Funding opportunities for early years groups

Introduction to funding for early years

Have you ever considered applying for additional funding to enhance and develop the service you provide? There are many opportunities to do this, particularly if you are a voluntary-sector provider. However, private nurseries and local authority schools and nurseries can also apply to certain funding bodies.

Local authority assistance

The majority of local authorities have a dedicated grants officer who will assist local organisations seeking local and/or external grant funding. You can find out who this is by making a phone call to your council or visiting its website. To find details of government departments and agencies, including local councils, try the DirectGov website.

Charitable trusts

Your local library service can provide you with access to published material on funding and may also have details of local charitable trusts. Charitable trusts and foundations support specific good causes, sometimes within a defined geographical area. There are more than 4000 charitable trusts in the UK which offer funding to voluntary and community agencies.

Trustfunding website

If you are unable to find details on relevant local trusts through your library or council website, you may wish to subscribe to Trustfunding's update service. This site, which is regularly updated, gives information on grant-making trusts in the UK which, between them, give over £3 billion a year to a wide range of causes.

Find out about sources of funding and support.