England

MfA really know first-hand what an amazing affect making music can have on people’s lives. They see everything from disadvantaged young people blossoming at school through to older adults discovering music sometimes for the first time, much later on in life. In their view, EVERYONE should have the opportunity to learn to play music. Sadly, many people are not fortunate enough to have access to musical instruments or ways to help them to learn and discover.  This is where MfA come in.

Our funds have been created by our donors and each have their own criteria or area of interest. Most support locally based community and voluntary groups and a number of funds also support individuals.

All you need to do is complete the application form and send it to us with the supporting documents indicated. We encourage you to read the guidance of our funds before applying, however, if you are unsure about the eligibility of your application you can, in the first instance, contact our grants team on 01900 825760.

The Blackdown Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) is managed by the Blackdown Hills AONB team on behalf of Defra. The Fund is aimed at supporting projects that bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the area and demonstrate innovation and good practice. The Fund can support a range of projects including practical work, feasibility studies, research projects, partnership development, and training.

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames provides small grants for activities and services that meet local needs and benefit the residents of the neighbourhood areas in Kingston, Maldens and Coombe, Surbiton and South of the Borough.

Funding is intended to assist local organisations with their running costs or one-off projects and events that benefit local residents. Projects can fall into many categories, including arts, sports, environment, youth, play and leisure and culture, and can also be for older people and families.

The Santander Foundation has three grants programmes to help disadvantaged people in the UK:

The Barrack Charitable Trust only supports registered charities.

The Trustees look for clear, realistic and attainable aims. Grants vary, but most lie between £500 and £5,000. There is a separate simplified Grant Form (Small Grants) for grants £500.

The Idlewild Trust is a grant making trust that supports registered charities concerned with the encouragement of the performing and fine arts and crafts, the advancement of education within the arts and the preservation for the benefit of the public of lands, buildings and other objects of beauty or historic interest in the UK. The Trust awards around £120,000 each year in grants and considers making grants of up to £5,000. 

This is a fast track application process for small one-off grants. The value of the grant awarded could be up to a maximum of £3,000, however the average level of grant is £500 - £1,500. A decision should be made within 6 weeks of receiving your application.

Their current areas of priority are Education, Disability, Children & Young People and the Relief of Need. They will also prioritise those charities working for the benefit of people in Greater London.

The Small Grants Scheme is designed to support charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities.  School PTAs and Friend groups are not eligible to apply.  Newly set up charities without a track record are unlikely to be successful.

Online applications can be accepted from charities that have an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum.

The foundation offers grants to CIOs and charities in areas including the arts, supporting a wide range of charitable activities, aiming to be responsive where the need is greatest.

The common themes of charities and projects offered funding are charities that demonstrate quality and excellence with projects that have clear outcomes and benefits, sound leadership and sensible business plans. Grants are not awarded for one-off events (e.g. festivals).