The Robertson Trust: open grants for UK charities

Finding a funder is the easy part. The hard part is working out which of their programmes you're actually eligible for, and not wasting a week on an application that was never a fit. This guide lists The Robertson Trust's currently open programmes so you can check the basics before you commit.

Open The Robertson Trust programmes right now

• Wee Grants
  £30,000 · Rolling, applications open
  Scotland. For constituted community groups & charities with annual income under £30,000. Up to £5,000 for one year, unrestricted (revenue or capital). Open — apply online (poverty/trauma focus); the apply route is a direct online form, with no enquiry call, referral or invitation required. ACCESS/ELIGIBILITY GATES (funder's own Wee Grants page, verified 2026-08-08): the funder states it "cannot accept applications from Community Interest Companies, Limited Companies and Community Benefit Societies which are not registered charities" — so a CIC that is not ALSO a registered Scottish charity is INELIGIBLE, notwithstanding this record's general VCSE flag. The funder also excludes "organisations who are already in receipt of funding from us, whether this is a Wee Grant or one of our other funds", and asks Wee Grant holders to wait at least 10 months from the date of the award email before reapplying. Further stated exclusions include organisations that distribute funding to third parties, umbrella organisations that do not directly deliver, work taking place outside Scotland, funding for individuals, feasibility studies or academic research, purchase of buildings/land, and retrospective costs.
• Community Spaces Grants
  £30,000–£500,000 · Rolling, applications open
  Scotland. Registered charities with income £30,000–£500,000. Revenue funding £5,000–£20,000/yr for up to 3 years for community centres, hubs or anchor organisations tackling poverty & trauma. Open — apply at any time, no closing date; the apply route is a direct online form reached through the funder's full guidance, with no enquiry call, referral or invitation required. ACCESS/ELIGIBILITY GATES (funder's own Community Spaces Grants page, verified 2026-08-08): "You cannot be in receipt of, or apply for, a Community Spaces Grant at the same time as a Large or Small Grant." REVENUE ONLY — the funder states it "cannot support capital costs such as building works or refurbishments through this fund", which is a material limit for the community-centre and hub applicants this fund is aimed at. Applicants must also have at least three unconnected trustees, recent independently examined or audited accounts, a dual-signatory bank account in the charity's name, and a safeguarding policy where relevant.
• Small Grants
  £30,000–£200,000 · Rolling, applications open
  Scotland. Registered charities with income £30,000–£200,000. Revenue funding £5,000–£20,000/yr, restricted or unrestricted. TERM CORRECTED 2026-08-08: this record previously stated a flat "up to 5 years", which over-stated the funder's own norm — the funder's Small Grants page states funding is "normally for 3 years but may be considered for up to 5 years for requests which are strongly aligned with our priorities and demonstrating leading or best practice, subject to available funds". Plan on 3 years; 5 is an exception, not the offer. Work must be "clearly and intentionally aligned to a priority" within one or more of the funder's four themes (Financial Security, Education Pathways, Work Pathways, Nurturing Relationships) — a narrower test than a general poverty/trauma focus. Open — rolling, apply at any time via the online form linked inside the funder's full guidance; no enquiry call, referral or invitation required.
• Big Change That Lasts Fund
  £200,000 · Rolling, applications open
  Scotland. Organisations with income over £200,000 (registered charities, asset-locked CICs limited by guarantee, housing associations and credit unions). Restricted project funding £20,000–£500,000 (typically £50k–£100k/yr) for up to 5 years for systemic change on poverty & trauma. Rolling, no closing date; currently prioritising Financial Security. ACCESS ROUTE (funder's own Big Change That Lasts page, verified 2026-08-08): the process has TWO stages — "Stage 1: a short application outlining your change idea" and "Stage 2: a longer application, by invitation only". Stage 1 is genuinely self-serve, so this is not an invitation-only fund; but a full application, and therefore any award, is reachable only by invitation after Stage 1, and applicants should budget effort accordingly. "You can only have one active application to the Big Change That Lasts Fund at a time (unless otherwise invited)." The fund does not support ongoing service delivery unless it is clearly testing or demonstrating a new, scalable approach.

Each programme links to The Robertson Trust's official page. Always confirm eligibility, amounts and deadlines there before applying. Funders update their pages, and "rolling" does not mean funding is guaranteed.

Before you apply to The Robertson Trust

• Check the eligibility basics first: where you work, the type of organisation you are, who you help, and the realistic size of grant you can deliver.
• Look at who The Robertson Trust has funded recently. Recent grants are the best signal of whether your work fits their priorities.
• Don't rely on one funder. The charities that win consistently keep a live shortlist of several well-matched opportunities, not a single bet.

GrantNest helps you discover and draft funding opportunities. We are not affiliated with The Robertson Trust. We don't guarantee you'll win funding, and nothing here is financial or legal advice. Programme details verified 2026-08-19.