Major Grants

The major grants programme was first established in 1993 and has since gone on to donate over £4million to charities in the North East of England.

Who do we support?

The major grants programme operates in the North-East of England, across the four counties of Teesside, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. We can support a range of charitable organisations including registered charities, incorporated charities and community associations. The programme prioritises small local organisations and typically only considers requests from organisations with a turnover not more than £500,000. The programme prioritises core salary costs for the most at need organisations.

Mission:

The core principle of the programme is to:

"Make a difference to the lives of people in need in the heart of Greggs' local communities"

What is making a difference?

We want to receive applications from groups that are clearly delivering positive change to people in need.

Who are people in need?

We want to support the most disadvantaged people in society. This could be people living in disadvantaged areas that are doubly disadvantaged by one of the following target areas:

What type of project can we fund?

The Greggs Foundation has a strong reputation as a funder of core or support costs. We listen to the needs and wants of the sector and will continue to provide core costs to help deliver much needed services. We prioritise existing salary costs, e.g. administrator or centre manager salary.

Where can we make grants?

We can support charitable organisations based in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Teesside and Durham.

How much can we give?

We can give up to £15,000 per annum for up to three years, resulting in a maximum grant size of £45,000.

What are our chances of success in applying to the major grants fund?

There is very high demand for grants and we typically have ten times more requests for funding than we have funds available. Therefore success rate tends to be around 10 per cent. However, if you read our guidance carefully and you work with the most disadvantaged people from the most disadvantaged areas you have a better chance of being successful.

How do we apply?

To apply, please send us a letter on no more than two sides of A4. The letter must include the following points:

Once you have completed your letter of application, please submit it with a copy of your latest accounts, an income and expenditure forecast (budget) for the current financial year and a full breakdown of the costs you have applied for. Send your completed application to:

Grants manager
Greggs Foundation
Fernwood House
Clayton Road
Jesmond
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE2 1TL

Before applying please see the exclusions list.

Examples of grants 2009

Mind Active received a one year grant of £10,000 towards the salary of the manager. Mind Active provides social and recreational opportunities to older people living in residential care homes.

Mind Active

A one off grant of £4,000 was awarded to North-East Helplink. Helplink provides immediate care and support to street homeless people in Durham. The grant will support the costs of a community kitchen to prepare and distribute healthy meals to homeless people.

Addvance supports people in Hartlepool who are affected by a range of disabilities and related conditions. £15,000 in 2009 will fund a financial administrator to support the organisation and allow the great work to develop.

"My son has been going to the Addvance group now for little over a year, in that year his confidence in his abilities has grown to the point where now he will try his hand at just about any task. He does look forward to his weekly group meetings and is always full of enthusiasm and stories about what he has done when he gets back home".
Addvance service user