Hull Community Fund

Hull Community Fund

 

The Hull Community Fund has been set up as a partnership between Hull City Council, Hull CVS, HEY Smile Foundation, Forum CIO and Two Ridings Community Foundation. The focus of the fund is on building on and strengthening the dynamism, impact and potential of Hull’s voluntary and community groups and their vital contributions to life in the city.

Fund priorities

The Hull Community Fund addresses needs of local people in the area around issues like:

Health and wellbeing

  • support older and vulnerable people to live dignified, productive and healthy lifestyles
  • support children and young people to access and enjoy healthy lifestyles (this could be physical activity, access to the outdoors, improving their mental wellbeing)
  • improve mental health and wellbeing.
  • Targeted support for inclusion health groups who face barriers in accessing health and care services.

Education and Training

  • develop employability skills.
  • provide volunteering opportunities.

Culture and Heritage

  • increase accessibility of culture and heritage opportunities
  • Community arts initiatives, particularly for traditionally excluded communities

Environment

  • increase biodiversity
  • support environmental improvements

What area does the Hull Community Fund cover?

The Hull Community Fund covers the area shaded in the map below.

Hull Community Fund area

Activity Grants

We support projects that help people and strengthen communities. We can support activities that reduce social isolation, improve wellbeing, and help people facing economic disadvantage.

You can apply mental health support, physical activity programmes, employability projects, volunteer development, community arts and heritage activities, and environmental projects. We can also support events that create a lasting community benefit. These examples are not exhaustive.

We support Full Cost Recovery  and encourage applicants to include a reasonable share of overhead costs in your budget (excluding commission-based fundraising costs). However, you can’t use grants for overheads alone, and overhead costs should not make up a large part of your funding request.

Organisational Development

You must submit an expression of interest first.

We understand the pressures community groups face. So, our Organisational Development Grants support leadership time to reflect, learn, develop and lead. Exploration and change work takes time and resource. This grant is designed to give you time and space to explore organisational development (a step change), new ideas and different ways of working. You can use this funding to create or make changes to your strategy, structure or processes for an entire system, your overall organisation, an area of work or a specific role or job. This is your opportunity to spend time developing your organisation, to do things differently, explore new ways of working and ideas, organisational infrastructure – not day to day delivery. Please read the Hull Community Fund guidance notes 2026 for all the information about Organisational Development Grants.

 

Size of grants

You can apply for either an activity grant (up to £2,000) to help address a gap in provision or a Organisational Development grant (up to £10,000).

Please note if you received an Organisational Development grant last year, you cannot apply for one again this year, however you can apply for an Activity grant.

This will be distributed as:

  • Organisational Development grants – up to £10,000 each

These grants are for groups to make a necessary ‘step change’ needed to increase their capacity or support them towards sustainability, and as part of that, to contribute towards running costs.

  •  Activity grants – up to £2,000 each

Who can apply?

Hull Community Fund grants are targeted at small organisations (under £250,000 turnover) with charitable aims where a small amount of money can make a significant difference. You can apply if you are based in or serving the people of Hull.

 

How to apply?

Before applying, please read the Hull Community Fund guidance notes 2026 for this grant scheme carefully.

Next, at the end of the application form we ask you to accept the terms and conditions of holding a grant. This is so that if you are successful, we can make payment more quickly.

Lastly, your application is only complete when we have received all your supporting documents. You can attach your documents to the online application, or email to [email protected]

Posting documents

Please note: If you are sending your supporting documents in the post, please can we ask that they are NOT stapled. Thank you so much!

When to apply?

The deadline for all applications is noon on the 7th September 2026.

Applying for an Organisational Development grant?

You need to submit an expression of interest first

Expression of Interest – If you are shortlisted, you will receive the full application link withing 10 working days. Please ensure you leave enough time for us to respond and for you to make a full application by the full application deadline.

If you are shortlisted, full application deadline – noon on Monday 7th September 2026.

Apply for Activity Grant Complete your EOI for an Organisational Development Grant

Recently awarded grants

Since launching in 2024, we have run two panels for the Hull Community Fund. Here is what we’ve awarded:

2025

In 2025, we awarded £68,723 supporting 20 groups.

Read the 2025 Hull Community Fund Impact Report

2024

In 2024, we awarded £48,946, supporting 13 groups.

Read the 2024 Hull Community Fund Impact Report

Areas covered