The LNER Customer & Community Investment Fund (CCIF) is designed to support charities and community projects located within 15 miles of the LNER route in England and Scotland. It focuses on funding small to medium-sized initiatives that have a positive impact on people, places, or the planet. The fund has three main priorities: promoting equality, diversity, inclusion, and mental health under “Better for People”; supporting the development of skilled, inclusive, and thriving communities under “Better for Places”; and encouraging environmental sustainability through conservation, waste reduction, and reuse under “Better for Planet”.

Applicants can request up to £10,000, and requests for higher amounts will not be considered. The fund gives preference to smaller charities over larger ones. Applications must clearly explain the project’s purpose, how the need was identified, what the grant will be used for, and how success will be measured. A high-level monthly timeline and budget breakdown are also required. Projects must be completed, and funds spent, within the financial year in which the grant is awarded. For further questions, applicants can contact CCIF@lner.co.uk.

Application window closes – 25th August 2025

Northern Powergrid Fund supports grassroots projects that strengthen vulnerable communities. This includes environmental activities and out of school educational activities taking place in ex-industrial and rural areas of Tyne & Wear or Northumberland.

Please note, the fund does not contribute to larger projects.

Examples of suitable projects include; informal skills development projects; community environmental projects; out of school educational activities and / or learning linked to the environment; energy efficiency improvements.

A project must be at a stage where it can start within 3 months and be completed within 12 months of the grant award. The funding must be used for a specific project and not a donation to a larger project cost.

Closing date is 22 September 2025. Grant decisions are expected to be announced by late October 2025.

Delivered by the National Garden Scheme, the Community Gardens Award provides grants of £1,500 and £5,000 for gardening projects carried out within local communities in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The scheme is committed to:

• Sustainability in gardening so proposals need to demonstrate that they will be using sustainable gardening methods – for instance being as far as possible peat-free.

• Celebrating biodiversity so projects that encourage biodiversity and wildlife, while not essential, will be a positive.

The funding can be used for a number of things, including but not limited to:

• Plants and containers

• Materials for flower or vegetable beds and other hard landscaping

• Greenhouses, polytunnels and sheds

• Seating

• Hand tools and certain garden power tools (eg strimmers)

• Materials for providing refreshment.

Applicants must be a fully set up community group, registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC) with a functioning non-personal bank account based and working in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The current application guidelines are available now on the website of the National Garden Scheme.

Please note this year, the application process is in two parts. The first part is an initial eligibility check. The link to the second part will be sent by email.

Also new this year, the scheme has introduced a cap on applications. Only the first 300 eligible submissions will be considered for a grant.

Applications are expected to open on 15 September 2025 and close on 20 October 2025 (12 noon). 

Material Focus, an independent not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to stop electricals from being hoarded and thrown away, is once again offering grants to communities across the UK to reuse and recycle small household electricals. A total of £750,000 is available to support two types of projects: 

• Growing existing services – grants of up to £100,000 for projects that grow existing collection methods for small electricals. 
• Innovating new methods – grants of up to £50,000 to come up with new approaches to repair, reuse and/or recycle electricals, for example, collection points at large offices/campuses, drop-offs at post offices, major supermarkets, large shopping centres, retail parks, collection of waste electricals using the return journey/spare capacity during collection/delivery of parcels, or projects that support tackling the growing concerns around digital inclusion.

A range of registered organisations can apply, including charities, local authorities, waste partnerships, private waste contractors, other private companies, and compliance schemes. Material Focus will provide successful applicants with project management support.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

The Womble Bond Dickinson Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation established by Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP in April 2017. Their charitable objectives are broad and open to changing. The Foundation is focusing on the following themes for their 2024/25 cycle: Climate action and environmental protection, LGBTQ+ inclusion, supporting inclusion of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, Increasing women’s opportunities in life and work, Disability and neurodiversity inclusion, and Mental health and wellbeing support. 

They accept applications from registered charities across the UK, although will generally prioritise projects operating within their local communities. The maximum one-off grant size is £5,000.

Applications accepted at any time