Social Action Grants

This grant programme is currently closed to applications.

What is the Social Action Grant Programme?

The Social Action Grant Programme is a fund from Bristol One City to support social action activities that achieves one or more of the following outcomes for preventing serious violence:

• Build whole community resilience to incidents of serious violence
• Increase social connections within and across communities to build cohesion
• Grow community confidence in order to develop leadership and collective responsibility
• Build peer to peer activity and mutual support

Please see section three of the Guide for Applicants that outlines priority areas and communities for grants programme.

What is ‘Social action’? Social action is about people coming together to help improve their lives and solve the problems that are important in their communities. Through the commitment and skills of citizens, social action can empower communities, and complement public services.

Please note: Some of the criteria and priorities for this grants programme have been amended since the last of this grants programme. There is a specific theme of preventing serious violence. So please read and familiarise with the Guide for Applicants before applying.

What can you apply for?

A grant should enable social action (as defined above) and achieve one or more of the above outcomes for preventing serious violence.

You can apply for a grant to build upon and strengthen an activity you are already delivering, or to start something new.

This programme aims to build community resilience for the longer term. We are particularly interested in funding activities that have a longer term impact, can be developed over time, and encourage others to take action. Any proposals for one-time events or short-term projects must demonstrate that they have a broader or longer-term impact or the potential for further development.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be based and working in Bristol. This means the Local Authority area of Bristol City Council.

You can apply for a grant if you are a:

• constituted voluntary or community organisation
• registered charity
• not-for-profit company, including Community Interest Companies where most directors receive no payment from the company

Please see our eligibility criteria page for further information. See page here

This grant programme is aimed at smaller organisations. Therefore we will prioritise organisations with an average annual income of less than £350,000 for the last three years.

How to apply

Apply online using the link below. You can return to your online application form as many times as you like but make sure to save the form as you go. Please read through the Guide for Applicants carefully before applying. We also have further information to help you apply. See our Help & Guidance page here.

Please note: This grants programme has been popular in previous rounds, receiving many applications. Unfortunately, due to limited funds available, only half of those received have been successful.

Bristol City Council and Quartet are delivering an online information session about this grants programme on Tuesday 12 November at 1pm. Please register on Eventbrite if you would like to join this session. The link is here.

Decision turnaround

We aim for decisions to be sent to applicants by the end of January 2025.