Woodroffe Benton Foundation: Small Grants

Overview

For August 2025

Small Grant funding round is open from 1st to 31st August 2025 and will focus on projects that improve the quality of life and social engagement for people with severe physical and/or learning disabilities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.   The funding round will be closed on 31st August 2025 or when 150 applications have been received. 

Focus of funding

The Foundation provides grants to officially recognised charitable organisations within the United Kingdom only in respect of:

• Relief of persons in need, hardship or distress by reason of disaster or as a consequence of social or economic circumstance.
• Provision/Maintenance of care and accommodation for the sick and elderly.
• Promotion of education - in particular within the Derbyshire region.
• Environmental Conservation/Preservation/Protection/Improvement - in particular where this would encourage the provision of access by members of the general public.
• Human physical well-being – but applicants should note that funding in this area is proactive and the trustees will not make grants in response to unsolicited applications

Funding Level & Notes

Applicants to their Small Grants programme can receive one-off grants in the range £500 to £2,500.

The Trustees are happy to contribute to core operating costs from their Small Grants programme rather than to a specific project where the funding will be legally “restricted” or to capital expenditure - applications in these latter categories are, however, not excluded.

They do provide larger grants, which can be spread over several years, but these are made proactively and they do not accept unsolicited applications to this programme.

Who can apply?

• Charitable organisations based in the UK that are registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for a grant.
• Any educational institution is also eligible to apply for a grant whether or not it is a registered charity. The Trustees will generally only fund organisations which have at least one full set of Accounts following charity registration.
• The Trustees prefer to support smaller charities since modest donations are capable of providing potentially greater benefit in such cases. Consequently, it is unlikely that organisations with an annual income in excess of £750,000 will be provided with a grant under the small grants programme.
• The trustees will only support bodies affiliated to a national organisation provided it has a separate charity number and receives no direct financial support. The trustees do not make grants to charities outside the UK.

For answers to FAQ's, visit the website here