Cheshire Community Action

Registered charity 1074676 · since 1999cheshireaction.org.uk·Cheshire, Cheshire West and Chester·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

1 week

Typical decision time

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Groups in Cheshire or Cheshire West and Chester, which is the stated geographic focus, with a turnover under £30,000 a year, are the ones the Community Chest is set up for, and its grants of up to £500 suit modest, grassroots projects.
Ask for an amount that fits the project, give a breakdown of it, and show where any remaining project costs will come from, since the charity welcomes match funding from other grant-givers, business sponsorship or the group's own reserves.
Precepting authorities, private individuals and commercial organisations are not eligible to apply, and the Community Chest will not fund salaries or core running costs, support or oppose any political party, or discriminate on grounds of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion.
Applications are rolling and the charity says it replies within 7 days of a panel decision; ask for the form by emailing enquiries@cheshireaction.org.uk or by calling 01244 40022 to speak to the named contact.
A group may apply more than once within a 12-month period if each application is for a different project or initiative, and successful applicants must complete a brief evaluation of the project's impact.

Overview

Cheshire Community Action is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1074676).

Cheshire Community Action is a registered charity established as one of the oldest voluntary and community organisations in Cheshire. Its principal aim is improving the quality of life of Cheshire's communities, especially rural ones, and it seeks to give those communities a stronger voice over the places, spaces and services that matter to them. Its Community Chest provides small grants to local voluntary and community groups for grassroots projects that meet local needs, and it has three strands: prevention and progression grants, community buildings and spaces grants, and feasibility pipeline development. It also acts as accountable body for the EIP Fund, which supports voluntary and community organisations working in adult health and wellbeing.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Cheshire Community Action’s Community Chest provides small, flexible grants to local voluntary and community groups for grassroots projects that meet local needs, including equipment, room hire, events and running costs. It also acts as accountable body for the EIP Fund, overseeing payments to voluntary and community organisations working in adult health and wellbeing. Its wider community work aims to improve quality of life, especially in rural communities, through partnership, encouraging communities to help themselves, and addressing disadvantage and social inclusion. Its stated aims include affordable housing, support for community buildings and assets, community engagement, better joined-up access to health and social care, and tackling social isolation.

Themes

Adult health and wellbeing

Geographic Focus

Cheshire; Cheshire West and Chester.

What they don't fund

No precepting authorities are eligible to apply for funding
No private individuals are eligible to apply for funding
No commercial organisations are eligible to apply for funding
Community Chest only:
- Applications to cover salaries or other core running costs of an organisation will not be considered
- Applications will not be considered from organisations who intend to support or oppose any particular political party
- Applications will not be considered from organisations who discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion

How to apply

For the Community Chest, groups should email enquiries@cheshireaction.org.uk for an application form or call 01244 40022 to speak to the named contact.

Who can apply:

Community Chest: Organisations must have a turnover of less than £30,000 per year.

What to send:

Community Chest
- Applicants must be able to provide a breakdown of the amount that has been requested.
- Applicants will be asked to demonstrate that the organisation to which the application relates to, has a dedicated bank account can provide another account from a suitable holding body.
- If the project that has been applied for costs more than the amount requested, applicants must be able to demonstrate where they have or intend to secure the remainder of the funding from.

Applying again: Community Chest: Applicants are welcome to submit more than one application within a 12month period as long as the funding requested is to be used on different projects and/or initiatives.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Community Chest welcomes applicants with match-funding from other grant-giving bodies, business sponsorship or the organisation’s own reserves.
Community Chest applicants must complete a brief evaluation demonstrating the funded project's impact.
Where a project costs more than the amount requested, applicants must show where they have or intend to secure the remaining funds.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Cheshire Community Action.

Cheshire West Voluntary ActionRollingGave £690k Cheshire Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £2.2M Active CheshireNo public processGave £242k The Chester Bluecoat CharityRollingGave £199k Philip Barker CharityNo public processGave £5,000 The Ursula Keyes TrustFixed deadlinesGave £268k The Charity ServiceMixed deadlinesGave £1.7M Eric Wright Charitable TrustMixed deadlinesGave £2.2M Cheshire Freemasons' CharityNo public processGave £395k The Pennycress TrustNo public processGave £11,300

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£1,330,478	£1,318,122	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£1,526,555	£1,484,369	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£1,203,308	£1,239,248	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£1,182,674	£1,185,733	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£1,266,941	£1,132,043	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

— 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.