Aims/Priorities: This programme, which offers flexible funding over two years and development support, aims to help strengthen collaborations and build capabilities and confidence to achieve change within a local or regional area.
The funding is intended to support impactful collaborations that are led by small and local charities that have the specialist knowledge, compassion, and drive to keep fighting alongside people and communities for long lasting change.
The funding is for influencing work that aligns with at least one of the following themes:
- Making the social security system work better for those facing the greatest challenges.
- Making sure people facing complex issues have access to suitable accommodation.
- Improving support and services for asylum seekers and refugees.
There is particular interest in work that addresses inequalities within these three themes.
Priority will be given to applications that show that lived experience is centred in the collaboration’s design and delivery.
Who can apply? Local collaborations or partnerships that are led by small charities can apply for funding:
- Established collaborations, networks, consortia that have partnership agreements in place.
- New collaborations where partners have recently come together around a local issue. This does not require a partnership agreement at the time of applying, but requires one to be in place before release of grant payment.
It is expected that a local collaboration will include a range of partner organisations or at least the desire and ambition to engage a range of other organisations to be able to influence at a local level. Partners do not need to be charities. They could be community groups, infrastructure organisations, Community Interest Companies, local agencies, businesses, universities etc. The collaboration should have, or have plans to, develop relationships with local decision-makers.
In this round we will not fund collaborations in the same Local Authority/place that are addressing the same key issue, as one we have already funded.
The 2025 round will not consider applications from the following geographic regions on these themes:
- Improve the appropriateness of accommodation: Bristol, Liverpool, London (specifically where focus is on the accommodation needs of women experiencing domestic abuse).
- Increase the availability of accommodation - Greater Manchester and Leeds.
- Increase the availability of support for people facing crisis/destitution - Leicester and Leicestershire, Lewes District, Middlesbrough, The Wirral, Wrexham and York.
- Improve the quality and appropriateness of employment support - London Borough of Lambeth.
- Improve the appropriateness of support for asylum seekers and refugees - Gateshead and Greater Manchester.
- Improve access to legal support for asylum seekers and refugees - Sheffield.
Grant Amount: Grants of £100,000 over two years are available.
Collaborations will also have the opportunity to extend the funding by a further year and an additional £50,000.
It is expected that around 15 grants will be made.
Application Process:
- Submit an Expression of Interest
- Shortlisted applicants will be invited to discuss their application between 14 July and 22 August 2025.
- Applicants will then finalise their application and submit by 22 August for a decision by October 2025.
Full details can be found in the guidance notes on the Foundation's website along with the eligibility quiz.
A pre-application webinar to talk through the programme will be held on 19 March 2025. Registration is via the Foundation's website.
Deadline: All expressions of interest must be submitted by Wednesday 30 April 2025 (17:00).
Contact Information: collaborations@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk
Website: Apply for funding under our local collaborations programme.