The Henry Smith Charity is one of the largest independent grant making trusts in the UK, distributing more than £30 million each year. Following a review of their grant making, the Henry Smith Charity launched a new strategy for the Main Grants Programme, dividing it into two categories: Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities.
The Charity’s three main priorities are as follows:
- Increasing resilience
Empowering people, encouraging integration and personal independence, helping people to recover and move on. - Creating opportunities and life chances
Raising aspiration – equipping people with new skills, unlocking and enabling potential, and providing the means to improve life circumstances. - Empowering communities
Strengthening and connecting communities and making people feel valued, providing opportunities for social connections and relationships, encouraging participation and inclusion.
Grants of between £20,000 and £70,000 per year for up to three years are available (most grants are for three years).
The charity does not fund more than 50% of the projected running costs of an organisation in any individual year, except for the smallest organisations requesting their first paid staff member.
Applications for continuation funding will be considered.
Charities and not-for-profit organisations including community interest companies (CICs) can apply. They must be physically based and working within the 10% most deprived areas of England and Scotland, and within or immediately next to an area within the 15% most deprived areas of Northern Ireland and Wales on the Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
Groups that are not registered charities must have a constitution to demonstrate a charitable purpose.
Community interest companies can apply but must provide details of how their constitution prevents funds being removed from the organisation (asset lock).
The funder supports established organisations delivering services directly to beneficiaries, and it is looking for services which can demonstrate a track record of success and evidence the effectiveness of the work.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have an income of between £20,000 and £500,000.
- Be at least 18 months old and have published annual accounts.
- Have a track record.
Applications can be submitted at any time. There are no deadlines and applications are assessed when they are received.
There is a two-stage application process.
An online stage-one application form is available to complete via the Henry Smith Charity website. This first stage can take up to eight weeks and applicants will then be contacted to inform them if they are successful and will be put through to the second stage.
