National Lottery Awards for All
£300 – £20,000
Focus: Community-led projects
Open to constituted unincorporated groups with a bank account in their name.
Funding guide
Grants for community groups
Community groups — including residents' associations, sports clubs, faith groups, parent-led initiatives and informal volunteer collectives — can access a meaningful set of grants without being a registered charity. The funders below explicitly include constituted-but-unregistered organisations.
Who this is for: Constituted community groups, unincorporated associations, sports clubs, faith groups, school PTAs and resident-led initiatives.
What to look for in a funder
- Funders that accept a written constitution and bank account in the group's name (charity registration not required)
- Local rather than national funders — they often have smaller pots, faster decisions and less competition
- Programmes scoped to your activity (sport, arts, environment, youth, older people)
Active funders to consider
Always check current eligibility and deadlines on the funder's own website before applying.
UK Community Foundations
£500 – £10,000
Focus: Locally-targeted small grants
Find your local foundation by postcode. Each runs different pots.
Sport England
£300 – £15,000 (small grants)
Focus: Community sport and physical activity
Movement Fund supports new and existing clubs.
Co-op Local Community Fund
£1,000 – £3,000+
Focus: Community projects near Co-op stores
Funded by Co-op member contributions; quarterly cycles.
Tesco Stronger Starts
£500 – £1,500
Focus: Children's wellbeing and food
Voted on in Tesco stores; broad eligibility for community groups.
Local council ward / member budgets
£250 – £2,000
Focus: Hyperlocal community projects
Often the fastest source of small funding. Check your local councillors.
Application tips
- Get a constitution and a bank account in the group's name before applying — most funders require both.
- Apply locally first. Local funders are less competitive and decisions come faster.
- Build a relationship with your local Community Foundation; they know other funders too.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to be a registered charity?
No, not for most small community grants. You'll typically need a written constitution, a management committee and a bank account in the group's name.
What's the easiest first grant to apply for?
A local ward member fund or a local Community Foundation small grant. Both have light requirements and decisions within weeks.
Next step
From finding funding to a completed application
Most platforms stop once you've found a grant. Serin surfaces application questions and guidance inside the platform — so you can move from discovery to a stronger completed application in one workflow.