Funding opportunities in May 2026
Howard Lake | 29 May 2026 | News
This month’s latest funding opportunities and developments include funds for tackling homelessness, access to young talented tennis players, community climate projects across the UK, and the announcement of the 257 small charities that will take part in the Small Charity Week match funding campaign next month.
St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity Access to Accommodation Fund
St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity has launched its new Access to Accommodation Fund, awarding over £600,000 to eight grassroots projects tackling homelessness across the country.
The fund aims to help small, grassroots organisations (with a turnover up to £2 million) develop, test, and scale creative housing solutions, offering grants up to £100,000 over three years. Projects range from creating high-quality modular homes on unused church land in Oxford to adapting properties for people with mobility needs in Durham and Hartlepool.
Advertisement
From 29 April, organisations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland became eligible to apply for the same funding opportunity. The fund seeks projects that involve people with lived experience and have the potential to be replicated elsewhere.
LTA Tennis Foundation launches ‘Levelling the Court’ fund
The LTA Tennis Foundation has launched ‘Levelling the Court,’ a funding stream with an initial investment of £100,000, designed to support talented and emerging players from low-income households.
The programme aims to create more equal access to performance pathway development opportunities in tennis by removing financial barriers for young players. Targeted grants of up to £2,500 will be available starting in July for 10–14-year-olds on the LTA player pathways who meet the eligibility criteria.
The initiative also includes the Levelling the Court Development Squads, which will identify raw talent in community settings like parks and provide a pathway for development. The ambition is to expand the programme to more age groups and locations across Great Britain.
Idox analysis reveals key funding priorities
Analysis from Idox’s policy intelligence team, based on GrantFinder search data, reveals the funding priorities attracting the strongest interest from funders and applicants across the UK.
The findings show strong demand for funding in several key areas:
- community-led and people-focused projects (including mental health and vulnerable groups)
- Arts/culture
- Sport
- Education
- Digital innovation/AI
- Energy/net zero/environmental sustainability
- Business support/start-ups
- Research and development.
The key insight for applicants is to align bids with specific, outcome-driven policy objectives rather than broad framing, clearly demonstrating measurable societal impact. There is sustained demand for core and capital funding to support essential services.
ServiceNow opens £25,000 fund for community climate projects across the UK
The ServiceNow Community Improvement Fund, delivered by ChangeX, is now open for applications from schools and registered charities across the UK. Grants of up to £25,000 are available to support community-led projects that tackle climate challenges.
The fund aims to accelerate community resilience efforts, backing projects that focus on water, solar, or nature-based solutions and create positive, inclusive outcomes for local communities. Funding can be used to launch new ideas, expand existing projects, or deliver one of three proven models:
- Ecosystem Restoration Communities: Focused on rebuilding soil, fixing water systems, and increasing local biodiversity on degraded land.
- Precious Plastic: Encouraging communities to recycle plastic waste and turn it into valuable products.
- Youth-Led Solar: Seeing teenagers plan, fund, and implement a real photovoltaic installation in their community.
This is the fourth year of the collaboration between ChangeX and ServiceNow. The deadline for applications for the Service Now Community Improvement Fund is 19 June 2026.
257 charities selected for Small Charity Week match funding
NCVO has announced that 257 small charities have been selected to take part in a match funding campaign as part of Small Charity Week.
The initiative, delivered in partnership by with Big Give and Global’s Make Some Noise, will enable participating small charities the opportunity to double donations during the 22-29 June period, helping them boost income and visibility.
Champion funders include Postcode Lottery players.
Kate Lee OBE, chief executive of NCVO, said:
“Across the sector, small charities are facing rising demand and shrinking resources, yet they continue to show extraordinary resilience in the face of these increasing pressures. The need for more support is clear from the significant increase in applications for the Small Charity Week match funding programme this year, and we’re delighted that the campaign will be reaching even more organisations, supporting even more people in communities”.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.