Communication Matters

Registered charity 327500 · since 1987communicationmatters.org.uk·England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

A project fits if it is a community project where AAC can improve lives and it advances one of the charity's aims: AAC awareness, AAC service standards, AAC research, or AAC user empowerment.
Small grants go up to £1,000 and are open only to Communication Matters members, so a group should join before applying.
The Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss goes up to £10,000 and needs an applicant with substantive employment for the project, employer support and at least one year's experience of working with people who use AAC; applications for it close on Friday 30 October, and applications open in September.
Small grants do not part-fund a conference place or fund the purchase or maintenance of a communication aid, and applicants who are not members, or research applicants without those employment and experience conditions, should not apply.
Annual giving and the grant range are not stated, so a grant writer should treat the figures above as ceilings for the named programmes and check the competitiveness of each round directly with the charity.

Overview

Communication Matters is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 327500).

ISAAC UK states that its purpose is to support people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in their basic human right to communicate, be included and heard in an equitable society. It offers small grants of up to £1,000 to Communication Matters' members for community projects. It also offers a £10,000 research grant to an individual, group or organisation for a research project.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Communication Matters makes small grants to members for community projects where AAC can improve lives. Small-grant projects should align with its aims of increasing AAC awareness, improving AAC service standards, advancing AAC research or empowering AAC users. It also offers the Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss to individuals, groups or organisations for a project investigating AAC and sensory loss. Research applicants need substantive employment during the project, employer support, and suitable academic skills or support. The award can cover salary backfill, incidental research costs, supervision and research training.

Themes

AAC awareness
AAC service standards
AAC research
AAC user empowerment

What they don't fund

Small Grants only:
- Where other forms of funding are (or should be) available
- To part fund the cost of a place at the Communication Matters Conference as we already offer subsidised places
- Funding for or associated with a purchase or maintenance of a communication aid
- Applications are open to Communication Matters’ Members only

How to apply

Organisations can apply to the Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss by completing its application form, attaching a three-page CV and an employer-support letter, and returning these to the email address given on the page.

Deadlines: Applications for annual grants open in September.

Application windows:

Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss: Closes on Friday 30 October
Applications open in September

Who can apply:

Communication Matters small grants: Applications are only accepted from members of Communication Matters.
Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss
- The individual or group must have substantive employment for the period during which the project will be carried out.
- Applicants must have support from their employer to carry out the project.
- Applicants must have at least 1 years’ experience of working with people who use or using AAC.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have suitable academic skills or support to complete a project within the designated time available.

What to send:

Research Grant for AAC & Sensory Loss
- A completed application form.
- A 3 page Curriculum Vitae.
- A letter of support from the applicant's employer.
- Emails or letters of support from the applicant's line manager and academic supervisor.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Small-grant applications should align with its vision or one or more organisational aims.
Research applications should be written in plain English and accessible to professional, academic and lay readers.
Successful small-grant recipients are asked to provide follow-up items within a month of using the grant.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Communication Matters.

Action for MENo public processGave £33,366 Mears FoundationInvitation onlyGave £302k David Solomons Charitable TrustRollingGave £122k Stroke AssociationFixed deadlinesGave £2.8M The Richard Lawes FoundationNo public processGave £389k The McLay Dementia TrustInvitation onlyGave £358k The Association of Taxation TechniciansFixed deadlinesGave £53,000 Scops Arts TrustFixed deadlinesGave £521k A J BELL TRUSTInvitation onlyGave £148k Betty Phillips Charitable TrustRollingGave £123k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£134,430	£84,981	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£121,371	£76,858	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£202,829	£103,163	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£285,503	£254,350	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£376,531	£257,490	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

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.