King Charles III Charitable Fund: Small Grants
Overview
2025 Update
Following a comprehensive review of feedback, the Fund has refined its small grants programme plans for 25/26 to improve the application process and ensure support reaches those small organisations they aim to fund.
Key changes include:
- Adjustments to their small grant eligibility criteria to include new income thresholds of £25,000 to £500,000. Around 85% of charities that submit an annual return to the Charity Commission have an income of less than £500,000 and they are focusing support on this group.
- The total project cost that the small grant may contribute to is £50,000 (10% of the new maximum annual income threshold).
- A revised maximum grant request of £9,000 over three years.
- Reapplication timelines of two years from the date of the end of a successful award or previously unsuccessful application.
About the programme
The small grants programme is dedicated to supporting UK-registered nonprofit organisations that make a meaningful difference in key areas such as social inclusion, health and wellbeing, education, environment, countryside, and heritage and conservation. They support organisations delivering activity in any of their six funding themes:
- environment,
- countryside,
- heritage and conservation,
- social inclusion
- health and wellbeing
- education
You can learn more about the projects they support and see what they have funded in your area.
They place a special focus on initiatives that work with some of the most disadvantaged communities—both urban and rural—helping to create opportunities and drive positive change where it’s needed most.
Who they support
Eligible UK-registered nonprofit organisations with any of the following legal statuses:
- Charity
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Community Interest Company
- Company Limited by Guarantee
- Excepted Charity
- Unincorporated organisations who can demonstrate a clear social purpose, as evidenced in governing documents.
The project for which you apply for funding must be legally charitable, as defined in the Charities Act 2006.
Criteria
- Are a UK registered nonprofit organisation;
- Have an annual income between £25,000 and £500,000;
- Have completed two years of activity;
- Have less than six months unrestricted free reserves;
- If seeking funding for a project, the total cost of the project should not exceed £50,000;
- Have waited at least two years from the date of any previous unsuccessful application;
- Applicants who have previously received funding may reapply two years after the end date of their last award period.
They aim to support organisations which complement, rather than duplicate, the work of other charities close to His Majesty and funded by KCCF including The King’s Foundation and the King's Trust.
They will consider applications from organisations working across all four nations of the United Kingdom. They will also consider applications from organisations working across the Commonwealth and internationally who are UK registered.
What they will support
This grant programme awards up to £9,000 over three years.
Awards are limited to a maximum of £3,000 per year. The maximum amount you can apply for in total is £9,000 and the average annual award is £3,000.
- Funding provided through this programme is restricted and must be used exclusively for the project.
- Core costs or staff salaries may be covered, provided these expenses are directly attributable to the delivery of the project. For example they will consider funding a youth coordinator’s salary to support the delivery of a youth project.
As set out above, they support organisations delivering activity in any of their six funding themes: environment, countryside, education, heritage and conservation, social inclusion and health and wellbeing. Any organisation seeking to submit an application for work addressing food waste or food poverty should apply instead to the Coronation Food Project grants programme.
They want to direct funding to where it is needed most. Applications from areas of deprivation, or those that can show how the project will benefit those most in need within an area of wealth disparity will be prioritised.
There will be space in the application form for you to demonstrate the level of need in the area your organisation serves.
In 2025/26, the application will open as follows:
- 9am on the 6th August to 12 noon on the 20th August – environment and countryside funding themes
- October – Education and heritage and conservation funding themes
- January – Social inclusion and health and wellbeing funding themes