Aims/priorities: The Trust's funding is intended to support its emphasis on the provision of homes, not just housing. It awards grants and interest-free loans to charitable organisations undertaking projects to provide housing for those in need.
The Trust offers the following support and informal advice to grassroots housing organisations across Britain:
- Advice at an early stage of new housing provision and to existing projects experiencing difficulties or seeking to expand.
- Grants and interest-free loans to enhance the quality of provision.
- Grants for feasibility studies to test specific proposals.
- A Health Check Service to evaluate the potential problems and growth for housing projects.
- Access to interest-bearing loans from the ethical Quaker Social Housing Account run by Triodos Bank.
In addition, the Trust also gives advice, information and encouragement to Quakers who are already involved with housing projects, enquiring about how to start a new project, or wanting to make use of their meeting's property and/or funds to meet housing need.
The Trust supports housing projects providing homes for a wide range of people of all ages including:
- People with mental and physical health problems.
- People with learning difficulties.
- People who would otherwise be homeless.
- Women escaping domestic violence.
- Single parents.
- Young families.
- People moving out of institutional care.
- People with addiction problems.
- Refugees, asylum seekers, migrants.
- Survivors of trafficking.
Who can apply? Charitable organisations that are operating in Britain that meet all of the following criteria are eligible to apply:
- Have legal charitable status (registered with Charity Commission, OSCR and/or HMRC).
- Be a small organisation with limited funds available for the work they want to do and
- an annual turnover of up to £1 million for Best Practice grants.
- an annual turnover of up to £1.5 million for Main Grants and Loans.
- no access to sufficient income, reserves, nor other fundraising, to pay for the work they want to do.
- Be meeting a real and demonstrable housing need.
- Be providing actual 'bricks & mortar' housing.
- Be letting the homes at a realistic rent which low income occupants can genuinely afford.
Organisations do not need to have pre-existing Quaker links or support in order to apply for funding.
The length of occupancy in funded homes must be a minimum of three months.
Until the end of 2026, the Trust is particularly interested in the following:
- Projects in areas geographically underrepresented in previous grant applications [East of England, Wales, Southwest of England (Somerset, Devon, Cornwall)].
- Organisations working with people with No Recourse to Public Funds.
- Organisations working with minoritised communities (as per the definition in the Equality Act 2010).
- Organisations working with people leaving prison.
Grant amount: The following funding is available:
- Best practice grants - up to £6,000.
- Main grants and loans programme - grants of up to £20,000 to capital projects for people with No Recourse to Public Funds.
- Main grants and loans programme - loans of up to £30,000 (no grants) for capital projects generating income from their tenants.
Awards over £20,000 will require security against the loan.
Application process: Guidance notes and application forms can be found on the Quaker Housing Trust website.
There are separate application forms for each of the funding programmes:
- Best Practice Grant and the Quaker Meetings and Communities Programme have a one-stage application process.
- Main Grants and Loans Programme has a two-stage application process, starting with an Expression of Interest form.
Applications are considered at the Council of Management Meetings, which take place five times a year.
Deadline: Thursday 19 June 2025 (12 noon).
Contact information: Email: involveme@qht.org.uk
Website: Apply for funding