Knowing a funder’s success rate can make all the difference. Some funders say yes to very few applications, while others offer much better odds.
Most funders don’t publish their success rate, but some do. We looked at a sample of 28 success rates that 25 funders publish on their own websites. Here’s what they show, why community foundations come out on top, what each rate means, and how to give yourself the best chance.
The short version
Want to know which of these you could apply for?
Share of applications funded, as each funder reports it.
Typical rates, among funders that publish one
Funds in this guide
For comparison
Rates from each funder’s own website, for their most recent published year. *The Fore doesn’t publish a rate on its website. Its own report says 9,131 organisations went through its selection process from 2012 to 2026, and it funded 393, which is about 4%.
Two funds open across England or Wales that say yes to at least 1 in 3 applications.
The National Lottery Community Fund
£300 to £20,000 for projects that bring people together or improve communities, including running costs.
Bernard Sunley Foundation
For building projects costing £10,000 to £5 million: new buildings, extensions, refurbishment and recreational spaces, and new vehicles. One of the few national funders here, so it shows high odds aren’t only local.
Community foundations manage money from local businesses, donors and public bodies, and give it out as grants in their area. Most parts of the UK have one, and those that publish a success rate say yes far more often than most funders.
57%
typical success rate for community foundations
33%
typical success rate for other funders
14% to 86%
the range across the community foundations that publish a rate
Cumbria Community Foundation
Cumbria
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland
Nine wind farm funds, from 56% to 100%
Kent Community Foundation
Kent and Medway
Two Ridings Community Foundation
North and East Yorkshire
Somerset Community Foundation
HPC Community Fund, Somerset
Quartet Community Foundation
West of England
Dorset Community Foundation
Wessex Water fund, Dorset
Foundation Scotland
Women’s Fund for Scotland
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation
Bedfordshire and Luton
Nine community foundations publish a rate, 12 rates in all if Northern Ireland’s wind farm funds count as one. Where a foundation runs more than one fund, the rate can vary a lot between them, so check the fund, not just the foundation. Only some community foundations publish a rate, and those with good rates may be more likely to share them.
Not sure which community foundation covers you?
Find yours on UK Community FoundationsTwo more funders that only fund work in one area, and say yes to at least 1 in 3.
John Moores Foundation
Merseyside
The Shears Foundation small grants
Parts of northern England · next deadline 30 November
Among the funders that publish a rate, community foundations say yes to a typical 57% of applications, against 33% for other funders.
A funder that covers one county gets far fewer applications than one open to the whole UK. Many local funders also talk to groups before they apply, so applications that don’t fit are often stopped early.
National funders with well-known names attract thousands of applications for the same pot. That helps explain why BBC Children in Need funds about 1 in 6 applications, even though it gives away a lot of money.
Based on 28 success rates published by 25 funders, each counting every application received.
These are the 16 funders in our sample that aren’t community foundations, from highest to lowest. Their rates range from 2% to 78%, and the middle one is 33%. Each name links to the page its rate comes from.
The Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust
Farming, Suffolk and nearby counties
Democracy campaigns, UK
Merseyside
West Yorkshire
Capital grants, England and Wales
Gateway grants, Richmond upon Thames
Small grants, parts of northern England
The National Lottery Community Fund, England
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
Ann Rylands Small Donations, UK
Large grants for church buildings, UK
Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire
London, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and the North East
North East England
Some rates come from very few applications. Felix Thornley Cobbold’s 78% is 14 of 18.
Funders don’t all count the same way. Three things to check:
What’s being counted
Some funders count every application. Others only count those that passed a first check, which makes the rate look higher.
Which year
Rates change from year to year, especially when a funder changes its priorities or budget.
Across which funds
A community foundation’s rate often covers all its funds together. Some of those funds will be easier to win than others.
Apply where you’re local
If a community foundation covers your area, start there.
Check eligibility before anything else
Area, income limits and organisation type rule out more applications than weak writing does.
Talk to the funder first
Many local funders welcome a call or email. They’ll tell you if it’s worth applying.
Ask for a typical amount
Look at what they usually give and stay close to it.
No. It’s the share of applications funded across everyone who applied. Your chance depends on how well you fit.
It isn’t required, and some prefer not to. If a funder doesn’t say, you can ask them.
No. Several fund community groups and other not-for-profits too. Bernard Sunley doesn’t fund CICs, sports clubs or unregistered groups.
We looked at a sample of success rates that funders publish on their own websites. The funds we highlight say yes to at least 1 in 3 applications and are open now. The table and chart also show funders with lower rates, for comparison.
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