The Improving Lives grant programme provides grants to charitable organisations that help people when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are simply not available.

It supports established organisations delivering services directly to beneficiaries.

The six priority areas are:

• Help at a Critical Moment: Helping people to rebuild their lives following a crisis, critical moment, trauma or abuse
• Positive Choices: Helping people, whose actions or behaviours have led to negative consequences for themselves and others
• Accommodation/Housing Support: Enabling people to work towards or maintain accommodation
• Employment and Training: Supporting people to move towards or gain employment
• Financial Inclusion, Rights & Entitlements: Supporting people to overcome their financial problems and ensure that they are able to claim their rights and entitlements
• Support Networks & Family: Working with people to develop improved support networks and family relationships.

Type of funding: Grant

Type of cost: Revenue, Core costs

Fund award sizes: Minimum: £20,000 Maximum: £70,000

Annually awarded: £33,000,000

Will fund between £20,000 and £60,000 per year between one and three years.

Who can apply
They primarily fund registered charities but are willing to make grants to other types of not for profit organisations, such as Community Interest Companies (CICs) or constituted community groups if you can explain how you would use the funding for charitable purposes. Your annual income must be £50k – £2m (in exceptional circumstances up to £5m).

Minimum annual income: £50,000 Maximum annual income: £5,000,000

When to apply
Applications can be submitted at any time. There are no deadlines. It will take up to six months from submission for you to hear the outcome, though you will know within eight weeks if your application is not being shortlisted.

How to apply
Guidance and application form available on the Charity’s website.

They do not fund the set-up costs of organisations or fund organisations that are only just starting to deliver services or activities.