Children, young people and families

Asda Foundation - U18 Better Starts Grant

Please note the closing date for applications is Friday 24 May 2024 or once funding has been fully allocated

This grant is to help give children the best start in life, tackle poverty, inclusion and wellbeing.

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The John Watson Trust

Please note the closing dates for applications are Friday 24 May, Friday 26 July and Friday 25 October 2024

The Trust awards grants for educational purposes to children and young people under 21 who have a physical or learning disability or who are socially disadvantaged. The Trust operates primarily within Edinburgh and the Lothians, however, may also award grants Scotland-wide to eligible individuals and organisations that include schools, established charitable organisations and other groups supporting disadvantaged young people.

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NFU Mutual Charitable Trust - Funding for Rural Community and Education Projects

Please note the closing dates for applications are Friday 24 May and Friday 4 October 2024

Grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 are available for initiatives that support charities in the UK working in agriculture and rural development. The Trust focuses on providing funding to larger initiatives, which would have a significant impact on the rural community. The Trustees are particularly interested in initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas.

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The Toy Trust Fund

Please note the closing dates for applications are June, August and November 2024

Grants up to £5,000 are available to registered charities to fund equipment and services to support disabled and disadvantaged children under the age of 13 across the UK. The Toy Trust fund helps disadvantaged children and their families to alleviate suffering; support children through awful experiences; encourage achievement through adversity. Groups that have carried out some form of effective fundraising by themselves are particularly encouraged to apply.

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The Adamson Trust

Please note the closing dates for applications are Sunday 30 June and Monday 30 September 2024

Funding is available for the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children with physical, mental, or emotional impairments. To be eligible, the child must be a resident in the UK, between the ages of 3 and 17, and the Trust requires evidence of their disability or illness from a medical or social services professional. Grants from the Trust usually only cover a portion of the holiday expenses.

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The Ironmongers' Company Grants

Please note the closing dates for applications are Wednesday 31 July and Sunday 15 December 2024

Grants of up to £10,000 for registered charities that work with disadvantaged children under the age of 25 with a particular interest in projects that provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people to fulfil their potential and educational activities that develop learning, motivation and skills. Preference will be given to projects piloting new approaches to disseminate the outcomes to a wider audience.

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Trefoil

Please note the closing date for applications is Friday 23 August 2024

Grants are available to support the core costs of registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations delivering projects and activities that support children with additional needs across Scotland. The fund supports projects that maximise the independence and capabilities of young people under the age of 25 who have special needs. This can include physical disability, caring obligations, other disadvantages or learning and psycho-social needs.

They do not normally fund organisations with a turnover of £500,000 or more.

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The7stars Foundation

Please note the closing date for applications is Saturday 31 August 2024

The7stars Foundation offers a range of grants to charities supporting young people, aged 16 years and under, across the UK. Targeted to further the potential and opportunity of children and young people who are surviving abuse, at risk of or experiencing homelessness, caring for a loved one, and challenged by addiction.

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Kelly Family Charitable Trust Grants

Please note the closing date for applications is Sunday 1 September 2024

Registered charities that work to tackle family problems or problems facing one or more of its members can apply for grants of up to £5,000. Funding is available for both capital and revenue grants as well as grants for core funding and projects based grants. The trust prefers to support charities whose income is below £500,000. However, larger charities with pioneering pilot projects will be considered.

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Cash for Kids Cost of Living Fund

Please note applications will close when all funding has been allocated

A new £1 million fund has been launched by Cash for Kids to support the UK’s most vulnerable families who have a genuine need for support and are suffering from disadvantage due to the crisis, allowing them to apply for grants of £50 per child which can be used for basic essentials such as food, heating, clothing, and school uniform. Service providers who support vulnerable children, including schools, social services, health professionals and charities, can apply on behalf of the families they work with.

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Cattanach Charitable Trust

Please note Trustees meet 4 times a year usually in February, May, August, November - please submit an application at least 8 weeks before

Grants up to £25,000 are available for charities that support
children from birth to three years old, who are affected by deprivation. They will fund project costs but prefer to support revenue streams such as funding for salaries.

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The British and Foreign Schools Society Main Fund

Please note this is a two-stage rolling application process

BFSS supports charitable organisations running UK and International projects to improve access to education or the quality of education for vulnerable or deprived children and young people under the age of 25. For UK projects, they will only consider applications that are specifically targeted towards:

  • Young people displaced by conflict
  • Young carers
  • Care experienced young people

Projects must be new and innovative interventions to improve their educational outcomes and life chances.

Grants of between £30,000 and £100,000 are available (maximum £30,000 per year for multi-year projects) to UK-registered charities with an annual income of between £5,000 and £2.5 million, and at least three years of continuous accounts.

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The Maple Trust

The focus of the Trust’s grant-making is now on Children and Young People – Scotland-wide. The Trust will consider applications for grants from UK charities with preference being given to charitable organisations operating from Scotland and with an annual income of less than £500,000.

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Chances for Children Grants

Buttle UK offers individually tailored grants of up to £2,400 for children and young people who have experienced a crisis that has recently had a significant and enduring impact on their wellbeing and educational engagement. Applications accepted from frontline professionals working for a registered charity.

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Young Start

Through Young Start the National Lottery Community Fund is offering funding from £20,001 to £100,000 to help children and young people aged eight to 24 across Scotland become more confident, so they can realise their own potential.

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Children in Need Core Grants

Grants up to £15,000 are available for not-for-profit organisations and up to £120,000 for registered charities supporting children and young people aged 18 or under.

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Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme

The Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances and is delivered by Family Fund Business Services. The programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing. Applications must be completed by a registered referrer who is part of an organisation supporting the family or young person and capable of assessing their needs. The
referrer’s organisation should be able to administer and supervise the grant on our behalf.

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Wooden Spoon Grants

Wooden Spoon funds projects that enhance and support the lives of children and young people with a cognitive age under 25 who are disadvantaged physically, mentally, or socially. The project must work directly with children and young people and have a positive influence on their lives through the activities or services provided.

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The Family Fund

The Family Fund is the largest charity in the UK to provide grants and information to families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people on a low income. They have two grant schemes available to provide support to those in that category most impacted by the recent steep rise in the cost of living. The Family Fund main grant scheme provides grants to parents of children for essential clothing, white goods, equipment, or family breaks, while the Your Opportunity programme helps fund things that can reduce the barriers faced by disabled young people.

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Youth Fund

Not-for-profit youth organisations supporting disadvantaged young people (aged 14 – 25) can apply for grants of up to £150,000 spread over three years to help young people who face complex transitions to adulthood. The purpose of the fund is to help youth organisations to sustain or expand their work. The funding is available to support the core operating costs of the applicant organisation. Examples of what can be funded include developing volunteers; additional fundraising or income generation capacity; and upgrading IT systems or websites to reach young people online.

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Displacement Education Fund

The British & Foreign School Society (BFSS) Displacement Education Fund addresses specific challenges that children and young people who have been displaced by conflict face in accessing quality education both internationally and in the UK. Grants of up to £60,000 to registered charities, schools and educational establishments, and grants of up to £20,000 to other not-for-profit community organisations for projects that support displaced children and young people living in the UK.

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Paul Hamlyn Foundation Youth Fund

Not-for-profit youth organisations supporting disadvantaged young people (aged 14 – 25) can apply for grants of up to £150,000 spread over three years to help young people who face complex transitions to adulthood. The purpose of the fund is to help youth organisations to sustain or expand their work. The funding is available to support the core operating costs of the applicant organisation. Examples of what can be funded include developing volunteers; additional fundraising or income generation capacity; upgrading IT systems or websites to reach young people online; etc.

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The Cosaraf Charitable Foundation

Please note applications can be made at any time and are assessed every six weeks

The foundation provides funding of up to £2,000 to social organisations for local projects across the UK that help strengthen communities, enable young people to realise their potential and empower women and girls. Supporting individuals and families who are struggling with everyday costs such as basic living expenses, household items and utilities, work- or education-related expenses, or rent arrears. Priority will be given to the most financially excluded people, families, those with caring responsibilities, and to items that will make the most difference to the individual/family’s long-term future.

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The Family Recovery Initiative Fund (FRIF)

The fund offers one-off grants of up to £5,000 to groups that support families affected by alcohol and drugs in Scotland. The following is a range of examples of what has been funded through the FRIF: weekly rent for premises, travel expenses, digital inclusion, printing costs, kinship carer group activities, art therapy, equine therapy, kinship carer visit to the Scottish Parliament, family recovery events, and furnishings for a dedicated family support space in an NHS building.

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The Hargreaves Foundation

Funding is available for charities that fit with the objective of ‘Transforming young lives through sport and education., aiming to help children and young people fulfil their potential and improve their wellbeing, self-esteem and independence through educational and sporting activities. There is no minimum or maximum grant amount and applications can be made at any time and are reviewed in the month following online submission

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The Happy Days Children’s Charity

The charity funds trips, respite breaks and group activity holidays for disadvantaged children and young people with additional needs, to support families with children aged 3-17 who have a disability, a special need or have been abused. Applications can be submitted by parents, guardians, grandparents or siblings, as well as GPs, consultants, nurses or social workers. Groups that work with special needs children, including SEN schools and women’s refugees, are also eligible to apply for funding for either a day trip, theatre visit, or a group activity holiday.

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True Colours Trust

Grants of up to £10K are available to support disabled children and children with life-limiting conditions and their families. This trust is for UK Charities and CICs with an annual income of under £350K who work with children and young people aged between 0 – 25 years.

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British & Foreign School Society (BFSS) Displacement Education Fund

This fund addresses specific challenges that children and young people who have been displaced by conflict face in accessing quality education both internationally and in the UK. Grants of up to £60,000 to registered charities, schools and educational establishments, and grants of up to £20,000 to other not-for[1]profit community organizations for projects that support displaced children and young people living in the UK.

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Tesco Stronger Starts

The priority for grants is now on supporting schools and organisations to deliver projects that support children’s food security and health and local store nominated good causes. The scheme provides grants of up to £1500 to local projects from across the whole of Scotland. It is open to all registered charities and not-for-profit organisations.

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