Leathersellers’ Small Grants Programme for UK Charities

The Leathersellers’ Foundation has opened applications for its Small Grants Programme, offering one-off funding opportunities for small charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) operating within the United Kingdom.

The programme is designed to support organizations that provide crucial services to local communities, specifically those working with vulnerable members of the community in geographical areas of high deprivation.

Eligibility and Financial Criteria

To be eligible for the Small Grants Programme, applicants must be registered charities or CIOs operating in the UK. The foundation has explicitly stated that it will not consider applications from Community Interest Companies (CICs).

Financial and operational requirements for applicants include:

• A consistent annual charitable income of less than £200,000.
• Holding no more than six months of reserves.
• The ability to provide evidence of effective impact or the difference made through their work, such as testimonials gathered from questionnaires and feedback.
• Delivery of activities that address an identified need for vulnerable community members.

Funding Structure and Application Process

The Small Grants Programme provides one-off grants of up to £5,000 to support small projects. The foundation operates this as a rolling programme with eight application windows throughout the year.

Each application window closes once 40 applications have been received. The foundation noted the high demand for this funding, stating that the December 2025 application window reached its maximum capacity of 40 applications in just under 20 minutes.

Prospective applicants can prepare their submissions by downloading an offline version of the application form and a Small Grants Budget Template, although the final submission must be completed online.

Broader Foundation Objectives

The Small Grants Programme is one of two primary funding streams managed by the Leathersellers’ Foundation. While the Small Grants focus on one-off project support, the foundation also operates a Main Grants Programme.

The Main Grants Programme provides unrestricted grants for core costs ranging between £20,000 and £25,000 per year for up to four years. This specific programme targets charities working to prevent or support recovery from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

The foundation defines ACEs as traumatic events occurring during childhood, such as physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, neglect, domestic abuse, or having a close family member with a mental illness, substance misuse issues, or a history of imprisonment. The foundation welcomes applications from charities using evidence-based interventions and trauma-informed approaches, particularly those supporting under-represented groups facing systemic barriers.