Donate now

Check you're eligible.

Am I eligible to apply?

Before you apply for a grant, please complete our eligibility checker below and take a moment to read through our requirements.

If you’re applying for one of our Additional grants, you’ll also need to check the specific fund guidance to make sure you’re eligible.

Eligibility criteria.

Check to see if your organisation is eligible for a Main grant.

Step 1 of 3

Are you a not-for-profit organisation?(Required)
Was your annual income last year less than £2 million?(Required)

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from organisations set up as:

  • Registered Charity or Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Company limited by Guarantee (CLG)
  • Community Interest Company (CIC) limited by guarantee
  • Unincorporated Association or Community Group
  • Community Benefit Society
  • Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)
  • Registered Society

Eligible organisations must:

  • Use all income and assets for charitable purposes only, with any remaining assets transferred to a charitable organisation if your group closes.
  • Have an annual income of £2 million or less (unless otherwise specified).
  • Be governed by at least three unrelated trustees/directors who are legally responsible for running the organisation.
  • Have at least two unrelated people as bank account signatories.
  • Only reimburse members for out-of-pocket expenses – they cannot receive other financial benefits (see more below for CICs/CLGs).

What you need to apply.

  • A signed copy of your constitution or set of rules (CICs should also include their CIC 34 report)
  • A signed copy of your latest annual accounts or expenditure records
  • A bank statement in your organisation's name, dated within the last three months
  • An equal opportunities policy that covers the Equalities Act 2010 and the nine protected characteristics
  • Additional policies, if relevant to your work (Child protection or safeguarding adults policy, Health and safety policy, Environmental or sustainability policy)
  • For equipment purchases: written estimates or catalogue pages

For social enterprises, CICs and CLGs.

If you’re applying with one of these structures, we’ll also need to see that:

  • Your organisation provides clear public benefit and protects against private benefit.
  • Most of your directors are unpaid.
  • Any salaries or benefits for paid directors are reasonable, proportionate, and approved by non-executive directors.
  • CICs have an asset lock with charitable objectives that are like those of the CIC.
  • If Companies House lists a person with significant control, we’ll get in touch to check your organisation still meets our criteria.

Who we can't fund

We’re not able to accept applications from:

  • Individuals (though some Additional grants may be suitable - please check our website)
  • Companies and CICs limited by shares
  • Government bodies and statutory organisations (including local authorities and central/local/regional schools)
  • Organisations that don't benefit communities in Sussex
  • Organisations that unlawfully discriminate under the Equalities Act 2010
  • Organisations using services to promote religious beliefs
  • Organisations with overdue monitoring reports

What we don't fund

We cannot support:

  • Political activities
  • Small contributions to major capital appeals (capital requests are only considered if all other funding is secured and the request is under £10k or for a discrete project element)
  • One-off events, unless they form part of a longer programme (please apply at least six months before your event)
  • Grants used to re-distribute to other groups
  • Projects solely benefiting animals
  • Costs for activities that have already been completed

Get in touch.

We’re here to provide the support you need to make applying for our funding as easy as possible. If you have any questions about this guidance or our application process, please get in touch with our friendly grants team. You can contact us via email or by calling 01273 409 440.

Contact us

Further funding advice.

We’re proud to partner with local VCSE Infrastructure Organisations (often referred to as Voluntary Actions) who provide a range of support for local charities and community groups.

If you are currently not eligible to receive our funding, we recommend contacting your local VCSE Infrastructure Organisation who can help.

Find out more
Skip to content