Across the UK, small, locally led organisations hold communities together. They are the larders and food banks ensuring no one goes hungry, the community centres running projects for marginalised communities, refugee organisations supporting those newly arrived, and the local organisations tackling barriers to employment and homelessness. They are deeply rooted in place, shaped by lived experience, and trusted by the people they serve.

And yet, they are also the organisations most likely to be locked out of funding.

Recent sector data shows that while small charities make up the overwhelming majority of organisations in the UK, they receive a disproportionately small share of available funding. Income from government grants has fallen sharply in real terms in recent years, and many local organisations are being asked to do more as demand for frontline services continues to rise. Rising costs, short term funding cycles, and complex application processes mean that small teams often spend more time chasing funding than delivering the work that matters.

It is against this backdrop that we are launching the UK Community Investment Fund.

This fund is deliberately local. It is focused on organisations operating in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire, the places where we operate several projects and where many of our UK colleagues live. Because while much of our organization operates globally, we believe it matters that we also invest in the communities around us, and that we show up locally, not just professionally but practically.

At its core, the fund reflects a simple belief: if we want stronger, more inclusive communities, we need to invest in the organisations already doing the work, especially those closest to the challenges and opportunities on the ground. Too often, funding flows bypass smaller, community-based organisations in favour of scale or familiarity, even when local groups are better placed to respond to need. This fund is one way of helping to rebalance that.

The UK Community Investment Fund will provide grants of up to £10,000 to small, locally-led organisations working within the five eligible areas. It is designed to support practical, focused activity that responds to clearly identified needs, whether that is strengthening existing services, expanding what is already working, testing a new idea shaped by lived experience or local insight, or providing core funding to underpin overall work. Organisations do not need to be large or long-established to apply, and funding can be used for core activities where that will deepen or extend impact.

Importantly, this is not about parachuting in solutions. We know from experience that sustainable change happens when funding follows trust, and when organisations are given the flexibility to respond to what they are seeing and hearing every day. Many smaller organisations struggle to access resources precisely because they do not have dedicated fundraising teams, or because their work does not fit neatly into narrow criteria. By keeping the application process proportionate, and by focusing on place, people, and need rather than polish, we are aiming to remove some of those barriers and better align with recent trends in funding practices.

This approach reflects how we work more broadly. Across both our work in the UK and globally, our teams regularly partner with small organisations, often as delivery partners and trusted guides to local systems and communities. We see firsthand the value they bring, not just in impact, but in insight, relationships, and long-term resilience. This fund builds on that experience, recognising that effective partnerships start with equitable access to resources.

The challenges facing small organisations in the UK right now are real, and they will not be solved by any single fund. But by investing in and backing the organisations that know these people and places best, we hope to contribute to stronger local ecosystems that are better equipped to weather uncertainty and create lasting change.

Because lasting impact does not just happen at scale. It starts locally, with those who care deeply about their communities, and who are too often doing that work without the support they deserve.

Learn more about the UK Community Investment Fund and apply here.