Funding Opportunities
Included in this section are summaries of available funding opportunities which community groups may wish to apply for. For more detailed information, community groups are advised to visit the individual website of the funder. Please take note of the timescales / deadlines for applying for funding and the funding criteria which you will need to meet in order to be eligible to apply.
The information contained in this section of the website was correct at the time of publication.
Household grants for people in County Durham
Household Support Grants are available to people in the Durham County Council area, who are in need. This project will run to the end of September 2024.
The grants are for households in the area served by Durham County Council and the applicant must be a member of a household where an individual is undergoing, or has undergone, some legal restriction of their liberty as a consequence of offending. This includes immediate family members. The restriction of liberty includes imprisonment and subsequent licence, suspended and community sentences and is available for as long as the sentence/licence lasts.
Grants of up to £150 aim to support families to cope with the cost of living and can be provided for food, energy, white goods, essential furniture, clothing, school uniform, transport costs or other essential items. Larger grants will only be considered in very exceptional circumstances and consideration is always given to special cases of extreme need.
All applications must be submitted by a Nepacs staff member on behalf of an applicant.
For more information on Nepacs grants visit https://www.nepacs.co.uk/page/grants
County Durham Community Foundation Organisational Sustainability funding
Funding of up to £10,000 is available to help organisations sustain their current work, increase their capacity and improve their future sustainability.
For further details see link below:
https://www.cdcf.org.uk/grants-for-groups/organisational-sustainability-fund-large-grants
Ballinger Charitable Trust Microgrants
The Ballinger Charitable Trust would like to distribute small grants of £500 to volunteer-led groups supporting older people (50 and over) across County Durham with a general focus on communities experiencing deprivation and/or rural/coastal isolation.
Grants can be for revenue or capital expenses; any project costs to which a grant is awarded must be no more than £1000. Groups need to be constituted or working towards being constituted.
There is no application form; eligible groups will be shortlisted and invited to pitch their idea to the Ballinger Charitable Trust at a virtual event on Wednesday 3 July 2024.
To submit your project idea please complete the Expression of Interest form by 7 June 2024 by clicking on the link below.
If you would prefer to discuss your idea, please contact Isla Ballard at Durham Community Action on 07496 461986 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ballinger Charitable Trust Community Micro-Grants Expression of Interest Form
Funding for farmers, growers and land managers
Are you part of a farming community? Did you know there is Government funding available for farmers, growers and land owners?
More information can be found at the following link:
Funding for farmers, growers and land managers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The National Lottery Heritage Fund Virtual Funding Information
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage. Their vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.
As part of the Heritage Fund's Heritage Places initiative, County Durham will receive targeted support to ensure heritage is integral to plans and approaches that are making local areas better places to live, work and visit.
Join Engagement colleagues Sarah Envy (Newcastle), Sarah Ledjmi (Leeds) and Jodi Larder (Newcastle) from the Heritage Fund, in partnership with Durham Community Action and County Durham Community Foundation, for an introduction to their funding.
It will be an opportunity to
- Discover what heritage means, and how it can work for you and your organisation.
- Learn about National Lottery Heritage Grants with funding available from £10,000-£250,000, and the four investment principles underpinning Heritage 2033, the Heritage Fund’s new 10-year strategy.
- Hear from guest speaker Christine Thomas, Chief Executive of Building Self Belief CIO, who will share her experience of delivering 'The Consett Iron Company 160th Anniversary- Community Heritage Project'.
- Speak to members of the Heritage Fund Engagement Team about your project ideas and how to apply for funding.
- Connect with other organisations to build your networks and join conversations about their projects
This online event which takes place on Tuesday 25th June from 2.00 - 3.00pm is perfect for groups and organisations who are:
- Looking to work with others to develop a project that will benefit communities in County Durham
- New to grants from the Heritage Fund and want to learn more
Could we be the right funder for you? To find out more about who and what we fund
We look forward to seeing you there.
