Small charity funder the Fore has announced it will raise the ceiling on grants it offers by 50% from autumn 2025.
The foundation said the move – which increases its maximum unrestricted grant levels from £30,000, set in 2012, to £45,000 – had been made in response to the rising costs and challenging funding landscape small charities face.
This comes after a study published on Monday to mark the start of Small Charity Week showed that almost half of such organisations fear they are at risk of shutting within a year due to their financial situation.
The Fore, which supports charities with a turnover of less than £500,000, said its own research showed increasing demand for higher grant values. A spokesperson told Civil Society the new higher grant levels would not affect the number of awards available.
Between 2012 and 2016, only 29% of its grants were awarded at the £30,000 ceiling, but by 2022 this had risen to 52% – and by July 2024, 81% of applicants were requesting the maximum.
Small charities ‘examples of innovation’
Mary Gunn, the Fore’s founder and CEO, said: “The best small charities can deliver extraordinary impact both in their communities but also as examples of innovation that solve wider challenges for the whole country, but rising costs are strangling their ability to succeed.
“This uplift [will] back leaders with brilliant ideas, and give them the freedom to grow their impact.”
In a statement announcing the new higher grants, the Fore said that the original £30,000 ceiling had been based on several factors including covering a year’s salary for an experienced staff member, often enabling founders to give up a day job.
“While scary support remains the most common use of the grant, many organisations also use it to strengthen their core infrastructure, investing in systems and harnessing technology to support the next phase in their growth,” it said.
The statement added that with rising costs, the £30,000 cap was limiting what early-stage organisations could realistically achieve.
“This uplift ensures our funding continues to support the critical building blocks of long-term success,” it said.
The announcement has been timed to mark the end of Small Charities Week, with the Fore’s next funding round opening on 22 July.
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