Make a Big Difference to Your Community – Bid for a Small Grant

Grassroots voluntary and community groups are being invited to bid for pots of money to help tackle inequalities and bring other benefits to residents and communities across Reading.

Whilst an economically powerful town, the Council recognises that not all Reading residents enjoy the same life chances. The Council’s vision remains for Reading to reach its potential and to ensure that everyone living and working here can share the benefits of its success.

Just one of the ways the Council tries to address this gap is through its ever-popular Small Grants Fund. Applications for grants opened today and this year there are two different ways for organisations to bid and make a difference in their local communities.

Small Grants Fund

The Council has again allocated £150,000 for small grants to Reading’s voluntary and community sector. This year it is encouraging bids which can demonstrate they will help tackle inequality or discrimination.

Grants of up to £7,500 are available for grassroots local organisations with an annual income of less than £100,000, and who have received less than £20,000 in support from the Council during 2025/6. A proportion of the funding will be used to support bids under £2,500 to provide direct support to smaller scale local activities.  Bidders will need to provide evidence on how activities are not already provided in their local area.

The programme is aimed at voluntary and community groups based in Reading. This includes charitable, voluntary and community organisations, as well as faith groups, sports groups, arts groups, cultural organisations, and schools. Uniformed groups such as scouts or guides can also bid, as can other not-for-profit social enterprises. Grants can be awarded for a variety of purposes including one-off local events, minor start-up costs, or purchasing equipment, for example.

Micro Grants

This year the Council has introduced a separate Micro Grants programme under the Small Grants Fund umbrella.

Micro grants are aimed at smaller grassroots groups in Reading’s communities to help them get started, test new ideas, or grow existing projects. Bids of £250 or £500 are available, depending on the size of the project.

Grants can be used for a range of costs, including materials and equipment, venue hire, promotion, fees and charges and transport or refreshments. The Council is open to creative ideas and bidders can ask if they are unsure whether costs are eligible.

Bids which are community-led or have strong local support, encourage inclusion, respond to local needs, and can be delivered with modest funding and within a short timeframe, are particularly encouraged.

Groups and individuals can bid at:

Small Grants Fund: www.reading.gov.uk/SmallGrantsFund

Micro Grants Fund- https://www.reading.gov.uk/about-reading/voluntary-and-community-support/funding/micro-grants/

Whether groups are applying for the Small Grants Fund or for Micro Grants, the Council is emphasising these are two separate bidding process, and separate application forms must be filled in.  The bidding deadline for both schemes is 13 November. The Council will notify bidders if they were successful before Christmas.

Councillor Liz Terry, Reading Borough Council Leader, said:

“There are lots of reasons why some residents do not enjoy the same life chances as others and the Council’s Small Grants Fund is just one way we try to tackle that, ably supported as always by Reading’s incredible voluntary and community sector.

“This year, we are looking to provide support to initiatives which help to tackle financial or health inequalities which we know exist in our communities, or which help tackle discrimination, which can also reduce life opportunities for residents.

“The bidding window is now open and it is always hugely rewarding to see the difference this funding makes to our communities and to individuals.”

Councillor Ruth McEwan, the Council’s Lead for Corporate Services and Resources, added:

“Both our Small Grants and Micro Grants schemes have been designed with some of Reading’s smaller grassroots organisations in mind and we hope creating more bidding opportunities for smaller-scale projects will encourage more of them to think about submitting a bid.

“We fully understand that some smaller groups or individuals will not always have the knowledge or experience of bidding for funding, in the same way that some of Reading’s more established voluntary sector organisations do. We want to encourage those groups to come forward anyway – they may be surprised at the financial support which is available to them.

“The Council recently agreed a new three-year partnership with our voluntary and community sector who always step up to the plate to deliver a huge range of activities which can make a real difference to residents’ lives.”