Our Main grants programme supports grassroots and community organisations across Sussex to deliver vital work in their local communities.
Over the past year, we’ve simplified how we make grants in response to growing demand and feedback from community organisations and donors. Our aim is to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, be clearer about how decisions are made, and make applying for funding as straightforward as possible.
Applications are submitted through our online portal and considered throughout each funding round. Where appropriate, applications may be held on our system for up to a year, allowing them to be considered across multiple rounds and reducing the need to reapply.
Due to high demand, unfortunately, not all eligible applications can be funded. Outcomes may include: full or part funding, being held for a future round, or being declined where there is not a fit with our criteria or available funds.
You can find full guidance, eligibility information and answers to common questions in our FAQs. If you need support, our Grants Team is happy to help.
Applications are submitted through our online portal, which gives real-time progress updates and securely saves your organisation’s details for future applications.
The next application window will be from 26 January 2026 to 13 February.
To find out more about how our Main grants work, read below.
Return to our grants portal to see progress, update files or access your monitoring form.
Our Main grants are made up of funding from our Donor Advised Funds and our discretionary funds, which we make decisions on. We manage these funds to help local donors give to causes that they care about. When you apply to our Main grants, which is made up of over 100 funds, we match your application to the relevant funds that support your cause.
Our main grants are awarded through our four funding priorities and range from £1,000 to £10,000. Our current average grant size is just over £5,000. Funding provides support for organisations for up to one year, including both core operational costs and project expenses.
We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by and supporting people from, underrepresented communities. And those from small-to-medium-sized community groups.
Most of our grants are awarded to not-for-profit volunteer-led organisations whose annual income does not exceed £2 million. Make sure to check you’re eligible to apply for our funding before you start an application.
Before you start on our application form, make sure you read our full guidance on applying. This includes all the information you need to supply with your application and get ahead on completing the form.
Some of our funds give grants in specific geographical areas. These funds are included in our Main grant rounds and therefore applications are to be made on our Main grants’ application form.
Find out more about these funds below:
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