Open Grants Fund - future rounds to be announced in 2024

Eligibility, Priorities and Current Focus

We encourage any eligible charity to apply

Grants are for up to £30,000 a year for up to three years

Grants are unrestricted and can be used by the charity in a way they choose

We make aim to decisions about grants awarded each year

We aim to fund between ten and twelve charities at a time. We're currently funding thirteen charities with multi-year grants. Read stories from our current partner charities here.

Our Priorities

We fund small, local and inspiring charities that are rooted in their communities and bring communities together to overcome severe and multiple challenges. We want charities to be stronger and more stable so they can carry on working alongside residents to overcome these challenges and be active in these communities.

We fund charities that have strong leadership, a vision for the future and have good governance in place.  We fund charities that have Trustees and staff who are from their communities or have personal and lived experience of the challenges these communities face.

In our last funding round, we gave priority to Black-led charities. By this we mean charities that are primarily led by Trustees and staff identifying as Black, African, Caribbean, Black British or Any Other Black, African or Caribbean background (more than half of Trustees and and more than half of staff). Other eligible charities could still apply - see here for more information in FAQs

Our Current Focus

We currently have thirteen charity partners receiving large multi-year grants and one charity partner receiving a one-off grant. We always knew, in terms of our size, resources and income available, that we could not fund more than around twelve charities at any one time. We are currently focusing on our relationships with current partners, learning from these charities, and then using this learning to feed into a refreshed strategy and plan for 2024 onwards. 

Are you eligible?

UK Registered Charity 

you’re a UK Registered Charity and have submitted at least 3 years of annual returns to the Charity Commission 

Income

your most recent total annual incoming resources are over £25,000 and under £300,000

Local

the communities and people your charity works with are from Lambeth and Southwark – not from other boroughs. Your work is only in Lambeth and Southwark.

your charity’s office is in Lambeth or Southwark. We don’t fund charities that are based outside Lambeth or Southwark or have a main office elsewhere

see our FAQs to understand why 

Embedded in community

you can show you understand your community’s needs

you work with residents experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage

your Trustees and staff include people with personal and lived experience of the challenges your community faces 

Inspiring

you have a strong leadership and can show us the difference your charity has made in your community

Good Governance in place

 

you know your strengths and challenges

you have a vision for your charity’s future

you have good governance in place including signed Safeguarding and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies, and efficient financial processes.

See FAQs for why we just fund charities with good governance in place

Who we don’t fund

We don’t fund individuals or nurseries, schools, colleges, higher education institutions, universities and associated charities (including Parent Teacher Associations), places of worship or one-off events. 

How to Apply, our DeadlINES and sample forms  

Our Current OPEN FUND Partners