GambleAware, the leading charity working to keep people safe from gambling harm, has launched two major funding programmes to focus on enabling people to sustain their recovery from gambling harm and to help communities who have been most affected by the cost-of-living crisis. A total of £3 million is available. The Aftercare Funding Programme and the Community Resilience Fund will help further GambleAware’s work across Great Britain in supporting those most at risk of gambling harms and reducing health inequalities in the most disadvantaged communities.

The School for Social Entrepreneurs has announced that its Community Business Trade Up programme is open. The programme is open to community businesses in England that exists to improve their local neighbourhood, village or town and who want to start or build their income from trading and sales, and become more sustainable. The programme will provide businesses with mentoring support and a Match Trading grant worth up to £5,000 which is designed to challenge them to grow their income by matching ‘pound-for-pound’ an increase in income from trading.

Environmental organisations and organisations led by those from Black and Minoritised communities can apply for grants and other business support measures to help build their financial resilience by developing and exploring new models of generating income through trading.

Grants are available to support schools and registered charities that wish to undertake educational projects with children and young people under the age of 25 in marginalised communities within the UK and internationally. The British & Foreign Schools Society (BFSS) normally makes grants totalling about £900,000 in any one year. For UK projects the focus is on projects to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of Young Carers and Children Looked After.  Grants for UK projects will range between 30,000 and £100,000 and for international projects up to £60,000.

The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which are at risk of being lost to the community. The first bidding round opened on 15 July 2021 and closed on 13 August 2021. This pilot round was launched to test community appetite and trial the policies and processes developed. It was particularly focused at communities who were ready to take over assets.

The MSE Charity's grants programme has re-opened for applications. Originally, the programme was due to re-open in September but the opening date has been brought forward due to the cost-of-living crisis. The MSE Charity gives grants of up to £7,500 to not for profit organisations that deliver activities that make a lasting impact on how people think, behave and manage their money.  The theme for this round is 'Developing Resilience' and will focus on supporting organisations who provide urgent money guidance and emergency debt help.

Funding is available to registered charities for maritime activities and outdoor pursuits which “make a difference” to young, disadvantaged and disabled people up to 25 years of age in England, Wales and Scotland. The Whirlwind Charitable Trust will fund projects which encourage individuals of all races, religions and gender who could not otherwise participate in these types of activities, to grow in confidence, ambition and achievement, so that they can fulfil their own potential and make a positive contribution to society.

Schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities can apply for grants of £500 to £2,500 to support recreational trips or holidays within the UK for groups of disabled or disadvantaged children (aged 13 or under). Priority will be given to applications coming from the 20% most deprived areas in the UK. The grants can cover up to two-thirds of the cost of a holiday or trip lasting one to seven days. The funding is being made available through the Henry Smith Charity.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has announced that Round 3 of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund is now open for expressions of interest. The fund is part of the government’s strategy to build back better from the pandemic and to foster a sense of community, and will make grants (on a matched funding basis) available to help communities across the UK take ownership of local facilities, community assets and amenities such as at-risk local pubs, theatres, post offices, sports grounds, parks and corner shops, etc.

A new multi-million pound social investment fund focused on tackling inequality and promoting racial justice in the UK, has opened to applications from diverse-led social enterprises looking to grow their impact. The Growth Impact Fund, managed by Big Issue Invest, will invest between £50,000 and £1.5 million in social businesses to support early-stage founders from underrepresented groups who have previously been excluded from investment.