ACVO Opportunities
Funding
Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
About this fund
Are we the right funder for you?
We fund organisations that we believe will make the greatest long-term impact and change systems for the future – work that has the potential for wider influence or spread; takes a collaborative approach; and centres lived experience, justice and equity.
We focus our support on a small number of longer-term grants for organisations and work that fit our strategy. We make around 200 grants a year across our 13 funding priorities and demand for our funding is very high. In 2025, 5% of expressions of interest received through our website went on to be awarded a grant.
Our grants support
- Costs: we support organisations’ core or projects costs, including staff salaries and overheads. We also provide unrestricted funding for charities
- Amount: the minimum amount we offer is £30,000 and we have no maximum amount
- Time: the majority of our grants are for three to five years, but we have no minimum or maximum term.
- Organisations: we support constituted organisations, including charities and non-charities doing charitable work.
We fund work that is…
-
A strong fit for our strategy
- Is working towards the long-term outcomes in line with our funding priorities
-
Ambitious and/or doing something new to create systemic change
- Can create sustainable change that lasts and/or leave a positive legacy
- Is informed by evidence and experience, with a solid understanding of the context
-
Aims for wider influence and impact
- Goes beyond providing service delivery with a wider influence and impact
- Seeks to influence policy, practice, attitudes or behaviour
- Has potential to be scaled up, replicated or has scope to spread
-
Centres lived experience, justice and equity
- Is driven or shaped by those with lived experience of the issues and/or is community-led
- Centres justice and equity in how they work including how they engage and involve people who face injustice and/or barriers, and amplifies their voices
-
Takes a collaborative approach
- Works in equitable partnership or collaboration
- Has a clear understanding of their role and good connections to their communities, relevant networks, and grassroots groups
We don’t fund…
-
These types of organisations
- Organisations with a turnover of less than £100,000 (as reflected in the latest set of accounts)
- Organisations that are not constituted
- Organisations who do not have measures in place to guard against disproportionate ‘personal benefit’
-
These types of costs
- Capital costs including building work, renovations and equipment
- Grants to individuals
- Grants for less than £30,000
-
These types of work
- Work that is not legally charitable – defined as work that falls within one of 13 descriptions of charitable purposes and is for the public benefit
- Work that does not have a direct benefit in the UK
- Work that is primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities using public funds e.g. social services
- Academic research unless it can demonstrate practical outcomes
- Independent education – work that takes place or is delivered by fee-paying schools
- Healthcare: clinical, counselling, hospices, therapy, addiction services, or medical research
- Promotion of religion
Looking for support with funding?
Identifying funding opportunities and writing grant applications can seem overwhelming, especially when the future sustainability of your group is dependent on gaining funding support.
Our supportive Funding Officer, Claire Shaw, can help your organisation with every step of the funding application process, from carrying out funding searches to proofreading your application.
Share this opportunity
Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
