Grants of up to £5,000 are available to smaller, grassroots community organisations in England, including Community Interest Companies, with an annual income of less than £250,000, for projects and activities that address basic needs, encourage early childhood development, prevent violence against women and girls, and support refugees and asylum seekers.
Comic Relief’s Community Fund for England, which opened to applications on Tuesday 1 September 2026, offers grants of up to £5,000 for grassroots, community-led organisations in England to help support the delivery of services and activities that benefit local communities. Please note that applicants must be based in the area in which any proposed activities will be carried out.
Comic Relief expects to make between 100 and 140 grants to organisations in England with an annual income of under £250,000. Applications from grassroots charities working in areas of high deprivation in England are likely to be prioritised.
Groundwork advises that the application process is likely to be extremely competitive and that it may close before the scheduled deadline of Wednesday 30 September 2026 if it becomes oversubscribed. Early application is therefore advised.
Funding can be used for direct project costs or to support core running expenses (or a combination of both). This can include staff wages, materials, rent or training. The Fund is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of eligible organisations that can demonstrate their proposal will deliver against any of the following areas, which link with Comic Relief’s Funding Strategy. The 2026/27 grant programme is focused on supporting the following themes:
- Basic Needs - projects tackling homelessness, food and other essential goods, community hubs, welfare advice agencies and other cost of living-related issues.
- Early Childhood Development - supporting children up to the age of eight to grow, play and learn in safe environments with people who love and care for them, and/or
- Safety - preventing violence against women and girls, forced migration or refugees/asylum seekers.
An example of core funding could be a contribution to an organisation’s annual budget to continue its good work, funding to expand the work, or to add something new that amplifies results. It could also be allocated for expenses that are harder to fund, such as salaries of senior management or administration, or ongoing costs that are not covered by other grants.
Core funding must be used for an agreed purpose, and in an agreed period, by the end of September 2027.
Examples of direct project costs could include:
- A creative arts project to help tackle gender-based violence through workshops and exhibitions
- Buying food and equipment for a foodbank
- Consultant time to help develop your organisation or key policies
- Core, ongoing running costs of your organisation, such as, rent, utilities, and other general running costs
- Costs for equipment or materials
- Counselling and support services
- Creating a community garden to help refugees come together, tackling family isolation and mental health issues
- Employing seasonal workers to deliver activities for young people, tackling inequality issues
- Paying staff or volunteer expenses
- Renting space to support people to recover from homelessness, and
- Training for staff and volunteers
Further information, guidance, an Eligibility Checker and details about how to apply is available on Groundwork’s website (Groundwork is managing the programme on behalf of Comic Relief).
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026, but please note that the programme may close early to applications if it becomes oversubscribed. Early application is therefore recommended.