We have combined our Open Grants into a single programme with three tiers of award.

Micro Grants: Up to a maximum of £1,000
Small Grants: Up to a maximum of £2,500
Main Grants: Up to a maximum of £15,000 if the grant is supporting a salary, or £10,000 if not.

We believe that grantmaking should be proportionate, and we do not want the process to take any more time that it has to. Because of this, the application form for Micro-Grants and Small Grants will ask fewer questions, and require less detail, than the application form for Main Grants.

Similarly, we expect our Main Grants to be awarded to more established organisations which can demonstrate a strong track record of successful delivery. We do not expect to make any main grants to new organisations who cannot evidence a clear capacity to deliver.

Projects should address issues which are most important to the community. Where possible, projects should actively involve the people they work with when planning the project and take their views into account. 

In particular, we are keen to fund work in the following areas:

Tackle poverty and disadvantage
We’re keen to fund work which:

• helps people improve their financial skills and resilience, if they’re in a vulnerable financial position
• builds awareness of how to access financial support to which you may be entitled, or responsible sources of finance to turn to
• helps people build skills for work, or to gain experience which will help them move closer to a job
• helps create equal access to services which can help people save money.
• Builds awareness of and access to sources of affordable, healthy food across Cheshire and Warrington for those who are financially vulnerable
• Helps people access emergency food support when they need it

Enable stronger, more resilient communities
We’re keen to fund work which:

• Empowers and promotes inclusion and equity for everyone in Cheshire and Warrington.

Improve mental health and wellbeing
We’re keen to fund work which:

• helps people experiencing or supporting those are living in addiction
• helps people living with long-term health conditions to cope with the challenges their condition creates for accessing services, finding support or taking part in activities to improve a sense of wellbeing
• helps unpaid carers of any age
• supports people experiencing mental health challenges

Develop education, skills and employment
We’re keen to fund work which:

• helps to remove barriers which may be facing children and young people when it comes to being ready for school, accessing their education and being in a fit state to learn
• helps young people grow their sense of aspiration for the future
• helps to grow skills for employment and entrepreneurship in Cheshire and Warrington.

Build awareness of climate change
We’re keen to fund work which:

• helps grassroots community organisations use nature to support better wellbeing.

This programme is open to any organisation which meets our grantmaking principles and minimum requirements, and works with people in eligible areas.

For our Micro-Grants, we will prioritise applications from smaller organisations who have not received funding from Cheshire Community Foundation in the past. We do not expect to make any Micro-Grants to organisations with an annual turnover of over £50,000.

Funded projects can be up to 12-months in length from the start of their delivery.

Eligible costs could include:

• Staffing/salary costs
• Volunteer expenses
• Venue hire
• Transport costs
• Small equipment/materials
• Main Grants Only: A contribution to associated core costs

This programme will fund work across Cheshire and Warrington. At panel, we will often prioritise applications for work which supports people who live in more deprived areas of Cheshire and Warrington according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

For our Main Grants, we will often highlight areas which we wish to focus on, and we may prioritise applications working in these areas. We will update these on a round by round basis.

Currently, our additional priority areas are:

We do not currently have any specified priority areas.

All three tiers of grant will operate on the same timelines and will be open for the whole of 2026 on a rolling basis. If you miss a deadline, your application will be entered into the next round.

• Apply by: Weds 11th March for a decision before 22nd May
• Apply by: 20th May for a decision before 31st July
• Apply by: 29th July for a decision before 23rd October
• Apply by: 14th October for a decision before 8th January

Please note -  payments for the October round will be paid in January 2027. Therefore, we recommend any projects applying for work which is providing relief at the Christmas period to aim for the 29th July deadline to ensure successful grants are paid in October/November. 

Depending on demand, we may choose not to take every application through a full assessment. This decision will be made on how closely your application fits the programme aims. If we decide not to take your application through the full process, you may hear back from us sooner than the above date.

To apply for a grant, please click one of the buttons below. Please note that each tier of grant has a seperate application form. Before you apply, please decide which tier of grant you wish to apply for (Micro/Small/Main). Once you start an application form, you will not be able to transfer it to a different tier of grant.

• To apply for a Micro-Grant, click here. (Up to £1,000)
• To apply for a Small Grant, click here. (Up to £2,500)
• To apply for a Main Grant, click here. (Up to £15,000)

At Cheshire Community Foundation, we believe that everyone should be able to access our funding opportunities fairly. We recognise that some people may experience barriers when applying to us. If you need any additional support applying for any of our grant programmes, for whatever reason, please contact us at grants@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk, or by calling 01606 330607. A member of our team will be happy to support you on your application journey, or to find alternative ways (such as paper, video, verbal, online, face-to-face or other methods) for you to get us the information we need to assess your application.

To apply for a Start-Up Grant, you must:

• Be aged 18 to 30. If you co-own the business, all shareholders must also be 18-30.
• Be the majority or joint shareholder (i.e. the applicant must own at least half the business). 
• Be a sole trader/limited company which has been trading for less than 2 years and 6 months.
• Be able to give evidence of significant steps taken to get your business off the ground. Applications solely for “business ideas” will not be considered.
• Demonstrate a financial need for the grant.
• Have a business bank account.
• Have a clear plan for how you will spend any awards, with quotes provided.
  For a full list of the Eligibility Criteria for the SWEF Enterprise fund, please click here.

To apply for a Business Grant, the eligibility is the same as a Start-Up Grant, except your business must also:

• Generate at least £500 of income each month for the most recent three months.

Grants must be used for costs directly related to your business and must be spent within one month of you receiving the funds.

Applications for start-up businesses at the pre-revenue stage will only initially be eligible for smaller grant amounts (i.e. up to £500), to help prove the business concept and start revenue generation. To be eligible for a larger £2,000 grant, your business must  be turning over at least £500 per calendar month.

If you are awarded a smaller amount, and your initial grant is successful, you may be eligible to apply again for the remainder of the costs (i.e. up to £2,000 total across both grants.).

Eligible costs include:

• Equipment costs.
• Materials/stock for a new product line/service
• Prototypes
• Website/booking system build
• Training
• Product development

These grants cannot be used for:

• Salaries
• Debt repayment
• Rent and utilities
• Materials/Stock for an existing product line/service
• Ongoing software subscriptions
• Developent costs for new apps or digital software
• New computers, tablets and phones.* 
• Invasive beauty treatments, such as botox

*We can consider applications for refurbished computers / tablets / phones; However, in order for this to be considered you will need to explain why the item will transform your business, and provide a link to the refurbished item with an explanation of why you need this piece of specific technology.

PLEASE NOTE - WE CANNOT ACCEPT BUDGETS WHICH DO NOT HAVE EVIDENCE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM. ALL ITEMS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A WEBLINK / INVOICE/ QUOTE etc.

We particularly welcome applications from groups that are often underrepresented in business ownership, including people on low incomes, women, migrants, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and people with few or no formal qualifications.

SWEF Enterprise Grants are open for applications on a rolling basis. Once you have submitted your application, we aim to make a final decision on your application within six weeks. To apply, please click:

• Here to apply for a Start-Up Grant
• Here to apply for a Business Grant.

At Cheshire Community Foundation, we believe that everyone should be able to access our funding opportunities fairly. We recognise that some people may experience barriers when applying to us. If you need any additional support applying for any of our grant programmes, for whatever reason, please contact us at grants@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk, or by calling 01606 330607. A member of our team will be happy to support you on your application journey, or to find alternative ways (such as paper, video, verbal, online, face-to-face or other methods) for you to get us the information we need to assess your application.

We are happy to talk to applicants about their application before they apply. Just email us (grants@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk) and one of the Grants Team will arrange a time for a phone chat.

Once you have read this page, you can apply via the link below.  When you submit you will be offered an opportunity to save the form, in order to do so you will need to have a Microsoft account or you will need to create one (for free).

We are a group of funders committed to working together for the benefit of charities, people and groups in Crewe and South Cheshire.  Our forum includes Cheshire Community Foundation, who host and provide administrative support, The Julia Rausing Trust, and The Steve Morgan Foundation. Although there is likely to be greater demand than funds available, as Funders working together, we are committed to doing as much as we can and making the process simpler for charities.

As Funders, we want to try to reduce the administrative burden on charities by providing an early indication of potential support for activity taking place in Crewe and the surrounding areas of Cheshire East. Although we will be exploring ways of sharing due diligence information and aligning our reporting processes, each Funder will maintain their own funding principles, have their own priorities and manage the full application process to align with their own governance requirements.

Although each member of the forum has their own priorities, we all share a vision of a Cheshire where poverty and disadvantage are consigned to history. South Cheshire should be a place where anyone can thrive, and we aim to achieve this through providing a simple route to funding small charities to pursue their vital work.
Visit the website for more information:

South Cheshire Funders

Active Futures 3 is seeking to invest in sports and physical activity organisations across Cheshire and Warrington that deliver primary prevention provision for children and young people. 

This programme will fund projects which provide universal, accessible opportunities open to all young people, using sport and physical activity as a positive vehicle for engagement, development and prevention. Successful programmes will contribute to reducing vulnerability and preventing involvement in behaviours associated with serious violence by providing safe, engaging and diversionary activities within local communities.

Primary prevention provision is defined as:

"Universal provision that is open to all, providing engaging and diversionary activities which contribute to preventing offending and reducing vulnerability."

Applicants will be required to demonstrate how their proposed programme aligns with the Theory of Change, which will be provided as part of the application packcan be found here. Applications should clearly reference the relevant elements of the Theory of Change and explain how the proposed activity will contribute to the intended outcomes and wider aims of the programme.

We encourage applicants to draw upon an appropriate evidence base to support their approach and to clearly articulate the outcomes they expect their programme to influence, particularly in relation to reducing vulnerability, increasing protective factors and improving opportunities for young people.

To ensure investment is targeted where it is needed most, this programme will be open to applications working within areas identified in the Cheshire Commissioning Dashboard. The dashboard highlights areas of greatest need across Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington, using indicators including deprivation, youth population and other factors associated with vulnerability. Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed delivery responds to these local needs and priorities.

We want to fund projects of up to 12 months that deliver year round sporting activities which can demonstrate:

• An understanding of the impact of Serious Youth Violence and/or Child Criminal Exploitation. We want to see projects that use a trauma-informed approach/lived experience to help shape and deliver the work wherever possible.
• A clear plan for sustainable work, lasting beyond the lifespan of the grant, or plans for transitionary support once the project ends. This could include the upskilling of staff and volunteers for future work.
• A collaborative, youth led process in relation to co-production, delivery, and evaluation.
• An approach which is rooted in local communities and builds trusting relationships with children and young people.
• A clear method of engagement.

Funded projects will:

• Use sporting activity to deliver positive outcomes in young people’s wider lives. The programme will not prioritise projects which focus on attainment in a sporting capacity.
• Identify a clear need in an area or group, and can tailor the intervention directly to the children and young people with whom they wish to work.
• Deliver primary level programmes in community settings for at risk young people.
• Deliver interventions which, whilst focussing on prevention, also consider broader impact on communities.
• Deliver a year round intervention which does not significantly change during school holidays.
• Factor in workforce development to strengthen skills, consistency, and capacity of related organisations
• Use clear data gathering processes to facilitate learning and insight.
• Have a strong approach to communicating with the wider sector and youth services.
• Can demonstrate a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people. This could be through improving resilience, aspirations, skills, wellbeing etc.
• Consider workforce development and sustainability to ensure lasting impact.

Applicants can apply for up to £20,000 for costs delivering early intervention and prevention work with Children and Young People aged 0-18. All grants must engage Children and Young People through physical activity or sport. Please be aware that £20,000 is the maximum grant size, and we expect to fund several grants at a lower level to this.

We will accept applications from any organisation which:

• Meets our minimum requirements for all grants.
• Is working with Children and Young People who live in areas identified in the Cheshire Commissioning Dashboard
• Has a track record of delivering sport or physical activities for Children and Young People.
• Has a proven history of running sports activities in local communities.
• Can ideally demonstrate a track record of working with Children and Young People at risk of becoming involved in Childhood Exploitation and/or Serious Youth Violence.
• Can deliver projects using staff and volunteers with suitable skills, qualifications, and experience in relevant, wider interventions (e.g. Mentoring, Youth Work, Mental Health Support, etc.) in addition to sporting activities.
• Has clear next steps and exit routes for young people to move into ongoing, regular activities after finishing the current program.
• Already works with other local organisations like schools, social services, youth justice teams, or the police.

We will consider applications from partnership bids involving multiple organisations delivering work together, so long as there is a nominated lead applicant and a memorandum of understanding outlining the relationship between the delivery partners.

Funded organisations must be willing to work with the local Police and Crime Commissioner to develop and become a part of referral pathways for children and young people who they have identified.

We welcome applications from organisations who were funded in the first two rounds of the Active Futures programme. If you were funded previously, we may seek to understand how you have factored learning from your previous grants into your planning. We will want to see that you have developed your project where appropriate to maximise the positive impact of your work.

To support organisations interested in applying for Active Futures funding, an optional application workshop will be held on 10th August at 12.45pm, facilitated by Active Futures partners and Street Games.

The workshop will provide applicants with a clear understanding of the Active Futures programme, as well as upcoming commissioned opportunities focussing on Secondary Early Intervention.

To register your interest and attendance at this workshop, please click here.

The programme will open for applications on 13th July with a deadline for submissions of 24th August

Decisions will be communicated in Mid to Late October .

Applicants will be required to submit basic, quarterly monitoring reports in February, May, and August 2027.

Before applying, please read the programme brief for full details.

All applications must be submitted online via our website. Click here to apply.

At Cheshire Community Foundation, we believe that everyone should be able to access our funding opportunities fairly. We recognise that some people may experience barriers when applying to us. If you need any additional support applying for any of our grant programmes, for whatever reason, please contact us at grants@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk, or by calling 01606 330607. A member of our team will be happy to support you on your application journey, or to find alternative ways (such as paper, video, verbal, online, face-to-face or other methods) for you to get us the information we need to assess your application.