Bourne United Charities

Registered charity 1183638 · since 2019bourneunitedcharities.co.uk·Bourne, Little Cawthorpe·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£153k

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2024

From filed accounts

year to 31 December 2025 grants not yet published.

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Bourne United Charities is principally an almshouse charity that also makes grants to local community projects, so your work fits best if it benefits residents of Bourne, Dyke, Cawthorpe or Twenty.
Its website says applications will only be considered where the recipient is located within the parish, so groups based elsewhere should not apply.
Its Small Grants Scheme is stated as up to £250 and no grant range is given, so a modest, well-costed request suits it better than a large one.
Apply through the online Project Grant form, supplying accounts (ideally audited) and clear evidence of need, such as surveys, petitions, community support or identified beneficiaries.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are first considered by the Grants Committee at its monthly meetings, so allow for that cycle before expecting a decision.

Overview

Bourne United Charities is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1183638).

Bourne United Charities brings together 15 charities formed from bequests and endowments left over the centuries for the benefit of the people of Bourne. Its income is used to run 13 almshouses, give financial assistance to those in need and make grants to local community projects. Its annual report gives total giving of £152,663, which may include grants to individuals. Its programmes include almshouses on West Road, allotments, relief of need grants, projects for the benefit of Bourne's inhabitants and the Essex Weekly Charitable Payment.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Bourne United Charities is principally an almshouse charity. It runs almshouses and provides financial assistance to people in need, while making grants to local community projects. Its stated purposes also include relief of need and social amenities for inhabitants of the parish of Bourne, including Dyke, Cawthorpe and Twenty. Organisations can apply for project support where their project benefits residents of this parish; the website also offers a Small Grants Scheme. Its reported organisational grants have gone to local sports clubs, a community warming initiative and an advice service. Requests are submitted through dedicated online forms and are initially considered by the Grants Committee at monthly meetings. For project support, applicants are asked for accounts and information about beneficiaries, need, funding secured, delivery arrangements and timescale.

Themes

Relief of need
Local community projects

Geographic Focus

Bourne; Dyke; Cawthorpe; Twenty.

What they don't fund

Applications will only be considered where the recipient is located within the Parish (Bourne, Dyke, Cawthorpe and Twenty)
Almshouses only: Applicants must have lived in Bourne for at least 10 years
Project Grant only: The project must benefit residents living in the Parish of Bourne, Cawthorpe, Dyke or Twenty to qualify for grant aid

How to apply

Organisations can apply for financial support through the Project Grant form.

Who can apply:

Working Families Scheme: The WFS is available for anyone living in the Parish of Bourne where there are one or more working adults in a household and in receipt of benefits of less than £200 per month (excluding child benefit and childcare costs). You should have savings of less than £10,000 and a combined household gross income under £50,000 per annum (evidence will be required).

What to send:

Evidence of financial information such as payslips, bank statements and accounts will be required to support your application.
Project Grant
- Please supply your accounts (ideally audited) for us to review by uploading below
- Please supply your evidence by uploading a document below

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The project grant form asks applicants to provide clear evidence of need, such as surveys, petitions, community support or identified beneficiaries.
Ongoing Programme Support requires an annual submission describing improvements in outcomes eight weeks before renewal.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Bourne
Little Cawthorpe

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Bourne United Charities.

The Len Pick TrustRollingGave £332k Consolidated Charity of Burton upon TrentFixed deadlinesGave £102k Banbury CharitiesRollingGave £208k The BNA Charitable Incorporated OrganisationFixed deadlines Baron Davenport’s CharityFixed deadlines Kingsbury CharityNo public processGave £211k Harborne and Smethwick Charitable TrustRollingGave £223k Harborne Parish Lands CharityFixed deadlinesGave £223k Market Harborough & The Bowdens CharityRollingGave £85,316 Medlock Charitable TrustRollingGave £4.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£0	£0	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£0	£0	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£1,300,295	£878,621	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£1,383,292	£1,045,875	£152,663	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£1,432,554	£1,075,321	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2024: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.