Comic Relief Community Fund For England

The Comic Relief Community Fund offers grants of up to £5,000 for grassroots, community-led organisations in England to help support the delivery of services and activities that benefit local communities.

Funding can be used for direct project costs or to support core running expenses (or a combination of both). This can include staff wages, materials, rent or training. The Fund is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of eligible organisations that can demonstrate that their proposal will deliver against any of the following  four areas, which link with Comic Relief’s new Funding Strategy.

1. Tackling the immediate impacts of hardship – organisations that directly address the immediate impacts of poverty, including providing food, warmth, shelter and financial advice such as foodbanks, community hubs, homeless shelters or welfare advice agencies.
   
2. Building resilience to poverty and hardship – organisations that deliver activities to empower people to take positive steps out of poverty in the longer term. Examples include skills training, job search, volunteering, mental resilience and financial confidence skills.
   
3. Working to support equity and inclusion – organisations that champion social justice, diversity and inclusion. This could involve service or projects to tackle inequalities which can lead to poverty and exclusion including gender, sexuality, age, race, language or ability, and
   
4. Working to support climate justice – supporting activities that improve energy efficiency, environmental education and resilience-building within communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such communities at risk of flooding or urban heat islands and those more vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as older people, isolated communities or people with disabilities. Projects might include community awareness sessions, carbon literacy training and practical measures.

An example of core funding could be a contribution to an organisation’s annual budget to continue its good work, funding to expand the work, or to add something new that amplifies results. It could also be allocated for expenses that are harder to fund, such as salaries of senior management or administration, or ongoing costs that are not covered by other grants. 

Core funding has to be used for an agreed purpose, and in an agreed time period, by the end of September 2025.

Examples of direct project costs could include:

• A creative arts project to help tackle gender-based violence through workshops and exhibitions
  
• Buying food and equipment for a foodbank
  
• Consultant time to help develop your organisation or key policies
  
• Core, ongoing running costs of your organisation, such as, rent, utilities, and other general running costs.
  
• Costs for equipment or materials.
  
• Counselling and support services.
  
• Creating a community garden to help refugees come together, tackling family isolation and mental health issues
  
• Employing seasonal workers to deliver activities for young people, tackling inequality issues
  
• Paying staff or volunteer expenses.
  
• Renting space to support people to recover from homelessness.
  
• Training for staff and volunteers, and
  
• Website development to improve the marketing and promotion of your services