Funding Opportunities
Micro Grants
The Transpennine Rail Upgrade (TRU) Community Fund
TRU offers grants of £1,000, £5,000, £10,000, or £20,000 to local community groups, schools, and charities located within a five-mile radius of the Transpennine route (between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York). The funding is intended to create or enhance indoor or outdoor community facilities, with preference given to projects that align with TRU's "Our Guiding Compass" principles, such as supporting vulnerable people, boosting health and wellbeing, or advancing equality. Applications open on Monday, October 6th and close on Monday, October 27th (but may close early if oversubscribed). To apply, organisations must first sign up for an account on the Neighbourly platform and then complete the application on the TRU Community Fund campaign page; you can register your account now to prepare for the application window. For further details, visit The TRU Community Fund 2025 | Neighbourly (a likely campaign page link, or check the full details link in the original text) or direct application questions to community@neighbourly.com.
Hey Neighbour Small Sparks
Offers micro-grants up to £500 and large grants up to £1,500. This program is delivered by the Leeds Older People's Forum in partnership with Leeds City Council. The current round may have closed, but keep an eye on their website for future rounds, as they typically run multiple rounds annually.
Major Funders and Support Services
Funding Leeds Portal
A powerful search engine for local, regional, and national grants.
The Maximus UK Local Impact Fund
Round 4 offers funding of £5,000 or £10,000 to Community Partnership Network Providers and other community organisations (charities, non-profits, and social enterprises) operating in West/South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.
The fund aims to reduce inequalities and enhance access to employment, especially in deprived communities, by supporting activities that either stimulate local job market recovery, increase training/employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups, or address local service delivery gaps. Projects must specifically focus on priorities like support for lone parents/carers, youth training/skills, health/wellbeing, Digital Inclusion, ESOL, or confidence building for employment. An information session is available on Thursday, October 9th at 10 am (email localimpactfund2b@maximusuk.co.uk to book), and the Expression of Interest deadline is Friday, October 24th via the provided form, but early application is advised due to anticipated high demand.
The Triangle Trust Small Grants Programme
The programme offers £10,000 grants to grassroots organizations (registered charities, not-for-profit social enterprises, and CICs) with an annual income of £50,000 or less. The funding is specifically for organizations that are led by women and serve 100% women and girls, focusing on work with young women and girls aged 11–30 who are either in the criminal justice system or at a high risk of entering it. The Trust will fund existing work, expansion of current activities, or new pilot projects, with a particular interest in applications supporting girls at risk of school exclusion, those vulnerable to gang involvement (with out-of-hours activities), peer mentoring programs, and projects raising awareness in community settings. The fund encourages applications from groups working with young women who are care-experienced, neurodiverse, involved in county lines, or from Black or minoritised/racialised communities, and can cover salaries, activity costs, and venue hire. The application deadline is October 20, 2025, but organizations are urged to apply early as the window may close sooner due to high demand. You can find more information and apply here: https://www.triangletrust.org.uk/apply-funding/small-grants-programme/.
Leeds Community Foundation (Multiple Opportunities)
A significant local funder. Check their "Open grants page" for current opportunities.
Doing Good Leeds
This site focuses on direct support services like training, "Meet the funder" events, and feedback on grant applications, rather than providing direct grants. However, they sometimes advertise external funding opportunities under their "News" section.
Community Fund from the National Lottery
This typically involves a larger-scale, long-term commitment. The most recent round closed on 5 February 2025. Monitor the National Lottery page for announcements regarding future rounds and available grant funding.