Organisations in the North of England will have 8 days to apply for up to £50,000 across a three-year period.

Applications will be accepted from the following organisation types who have an income of between £10,000 and £1 million in the most recent financial year:

• Registered Charity
• Community Interest Company (CIC) with an asset lock (Schedule 1 and 2 only)
• Community Benefit Society

The organisation’s main activities and objectives must be focused on one of this year’s funding themes:

• Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty.
• Enabling participation in the arts.
• Supporting marginalised groups and/or tackling inequality.
• Improving mental health with a focus on organisations that are actively supporting specific mental health issues as a core purpose, rather than general mental wellbeing activities.

As funding rounds tend to be oversubscribed, priority may be given to organisations that meet one or more of the following:

• Have an income of £250,000 or below.
• Work in communities located in the top 15% of Index of Multiple Deprivation.
• Organisations whose main activities are focused on supporting marginalised groups. This could include, but is not limited to, disabled people, communities experiencing racial inequity, and LGBT+ people.
• Are in areas that have not recently received funding.

The unrestricted multi-year funding is designed to offer flexibility and long-term support to strengthen the organisation and deepen their impact.

There are three rounds in 2026. The Trust reports that it received a total of 487 applications for round 2 and awarded 40 grants totaling around £1.47 million (a success rate of 8%).

Round 3 opens 24 September (9am) and closes 1 October 2026 (12 noon).