Small Grants Programme

Small Grants to help deliver practical improvements

CISWO’s Small Grants Programme is specifically for miners’ welfare charities, providing grants of up to £2,000 to help welfares deliver practical improvements, meet urgent compliance requirements and develop projects that benefit their local communities.

Recognising the increasing pressures facing smaller charities, the fund has been designed to provide accessible, flexible support where it is needed most in former mining communities.

Miners’ welfare charities remain at the heart of many former mining areas, and CISWO is committed to providing practical support that helps them to be sustainable.

Eligible miners’ welfare charities can apply for grants of up to £2,000 to support:

  • Immediate practical improvements to facilities and services
  • Emergency or time-critical compliance requirements
  • New activities that benefit local communities
  • Standalone projects that charities would otherwise be unable to fund

The programme enables more miners’ welfare charities to access timely support, helping them continue to serve as important community hubs and centres for local activity.

The small grants programme will not support:

  • Ongoing operational core costs (including utility bills)
  • Salaries and staffing costs
  • Items that are primarily for social club or commercial activities
  • Repayment of loans, debts or deficit recovery
  • Small grants can also not be used as match funding towards larger projects.

Funds must be spent within three months of the award being made.

Miners welfare charities wanting to apply for a grant should submit the Small Grants Application form. This form will ask you for information on the purpose of the project, why funding is needed and what the community benefit of the funding will be.

You will also need to submit your recent accounts and a quote/estimate or supplier cost. Charities must also confirm that they are quorate and compliant with the Charity Commission or OSCR.

A small grant can be applied for at any time. Decisions will be communicated to miners’ welfare charities within six weeks of the application date.

You can find out more about the Small Grants Programme and request an application form by contacting your CISWO Regional Development Manager, emailing mail@ciswo.org.uk or calling us on 01709 728115.