By Vedat Mizrahi, Co-founder · 23 June 2026

UK charity grants closing in the next two weeks (late June 2026)

Most of the biggest UK funders never close — you apply when you're ready. But a handful run to fixed deadlines, and two worth knowing shut their doors right at the end of June. I'm Vedat Mizrahi, co-founder of GrantNest. We re-checked these on the funders' own pages in the week to 21 June 2026. If any of them fit your charity, this is the fortnight to move.

Closing 30 June – 1 July 2026

Severn Trent Community Fund — Core Funding (closes Tuesday 30 June, 23:59)

The current Core Funding round opened on 1 June and closes at 23:59 on Tuesday 30 June 2026. It offers £5,000–£20,000 over one year towards core running costs, with around 25 awards in this round, applied for through the fund's online portal. Geography is the key test: your project must sit within the Severn Trent water region, which runs across the Midlands and into parts of mid-Wales — so it's a strong fit for West Midlands community organisations in particular. Miss it, and a second window is expected in November 2026. Re-verified on the funder's own page on 21 June 2026.

Fits: small and mid-sized community charities in the Severn Trent region needing flexible core funding.
Doesn't fit: organisations outside the water region, or anyone who can't submit through the portal before the 30 June cut-off.

Henry Smith Foundation — Early Years Parenting Fund (Expression of Interest by 1 July, 17:00)

This one is larger and longer: up to £56,250 a year for four years for work supporting parenting in the early years. The catch is the timetable. The first stage is an Expression of Interest with a deadline of 17:00 on 1 July 2026. The programme opened on 3 June; around 35 organisations will be invited to a full application (due 21 August), with decisions in October. Miss the 1 July EOI and you are out of this round. Re-verified on the funder's own page on 21 June 2026. (For clarity: "Henry Smith Foundation" is the funder's current name following its rebrand from the Henry Smith Charity.)

Fits: established charities running early-years and parenting support that can move quickly on an EOI.
Doesn't fit: organisations without an early-years parenting focus, or those not ready to commit to a multi-year programme.

Further out, but date-bound

National Lottery Heritage Fund — large grants (next deadline noon, 6 August 2026)

Worth diarising now if you run a bigger heritage project. Unlike the fund's smaller tier (£10,000–£250,000), which is rolling with no deadline, the large-grant tier of £250,000–£10m runs to fixed deadlines — the next at noon on 6 August 2026. Verified 14 June 2026.

No need to rush — these stay open

If the deadlines above don't fit, don't force it. The biggest UK funders take applications on a rolling basis with no deadline, so you can apply when your project is ready rather than against the clock: the National Lottery Community Fund (Awards for All and Reaching Communities), Garfield Weston, Esmée Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn and BBC Children in Need were all verified open with no deadline in the week to 21 June 2026. We covered each of these — and the "rolling" funds that are actually shut — in our guide to grants with no deadline.

A deadline is only real if it's on the funder's own page on the day you check — directories lag by months. Every programme on our open-grants list carries a plain-English status and a last-checked date read straight from the funder's site. If you'd like the new open calls that fit your charity each week — and a nudge before a deadline like these lands — the free Friday email below is the simplest way to stay current.