BBC Children in Need – Small Grants programme

Our Small Grants programme is open to charities and not-for-profit organisations applying for any amount up to and including £10,000 for one year only.

Children and young people of 18 years and under experiencing disadvantage through:

1. Illness, distress, abuse or neglect
2. Any kind of disability
3. Behavioural or psychological difficulties
4. Living in poverty or situations of deprivation

Projects we fund make differenced in children’s lives that help prevent or overcome the effects of the disadvantages they face. Projects achieve these differences by either working directly with children or seeking to improve their social and physical environments.

In our Small Grants programme we are looking for projects where a relatively small amount of money can make a big difference for children and young people. We are unlikely to fund applications which top up funding for salaries or larger projects where a small grant would only make a marginal impact on its success.

Who can apply?

• Not-for-profit organisations that work with disadvantaged children and young people of 18 years and under who live in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
• If you currently have a Small Grant you can apply for further Small Grant funding to keep running the same project or for a different project. You will need to be able to provide convincing evidence of the differences our grant has made to the lives of the disadvantaged children and young people you have worked with. Please note you can usually only have one application assessed in any 12-month period.
• If you currently have a Main Grant you can also apply for a Small Grant as long as it is for work with a different group of children and young people. Please note you can usually only have one application assessed in any 12-month period.

When to Apply

You should plan your application so that you will hear a decision in plenty of time before your project is due to start. We cannot fund work that takes place or costs that are incurred before a decision is received.