Greggs Foundation Community Grants

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Helping charities to thrive 

We support charitable organisations to make a difference in the communities they serve.  

Greggs Foundation Community Grants

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Charities funded by Greggs Outlets

The Greggs Foundation Community Grants Programme offers grants of £20,000, for up to two years, to local organisations helping to tackle the challenges facing local communities.  Grants are awarded to organisations who are based in our geographical focus areas, who can demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues facing their local area and delivering programmes that make a positive impact.

We understand different locations face real challenges and give priority to organisations supporting people to access a range of effective community services to widen networks, reduce isolation and build knowledge, confidence and opportunities.

To learn more about the impact our grants can have, visit our community grant case studies.

Case Studies

Grant value 

Eligible organisations can receive a Greggs Foundation Community Grant of £20,000 per year, for up to two years. 

Core funding

As a grant-giving organisation, we understand the difficulties many charitable organisations face in accessing grant funding to meet fixed costs. Greggs Foundation Community Grants are a core funding grant to help organisations manage the financial requirements to keep their services running.   

Eligibility criteria 

To receive a Greggs Foundation Community Grant you must be a not-for-profit organisation and based in one of our geographical focus areas.  Our focus areas will change from round to round and we will publish where these areas are on our website and highlight via social media in each round.  We give priority to organisations in geographical areas located near to a Greggs Outlet or in an area of need. In addition to being based in one of our geographical focus areas we are looking for organisations that are delivering activities outlined in our Theory of Change.  

Organisations successful in receiving funding are focused in the following areas: 

  • Addressing direct needs in the local community

  • Providing food and support for individuals

  • Reducing social isolation and widening networks

  • Building knowledge, confidence and opportunities

Two women feed long horned sheep in the rolling hills of the countryside.
Friends action North East participants on the river Tyne.

Who do we support?

The Greggs Foundation Community Grant is to support not-for-profit community organisations based in one of our geographical focus areas.  Our focus areas are usually based in areas close to Greggs Outlets and in areas of social deprivation.  

As well as supporting organisations close to Greggs Outlets, Greggs Foundation Community Grant funding also supports organisations situated in the North East of England (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Teesside). This aims to rectify the historical lack of funding opportunities for organisations in the region where Greggs was founded and continues to proudly retain its headquarters.  You can learn more in our FAQ's.   

The Greggs Foundation Community Grant opens for applications 4 times a year but is currently closed for applications. Please keep on eye on our social channels and on our website for announcements when funding rounds open for applications.

Where does the funding come from?

The Greggs Foundation Community Grants programme is part-funded by the annual donation we receive from Greggs and through a portion of the profits from Greggs Outlets.   

There are over 35 Greggs Outlets, with the plan to reach 50 by 2025 as part of the Greggs Pledge to build stronger, healthier communities. By selling unsold food products at a reduced price, families on a tight budget can spend less while still having access to great quality food.  

A portion of the profits from Greggs Outlets is donated to The Greggs Foundation to fund charitable organisations in the close vicinity of an Outlet.  This helps to ensure profits generated in Outlet locations are channelled back into addressing the issues affecting those communities.   

the exterior of a Greggs Outet shop with red branding and adverts in the window

Criteria for Greggs Foundation Community Grants 

To be eligible to apply for a grant from us, you need to meet all of the criteria below:

  • A not-for-profit organisation.

  • An annual income of between £25,000 and £1,000,000 in your last set of accounts.

  • At least one set of annual accounts, having been delivering services for over a year.

  • Based in the geographical focus area listed for each funding round

  • Free reserves of less than six months' running costs in your last set of accounts which includes reserves you have decided to allocate but are free to reallocate and does not include fixed assets such as land and buildings. 

  • A board of at least three unrelated trustees or directors. 

  • A safeguarding policy in place. 

  • An independent organisation.

Exclusions:

We are unable to consider applications from any of the following:

  • Animal charities

  • Friends of associations

  • Branches or federations of national charities

  • Organisations where the primary benefit is the advancement of religion 

  • Larger organisations with a greater capacity to fundraise

  • Schools or colleges

  • Uniformed groups such as scouts, guides and sea cadets

  • Sports clubs and associations

We are also unable to provide funding for any of the following:

  • Overseas travel

  • Curricular activities that take place during the school day

  • Religious promotion

  • Research grants

  • Repayment of loans

  • Purchase of vehicles

  • Equipment for hospitals

  • Major capital projects

What are your chances of success?

The programme is highly competitive.  Grants are awarded across four funding rounds per year and typically we have considerably more requests for funding than we can support.

How do we apply?

It is important to read the guidance notes and FAQ’s fully.    

When a funding round is open for applications, please only apply if you meet the eligibility criteria and are based in the locations as outlined in each funding round. 

After successful submission, you will receive a message that your application has been received. You can usually expect a decision within 8 weeks of the closing date.   

As part of the application process, you will need to submit a copy of your latest audited accounts, an income and expenditure forecast (budget) for the current financial year and a full breakdown of the costs you have applied for.  

To learn more about how organisations are using Greggs Foundation Community Grant funding, please visit our community case study page.

Apply now

OurGrantee Stories