Securing funding through grants, contracts, and competitive tenders is a vital element of sustainable income generation for charities and social enterprises. Navigating the landscape of funders, understanding eligibility, and developing robust applications or proposals can be complex and time consuming. Whether you are searching for grant opportunities, responding to statutory tenders, or exploring partnership bidding, the resources below offer guidance and tools to support your efforts.
This page brings together a selection of external resources to help charities find and apply for bids, grants, and tenders. They are part of our charity resource centre.
Table of contents
Finding grants & tenders
| Resource description | Source |
|---|---|
| Free charity grant finder directory of charitable grant awarding organisations. | Charity Excellence Framework |
| Free AI grant/bid writer to draft applications. | Charity Excellence Framework |
| ‘Find a grant’ search service for government grants. | Gov.uk Find a grant |
| Find open government tenders, contract opportunities, and public sector procurement notices. | Contracts Finder (Gov.uk) |
| Funding search tool for Charities and VCSEs in England. | My Funding Central |
| Grant search, explore, and download grants data (UK funders in the 360Giving Data Standard). | 360Giving GrantNav |
| UK-wide funding database for local, national & international sources. | Idox Grant Finder |
Bids, tenders, & commissioning resources
| Resource description | Source |
|---|---|
| NCVO – Guide to tendering | NCVO – Guide to tendering |
| Payroll giving report: attracting the next generation of donors. | CAF |
| Step-by-step support for preparing public sector tenders. | Charity Excellence Framework – bidding toolkit |
| Directory of public sector procurement portals by region. | Procurement Portals UK |
Grant writing and application guidance
| Resource description | Source |
|---|---|
| Guide to writing successful grant applications. | Directory of Social Change |
| Common reasons grant applications fail (and how to avoid them). | Charity Excellence Framework – grant advice |
| Template for bid, grant or tender application development. | NCVO Templates |
Reporting and monitoring resources
| Resource description | Source |
|---|---|
| Introduction to impact measurement for charities. | Inspiring Impact |
| Free monitoring & evaluation toolkit for funded work. | Charity Excellence Framework |
Disclaimer
The resources listed here are provided for your convenience and as a free public resource, they do not constitute consultancy. As they are created and managed by third parties, Sailfin cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information provided, nor for how it may apply to your organisation’s circumstances. Including a link does not imply endorsement, and any use of these resources should be undertaken at your own discretion. For advice tailored to your specific situation, please seek professional guidance or contracted charity consultancy support.