Lloyds Bank Foundation opens 2021 funding round

Small and local charities in England and Wales are being urged to apply for two-year unrestricted grants of £50,000 from Lloyds Bank Foundation.

The Foundation will award a total of £9.5m in 2021 to 190 small charities with an income between £25,000 and £1m across England and Wales through its 2021 funding round.

A quarter of all the money this year will be allocated to charities led by and for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, building on the Foundation’s commitment to racial equity as outlined in its strategy.

The funding will be open year-round, meaning charities can apply at a time that suits them and will not be restricted by deadlines.

The Foundation’s priority is to reach those charities tackling one of 11 complex social issues, such as homelessness, trafficking and domestic abuse, with a proven track record of helping people achieve positive change in their local communities.

It will consider local need, the prevalence of eligible small and medium sized charities, the nature of the region and the level of investment the Foundation has given to each complex social issue in that area, including its portfolio of live grants.

Whether small charities can apply to the Foundation this year depends on which local authority they do the majority of their work in, and the complex social issue they are working to address. The Foundation reviews and updates these regional priorities every six months.

‘The last year has been challenging for small charities responding to the pandemic,’ said foundation chief executive, Paul Streets.

‘They’ve been vital in absorbing the worst effects of the crisis and providing support to people that need them the most. Even though we can now see a path out of the pandemic, locally rooted charities need long-term support to help left behind communities recover.’

Applications for the Foundation’s 2021 grants programme will open today (4 March) at 11am and will remain open for the rest of the year.

Please visit https://www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/we-fund for further information on the 2021 funding round.

Photo Credit – Geralt (Pixabay)