activity must be based in Leeds, and applicants must be based in, or have a demonstrable connection to, Leeds communities.
• Only one application per organisation/group can be considered per round.

Examples of activity that can be funded

• Organisational development aimed at increasing your organisation’s capacity and/or developing strategies
• One-off projects or expanding existing activity
• Activity that will make your group or organisation stronger, such as training for staff and volunteers, time for policy or process development, employability programmes, consultations on areas like marketing, and testing new activity.
• Work on issues that are important to your community, such as: developing health and wellbeing; providing new experiences; creating safe and friendly communities; learning new skills.

These are just examples however. You will know best what is needed for you to support and empower your communities, and we welcome applications for a wide range of activities. Priority will be given to applications that will develop organisational resilience.

What can’t be funded?

• Activity and costs that have already taken place
• Activity which might be regarded as discriminatory and/or excludes some people without good justification
• Activity that promotes a particular political or religious point of view
• Activity primarily for the benefit of animals
• Capital appeals for building projects
• Grant-making to other organisations and/or individuals, or applications from individuals
• Statutory organisations or activity
• Overseas organisations, expeditions or overseas travel

Who can apply?

• 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 annual income is less than £10,000 and the grant wouldn’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.
• Small groups without a constitution (however, if you have at least 3 members and an annual income of less than £10,000 you might be eligible to apply for a Microgrant)

All constituted (with a formal document explaining the purpose of your group and how it is organised) organisations, regardless of size and structure, 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 (you can find information and advice on writing a safeguarding children policy here, and a safeguarding adults policy here)

You should consider

• Full Cost Recovery, including a relevant portion of management costs and overheads
• Paying at least the real Living Wage for any staff
• How your costs may increase during the timeframe of the grant, for example making sure you budget for pay increases each year
• How to ensure the activity is fully inclusive and accessible for your communities, particularly during the cost of living crisis (for example providing transport, food, childcare)
• Any relevant insurance (for example for public events), health and safety, food handling and preparation, and other local and national statutory regulations for your activity

Please note we have limited funding available and we’re not able to fund every application we receive. We expect to be able to fund around 10-20 applications. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The decision made by the grants panel is final.

Before you start your application, please read our full grant-making process and our guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in applications and reporting.

To start your application, click on the ‘Start a new application’ button at the top of this page.

If you have any questions, we’re happy to help on 0113 242 2426 or grants@leedscf.org.uk.