Become a friend

Main grants.

one woman and two men preparing food

Apply for one of our Main grants.

Our Main grants are made up of funding from our Donor Advised Funds and our discretionary funds, which our Grants Committee makes decisions on. We manage these funds to help local donors give to causes that they care about. When you apply to our Main grants, which is made up of over 100 funds, we match your application to the relevant funds that support your cause.

Our main grants are awarded through our four funding priorities and range from £1,000 to £10,000. Funding provides support for organisations for up to one year, including both core operational costs and project expenses.

We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by and supporting people from, underrepresented communities. And those from small-to-medium-sized community groups.

How it works.

We have three rounds of grant-giving each year. Applications are open and can be made at any time but will only be reviewed after each deadline. The next deadlines for applications are:

  • Friday 3 May 2024 (Decisions July 2024)
  • Friday 6 September 2024 (Decisions November 2024)
  • Friday 10 January 2025 (Decisions March 2025)

Applications can now be submitted up to midnight on the day of the deadline. However, we recommend completing your application during working hours, when the team are available to resolve any technical issues you may have.

Apply now.

Apply online by completing our Main grants application form. Make sure to check you're eligible and read our guidance below before you start applying.

Make sure to click the save button at the top and bottom of the form so can save your progress and come back to complete it another time. If you wish to return to your form, you will need to register an email and password. Following this you will be sent an email with a link to continue your 'in progress' application.

You can return to an in progress application form here or start a new application at the link below.

Apply now

Our Funding Priorities.

Our four funding priorities help to bring clarity to the areas we support. Through them, we fund hundreds of charities and community groups across a range of causes, in communities all over Sussex. It’s all part of achieving our vision of a fairer, more equal Sussex.

Tackling Poverty

Reducing poverty and disadvantage in our communities.
Learn More

Improving Health

Helping people live longer,
better lives.
Learn More

Reaching Potential

Providing life-changing skills, education and training.
Learn More

Acting on Climate

Taking local action for
the climate.
Learn More

Check you’re eligible.

Most of our grants are awarded to not-for-profit volunteer-led organisations whose annual income does not exceed £2 million. Make sure to check you’re eligible to apply for our funding before you start an application.

Find out more

Guidance on applying.

Before you start on our application form, make sure you read our full guidance on applying. This includes all the information you need to supply with your application and get ahead on completing the form.

Find out more

Geographical grants.

Some of our funds give grants in specific geographical areas. These funds are included in our Main grant rounds and therefore applications are to be made on our Main grants’ application form.

Find out more about these funds below:

Skip to content