Focus Foundation grants: what they fund and how to apply

Funder Last checked 11 July 2026

Focus Foundation is a UK grant-maker (charity no. 1194519) backing grassroots charities that support disadvantaged children and young people, or mental health, plus community projects near Focus Group offices. Most grants are £2,000 to £8,000, awarded through quarterly rounds via an online portal.

What the foundation funds

Focus Foundation funds three core pillars: socially or economically disadvantaged children and young people; mental health charities and initiatives; and charitable or community projects local to a Focus Group regional office. It focuses on grassroots charities where a small grant makes a real difference. Grants must be for a tangible project with clear and measurable benefits. The foundation does not fund core running costs and does not part-fund projects.

How much you can apply for

Most grants range from £2,000 to £8,000. Successful applicants may be considered for multi-year funding of up to three years. There is also a Small Grants Programme of under £1,000 for certified charity partners who have received a grant and worked with the foundation before; this programme is invite-only and typically funds tangible items with a turnaround of about four weeks.

Who can apply

Your charity or community group must primarily support one of the three pillars. For community projects, the project should be in the same county as a Focus Group office. You need an annual income of less than £1m and core running costs under 35% (this excludes professional costs). You must provide at least one full year of trading accounts, either statutory accounts or a full year of management accounts.

Deadlines and rounds

As of July 2026, the foundation’s online portal is open, but the live round is invite-only for existing charity partners — new charities cannot apply right now. The foundation runs a quarterly grants programme, and each round is designed for a specific group. The portal opens to new charities across the UK on 1 September 2026 (reviewed at the December 2026 committee), to existing partners only on 1 December 2026, and again to new charities on 1 March 2027; the June 2027 round is invite-only multi-year funding. The Charity Grant Committee meets four times a year. There is no fixed application deadline, but the foundation usually stops assessing new applications about four weeks before a committee meeting. Dates and eligibility can change, so check the website before you apply.

How to apply

All applications go through the online portal. Register for an account, then complete a short Expression of Interest, which takes about 20 minutes; you get a response within a month. If your project fits the funding objectives, you are invited to submit a Full Grant Application, which takes about two to three hours, with a decision aimed at within eight weeks and review at the next committee meeting. The foundation offers feedback on every application, whatever the outcome.

Tips

  • Check which group the current round is open to before you start; some rounds are for existing partners or invite-only.
  • Have at least one full year of accounts ready, and confirm your core running costs are under 35%.
  • Frame your request as one tangible project with measurable outcomes, not core costs or part-funding.
  • If you are not eligible now, contact the grants team; they may help in other ways or point you to other funders.

Official source and last updated

Last updated: July 2026. Source: Focus Foundation — Apply for a grant and the Charity Commission register (1194519).

Recent grants

Similar funders

You may also want to look at The Fore, which also funds small, grassroots UK charities.

Check if your charity is eligible for funders like this — CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder matches your charity to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each. → /grant-finder/

Frequently asked questions

Partly, and not right now. It runs quarterly rounds through an online portal rather than accepting applications at any time; as of July 2026 the live round is invite-only for existing charity partners, so new charities cannot apply. New charities can next apply from 1 September 2026. Check the current round on the Focus Foundation website before you start.

Most grants range from £2,000 to £8,000. There is also a Small Grants Programme of under £1,000 for certified charity partners who have worked with the foundation before, which is invite-only. Successful applicants may be considered for multi-year funding of up to three years.

It funds three core pillars: socially or economically disadvantaged children and young people; mental health charities and initiatives; and charitable or community projects near a Focus Group office. Grants must be for a tangible project with clear, measurable benefits. It does not fund core costs or part-fund projects.

Your charity or community group must primarily support one of the three pillars, have an annual income under £1m, and keep core running costs under 35% (excluding professional costs). You need at least one full year of trading accounts, either statutory or management accounts.

Register on the online portal and complete a short Expression of Interest (about 20 minutes); you get a response within a month. If it fits, you are invited to submit a Full Grant Application (about 2 to 3 hours), with a decision aimed at within 8 weeks and review at the next committee meeting.