We are delighted to announce the relaunch of our Main grants programme.
We see this refresh as an important step in strengthening how we work with local communities across Sussex. Over the past year, we’ve been listening carefully to community groups, donors and partners. The changes we’re making reflect what we’ve heard, and we hope they’ll make applying for funding simpler, clearer and more accessible. You can read more about what shaped these changes here.
The biggest change is the introduction of an Expression of Interest (EOI) stage - a shorter first application designed to reduce the time and energy for applicants and allowing us to give quicker feedback. This means groups will know sooner if they are likely to be successful, before completing a full application. These are submitted through our new online portal, which you can find the link to below.
As part of the relaunch, we’ve also refreshed our guidance, eligibility information and created a new FAQs document to make applying more straightforward.
We’re excited about this new chapter and look forward to seeing the difference these grants will make across Sussex.
Applications are submitted through our online portal, which gives real-time progress updates and securely saves your organisation’s details for future applications.
Applications are open from 18 September to Friday 17 October. The next application window will be in early 2026.
To find out more about how our Main grants work, read below.
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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