Up to £5,000 in Unrestricted Funding for Small UK Charities – Leathersellers’ Foundation

The Leathersellers’ Foundation Small Grants Programme provides unrestricted funding to small UK charities delivering vital services that improve the lives of vulnerable people and communities.

Unlike project-specific funding, these grants are unrestricted, giving successful charities flexibility to use the money where it is most needed across their organisation.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Up to £5,000 in unrestricted funding

• One-off grant covering a one-year period

• Funding can support the charity as a whole rather than one individual project

• Open to charities supporting vulnerable people and communities across the UK

• Funding for organisations responding to clearly identified community needs

• No end-of-grant report required

• Multiple application windows throughout the year

• Decisions made relatively quickly following each funding round

Who can apply?

• UK registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs)

• Organisations that have been active for at least one year

• Charities with annual income and expenditure below £200,000 in both the current and previous financial year

• Organisations with at least one year of published annual accounts

• Charities with a publicly accessible website explaining their work

• Organisations providing services that are free at the point of access

• Charities that can demonstrate an identified need among vulnerable members of their community

• Organisations able to provide evidence of the difference their work makes

• Charities generally holding no more than six months of running costs in free reserves

The Foundation does not fund CICs, capital projects, hospices, medical research, charities focused on life-threatening or specialised medical conditions, PTAs, school budget fundraising or scouting groups.

Funding: Up to £5,000 as a one-off unrestricted grant

Next Applications Open: 10am on Thursday 8 October 2026

There is no traditional fixed deadline. Each application window closes once 40 applications have been received or after two weeks, whichever happens first.

Because only 40 applications are accepted in most rounds, eligible charities should prepare their application before the window opens and submit as early as possible.

Further application rounds are scheduled for 26 November 2026, 28 January 2027, 4 March 2027, 8 April 2027 and 13 May 2027.