The Top 15 Grants Available for Community Interest Companies in the UK Right NowLet's talk about grants in the UK.

I have over 14 years of experience applying for grants — not just for my own CICs but through CIC Tribe, where I have helped over 1,000 community organisations secure more than £50 million in funding. So when I say I know what is hot and what is not right now, I mean it.

These are my favourite grants. The ones I get excited about. The ones I see people winning every single day. And the opportunities here are massive — genuinely life changing, not just for your career and your organisation, but for the communities you are going to be serving.

So many people are not tapping into this. And please, do not let anyone tell you it is too competitive or that you will not get it. I see people getting these grants every single day. You just need to know how to apply.

Here are the 15 I would be going after right now.

1. UnLtd — Do This One First

Seriously, do this one before anything else. UnLtd is unlike every other grant on this list because it is not just funding your project — it is funding you as a social entrepreneur and your whole CIC. It covers everything. Equipment, running costs, your time, getting your idea off the ground.

It is designed for people right at the beginning of their journey and the application process is far less intimidating than most. If you have just set up your CIC and you are wondering where to start with funding — UnLtd is your answer. Go and look it up today.

2. National Lottery Community Fund -Awards for All — Up to £20,000

This is the entry-level National Lottery grant and it is a brilliant starting point. Awards for All funds projects that bring people together and improve local community life. The application is relatively straightforward and it is open to new CICs.

The key is making sure your project hits their priorities — connecting communities, improving wellbeing, enabling people to contribute to their communities. Do not just describe what you want to do. Show them why the community needs it.

3. Reaching Communities — Up to £500,000

Not for new CIC's. Yes, really £500k. Reaching Communities is the big one from the National Lottery Community Fund and it funds projects over multiple years that tackle deeper, more complex community issues. You will need a more developed idea and a stronger track record to go for this one — it is not for day one — but if you are six months to a year in and you have a bold vision, with proven impact start thinking about it early.

The design of your project matters enormously here. It needs to clearly tackle inequality, reach people who are really struggling, and demonstrate long-term community impact.

4. Sport England — Movement fund £15k

If your CIC has any connection to physical activity, sport, or wellbeing, Sport England should absolutely be on your radar. Their small grants programme is accessible to newer organisations and the larger funding streams open up as you grow. Active travel, inclusive sport, mental health through movement — they fund a wide range of community activity.

5. Arts Council England — National Lottery Main Project Grants £30k

If your CIC has a creative, cultural, or arts angle — and you would be surprised how many do — Arts Council England's National Lottery Project Grants are fantastic. I used these extensively during my years running Four Elements CIC and they funded some of our most exciting work.

They want to see ambition, community reach, and artistic quality. The application takes time but the funding is genuinely transformational for the right project.

6. National Lottery Heritage Fund — Aim for £50k if your a small CIC

Heritage is broader than most people think. It covers history, culture, nature, community stories, traditions, and much more. If your CIC has any connection to heritage — even loosely — this fund is worth exploring. The small grants programme is accessible to newer CICs and can open the door to much larger heritage funding later.

7. BBC Children in Need — Project Grants and Core Costs

This one is special and I want to make sure you understand why. Most grants fund a project. BBC Children in Need does that but it also offers core costs funding — meaning it can pay for your staff, your rent, your running costs. That is incredibly rare and incredibly valuable.

Even better, it can fund you for three years. Three years of stability, three years of being able to plan properly, three years of knowing the lights are staying on. For a growing CIC that is game changing. You will typically need a year of operation under your belt but start building your relationship with this funder early and make sure your work genuinely focuses on disadvantaged children and young people.

8. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Esmée Fairbairn is one of the UK's largest independent foundations and it funds some genuinely ambitious work across arts, environment, food, and social change. This is not a first-year grant — they want to see an established organisation with a clear strategy — but if you are building something with real long-term vision, they are absolutely worth knowing about.

9. Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Another major foundation, Paul Hamlyn focuses primarily on arts, young people, and migration. Their Ideas and Pioneers fund is particularly interesting for community-led organisations doing something fresh and different. They like boldness. They like originality. If your CIC is doing something a bit unusual, lean into that.

10. Allen Lane Foundation

Allen Lane is a smaller, quieter foundation but a really good one for CICs working with marginalised communities — particularly asylum seekers, refugees, people experiencing homelessness, travellers, and others who are often overlooked by mainstream funding. They fund core costs as well as projects, which makes them particularly valuable.

11. Bank Grants — Lloyds Bank Foundation and Barclays

Both Lloyds Bank Foundation and Barclays offer community funding programmes worth knowing about. Lloyds Bank Foundation in particular is excellent for small and medium-sized organisations working with people facing complex issues. They are known for being genuinely supportive rather than just transactional.

12. Supermarket Grants — Tesco Community Grants and Co-op Local Community Fund

Do not overlook these. Tesco Community Grants and the Co-op Local Community Fund are both community-voted funding programmes, which means your ability to mobilise your community to vote for you matters as much as the application itself. The amounts are smaller but they are accessible, they are fairly quick, and they are brilliant for building your track record and getting your community engaged in what you are doing.

13. Asda Foundation — Community Grant

The Asda Foundation runs community grants for grassroots organisations doing brilliant local work. They focus on projects that strengthen communities, support people facing hardship, and create lasting change. The application process is accessible and they are genuinely interested in hearing from newer organisations with a clear community purpose. A great one to add to your list early on.

14. Henry Smith Charity

The Henry Smith Charity is one of those national funders that is not talked about anywhere near enough. They fund organisations working with people who are disadvantaged or in difficulty — whether that is through poverty, ill health, disability, or social exclusion. They offer both project funding and core costs, which makes them particularly valuable. Not the most difficult application process for the right CIC and the grants can be significant.

15. Tudor Trust

The Tudor Trust has been quietly funding community organisations across the UK for decades and they are brilliant for CICs doing genuinely community-led work. They are known for being approachable, for funding things other funders overlook, and for supporting smaller organisations that are making a real difference. They fund core costs as well as projects and they take a long-term view of the organisations they support. Definitely one to get on your radar early.

The Secret Weapon Nobody Talks About Enough

Here is what I want you to take from this post. Writing a grant is not the hard part. Anyone can learn to write a grant. The hard part — the part that actually determines whether you get funded — is the design.

Does your project hit the funder's priorities? Is your idea genuinely original? Have you added the bells and whistles that make it stand out from the hundreds of other applications sitting in that inbox? Have you built in the right partnerships, the right evidence, the right numbers?

That is what separates the funded CICs from the ones that keep getting rejected. And that is exactly what I help you with at CIC Tribe. Not just writing the application — designing the whole thing from the ground up so that by the time you sit down to write it, you already know it is a winner.

Ready to Get Your CIC Funded?

If you want expert help designing and writing grant applications that actually get funded — not just a template, not just a checklist, but a proper strategy built around your specific CIC and the funders most likely to say yes — come and work with us at CIC Tribe.

We have helped over 1,000 CICs across the UK secure funding from the grants on this list and many more. We know what funders want. We know how to design a project that stands out. And we would love to help you do the same.

Check out our courses and packages at kexx.co.uk and let's get your CIC funded.

www.kexx.co.uk/cicstarter