What we fund
We focus our funding on three areas. At the trustees’ discretion we may proactively give grants to organisations or causes outside those listed here, but please do not apply speculatively if your work does not clearly align with the following priorities.
1. Young people & employability (UK) – We support organisations helping people—especially young people who are not engaged in employment, education or training (NEET), or at risk of becoming disengaged—to improve their employability and future prospects. We support initiatives that expand educational experience for young people.
2. International development (overseas) – We fund overseas projects tackling poverty and sustainable development. We’re especially interested in:
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Empowering women and young people
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Expanding access to quality education
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Supporting environmentally and socially beneficial enterprises
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3. Environment & conservation (UK & overseas) – We support underfunded and overlooked conservation projects, both in the UK and overseas. In the UK, we’re particularly interested in community-led projects that deliver social and environmental impact, for example:
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Community energy projects with a social impact
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Repair and reuse schemes that build local skills while extending the life of resources
The kinds of organisations we support
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We fund organisations with less than £10 million annual income
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We support:
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UK-registered charities
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For small grants: Community groups and Community Interest Companies (CICs) with clear alignment to our priorities (must be constituted and have a bank account)
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We look for organisations and projects that:
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Are rooted in communities, co-designed and delivered with the people they serve
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Invest in communities for the long-term not just one-off projects
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Clearly articulate their social and environmental impact
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Are committed to learning, collaboration, and innovation
About our grants
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We award small grants (up to £5,000 per year) and a limited number of larger grants (usually up to £20,000 per year). We don’t award a fixed number of grants, instead we consider the merits of each application and the amount of funding we have available.
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We will consider multi-year grants
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We’re open to match funding, pooled funds, and other approaches that could maximise the impact of our support.
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We’re happy to fund core costs as well as project costs
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Whilst we’re keen to hear feedback, we don’t require bespoke reporting—just send us your existing annual or impact reports
How to apply
If your work aligns with our priorities and you meet our criteria, we’d love to hear from you. Please use the application form below to apply.
Please note: MCF is run entirely by its Trustees and has no paid staff.
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We review applications four times a year — in March, June, September, and December.
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The application deadline is the 15th of the previous month (for example, August 15 for the September meeting).
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Applications received after the deadline will be considered at the following meeting.
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You’ll hear back from us by the end of the month after the meeting (for example, by the end of October for the September meeting).
- To apply, fill in the form on this link: Merriman Charitable Foundation