Fort Vale Foundation Fund

Grants of up to £4,000 for groups in Burnley, Pendle and Ribble Valley.

About The Fund
The Fort Vale Foundation has been established through donations received from Fort Vale Engineering Ltd.

The Fort Vale Foundation was established by Edward S. Fort OBE LLD (Hon), Founder and Chairman of Fort Vale Engineering Ltd. The main theme of the Foundation is to support local people and grassroots organisations in the local area of N. E. Lancashire.

Fund Priorities
The fund is keen to receive project applications from grassroots groups which focus on:
Children and young people
Training and education, with a particular focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) subjects
Sport
The Environment and Climate
Medical advancement 
Community integration/cohesion

Specific Eligibility Criteria
The fund has been created to support a wide range of charitable projects which will benefit people within:

• Pendle
• Burnley
• Ribble Valley

Applications where the grant will improve the outputs which a group can achieve will be given priority for funding e.g. allows for increased number of beneficiaries, or further reach, or additionality in delivery.

What Costs Can Be Considered?
Staffing costs
Volunteer costs
Activity/operational costs
Training costs
Small capital items (e.g. equipment, IT)
A proportion of organisational overheads can also be considered

Amount Available
Grants of up to £4,000.
The fund has a budget to award approximately 11 grants.
The panel has discretion to award more if they wish for exceptional cases.
The fund will consider revenue and small capital projects.
The Fort Vale Foundation wishes to be the principal funder for a project i.e. the fund is unlikely to support applications where the grant would be a small contribution to a much wider project cost.
Community Foundation for Lancashire supports the Real Living Wage, therefore, we would encourage applications which pay staff at the current Real Living Wage of £12.60 per hour as a minimum – What is it? | Living Wage Foundation

What Cannot Be Funded?

• Individuals
• Organisations with less than 3 unrelated Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members
• Projects and activities classed as a statutory responsibility
• Private businesses
• CICs limited by shares
• Retrospective funding
• National organisations that cannot demonstrate local governance and control of local finances
• Politically connected or exclusively religious activities
• Reclaimable VAT

More Info & How To Apply?
Visit ​https://lancsfoundation.org.uk/grants/fort-vale-foundation-fund

Deadline
Monday, 23rd June 2025.