Grant FAQs

• The charity or community group should primarily support one of our three core pillars: Socially or Economically Disadvantaged Children, Mental Health or a Community Project.

• Community Projects should be located in the same county as one of the Focus Group offices, the locations of which can be found here.

• The charity or community group needs to have an annual income of less than £1m.

• Have core running costs of less than 35% (this does not include professional costs).

• The grant should be for a tangible project with clear and measurable benefits.

• We do not fund core costs or part-fund projects.

Yes. We require at least one full year of trading accounts. These can be either statutory accounts (if filed) or a full year of management accounts if statutory accounts are not yet available.

The Charity Grant Committee meet 4 times a year to review grant applications, but dates may vary.

These are: 8 December 2025, 2 March 2026, 8 June 2026 and 7 September 2026.  

Please note, some rounds are restricted to charity partners only.

Yes, we may close the portal to manage application volumes effectively.

Most grants range from £2,000 to £8,000.

If you’re a certified charity partner, meaning you’ve previously received a grant and worked with us, you may be eligible for this grant of under £1000. To find out if you are eligible, email us at grants@focusfoundation.org.uk.

Yes, you can reapply once your current project has ended, usually after one year. If you have been unsuccessful for a grant, then we ask you wait 6 months to reapply and book a call with our grants team so we can give you advise on what we look for.

Yes. Please click here to download a template we have designed to support you in outlining the budget of your project.

Yes, please find here a downloadable PDF with a guide to this process. Download template.

Yes, please find here a downloadable PDF with a guide to this process.  Download template.

No, but we typically stop assessing new applications 4 weeks before a Grant Committee meeting.

As part of our mission we pride ourselves on building relationships with the charities we work with and are always looking for ways to support and assist them. Please do let us know about volunteer opportunities or events. We may also be able to introduce you to other charities to collaborate and strengthen the output of our grant.

We aim to inform you and issue the paperwork and funds within 4 weeks of the Grant Committee meeting.

Focus Foundation operates a quarterly grants program, with each funding round designed for a specific group of applicants. Please check the dates below carefully before applying.

1st September 2026:
The grants portal will open for new charities across the UK. Applications that pass our initial assessment process will be presented to the Grant Committee in December 2026.

1st December 2026:
The grants portal will open for existing Focus Foundation charity partners only. Applications that pass our initial assessment process will be presented to the Grant Committee in March 2027.

1st March 2027:
The grants portal will open exclusively to invited charities. Applications will be presented to the Grant Committee in June 2027.

1st June 2027:
The grants portal will open for existing Focus Foundation charity partners only. Applications that pass our initial assessment process will be presented to the Grant Committee in September 2027.

1st September 2027:
The grants portal will open for new charities across the UK. Applications that pass our initial assessment process will be presented to the Grant Committee in December 2027.

Please note that opening dates, eligibility criteria and funding priorities may change. We recommend checking our website regularly for the latest information and guidance before applying.

Core costs can mean different things to different organisations, so we want to be clear about what we consider to be core costs. These include:

• Utilities.
• Rent or mortgage payments.
• Administrative, operational and management salaries (please provide the total amount).
• Insurance.
• Office costs.

The following are not considered core costs, as they are directly related to the delivery of charitable activities:

• Ongoing payments for professional or qualified services, such as:
  – Counsellors.
  – Therapists.
  – Other service delivery staff.
• Ongoing payments for equipment required to deliver services.
• Any other costs directly associated with delivering charitable activities.