Comic Relief Community Fund (England)
This programme is currently closed for applications. For more information, please contact: comicrelief@groundwork.org.uk
The Comic Relief Community Fund is offering grants of up to £5,000 for grassroots, community-led organisations in England that support people living in, or at risk of, poverty or hardship.
Funding is available for organisations with an annual income less than £250,000 and can be used for direct project costs or to support core running expenses, or a combination of both.
Whether help is needed with staff wages, materials, equipment, rent or training – this fund is flexible to meet individual organisation needs.
What can you apply for?
The Fund will support:
- Organisations that are tackling the immediate and urgent impacts of being in poverty, including providing essential resources like food, shelter, advice and healthcare. For example, foodbanks, community kitchens, homeless shelters, welfare advice agencies and health outreach projects.
- Organisations working to empower communities to take positive steps to lift themselves out of poverty in the longer term. For example, projects that build skills, increase access to employment, strengthen financial resilience or develop community-led solutions.
Who can apply?
To be eligible to apply, your organisation must be working in a local area to tackle the immediate impacts of poverty or build resilience to poverty and hardship.
Working together since 2019
Groundwork has worked with Comic Relief since 2019 as an intermediary funder in England, supporting grassroots community organisations, with a turnover of under £250,000.

£5.9 million
in grant money awarded

1462
grants awarded

156,000
beneficiaries have been supported and 3,000 volunteering opportunities created
Story: North East Sight Matters
North East Sight Matters engage with sight-impaired children, young people, and their families who live in the North East. Run by an experienced team of specialists with a significant understanding of the needs of those living with sight loss.