Garfield Weston Foundation

Funder Last checked 10 July 2026

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a large family-founded UK grant-maker that funds charities across many causes — welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith. Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, for running costs, a specific activity or a capital project. There are no fixed deadlines.

The facts

  • Award: £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on your size and scope. No fixed maximum.
  • Grant levels: Regular Grants (under £100,000) via the online portal; Major Grants (£100,000+) with separate guidance.
  • What it covers: running/core costs, a specific project or activity, or capital projects — flexible.
  • When: no fixed deadlines; applications considered year-round (Regular Grants generally in order of receipt).
  • Scope: UK-wide, across many causes.
  • Who can apply: UK charities doing charitable work in the UK, with at least one year of examined or audited accounts.
  • Last checked: 10 July 2026, on the Foundation’s own website.

What the Garfield Weston Foundation funds

The Foundation supports charities that make a positive difference across the UK, in welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith. It funds both small local organisations and large national institutions, and it is deliberately flexible about what the money is for. A grant can go towards your organisation’s running (core) costs, a specific project or activity with a defined scope and timescale, or a capital project such as building works, repairs or essential equipment. The Foundation says it funds what charities need most, which makes it one of the more useful funders for small charities seeking core or unrestricted support rather than project-only money.

How much you can apply for

Grants range from £1,000 up to several million pounds, scaled to the charity’s size and the scope of its work. There are two application levels: a Regular Grant of under £100,000, applied for through the online Grants Portal, and a Major Grant of £100,000 or more, which has its own separate guidance. In practice, small local organisations receive smaller amounts, and the largest grants go to major national charities. For a Major Grant, your organisation’s annual income generally needs to be at least £1 million for a core-cost grant, or your total project or capital cost needs to be at least £1 million (whichever applies); for local community capital projects such as village halls or places of worship, grants are typically capped at around £30,000 regardless of the total project size; and for project or capital grants, the Foundation generally expects you to have secured around half your funding before applying.

Who can apply (eligibility)

You can apply if:

  • You are a UK charity carrying out charitable work in the UK.
  • You can provide your latest annual return or independently examined or audited accounts (so you have at least one year of accounts).
  • Your work fits one of the causes the Foundation supports.

Use the Foundation’s eligibility quiz first to check you are a good fit. Eligible organisations are UK registered charities, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), and organisations exempt or excepted under Charity Commission guidance; the Foundation does not fund individuals, community interest companies (CICs), community benefit societies, social enterprises, or local authorities and councils. Major Grant applicants (£100,000+) generally need an annual income of at least £1 million for a core-cost grant, or total project/capital costs of at least £1 million.

How to apply

  1. Take the eligibility quiz on the Foundation’s website to check your fit.
  2. Read the current application guidelines and write your proposal (save as PDF or Word). For a grant of £100,000 or more, read the Major Grant guidance instead.
  3. Have your accounts ready — your latest annual return or independently examined or audited accounts.
  4. Apply for a Regular Grant via the Grants Portal, creating an account and uploading your proposal and accounts; you will get an immediate confirmation email. A postal application option is also available.

Apply via the Foundation’s website: garfieldweston.org/for-grant-applicants/how-to-apply.

Tips

  • Run the eligibility quiz before you write anything — it saves time if you are not a fit.
  • Keep your proposal focused and evidence your impact and finances clearly; the guidelines set out exactly what the Foundation wants to learn.
  • Because there is no deadline, apply when your proposal is genuinely ready rather than rushing — but allow several months for a decision.
  • For a project or capital grant, aim to have around half your funding already secured before you apply — the Foundation rarely covers 100% of a project’s cost. For local community capital projects (village halls, community centres, places of worship), grants are typically capped at around £30,000 regardless of the project’s total size.

Recent grants

[Placeholder — the theme renders recent grants from the Garfield Weston Foundation automatically from 360Giving data. The Foundation also publishes a quarterly grants and pledges list on its own website. Do not hand-write grant examples here.]

Similar funders

[The theme auto-lists similar funders. You may also point readers to other large, general UK grant-makers that fund charities across causes — for example The Henry Smith Charity (now trading as Henry Smith Foundation), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, or The National Lottery Community Fund. Confirmed current and comparable 10 Jul 2026 — all three remain active, general-cause UK funders.]

Not sure whether the Garfield Weston Foundation fits your charity, or want other funders like it? Try CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder — it matches you to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each.

Frequently asked questions

No. The Foundation has no fixed deadlines or rounds — its trustees consider applications throughout the year, and Regular Grants are generally looked at in order of receipt. That means you can apply whenever you are ready, but decisions can take several months, so plan ahead rather than relying on a quick turnaround.

Grants range from £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on your charity's size and the scope of its work. Applications fall into two levels: Regular Grants of under £100,000, applied for through the online portal, and Major Grants of £100,000 or more, which have separate guidance. Small local groups typically receive smaller amounts.

A wide range of causes across the UK — welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage and faith. Grants can be for your organisation's running (core) costs, a specific project or activity, or a capital project such as building works or equipment. The Foundation describes itself as flexible and funds what charities need most.

UK charities doing charitable work in the UK. You need to provide your latest annual return or independently examined or audited accounts as part of the application, so you should have at least one year of accounts. Use the Foundation's eligibility quiz first to check your organisation and its work are a good fit before you apply.

Yes. It makes operating or core-cost grants towards the general costs of running your organisation, as well as grants for specific projects and capital works. This flexibility — funding core costs, not just projects — is one reason it is a valuable funder for small charities, which often struggle to get unrestricted or running-cost support.

Take the eligibility quiz, read the current application guidelines, and write your proposal. For a Regular Grant (under £100,000), apply through the online Grants Portal, uploading your proposal and your latest accounts or annual return; you can also apply by post. For a Major Grant (£100,000+), follow the separate Major Grant guidance first.