Heart Of England Community Foundation

Charity Number: 1117345

Annual Expenditure: £5.0M

Stay updated on changes from Heart Of England Community Foundation and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £5 million+ (2023/24)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Varies by fund
  • Grant Range: £1,000 - £10,000 (typically)
  • Geographic Focus: Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry, Warwickshire, and Solihull

Contact Details

Address: C/O Stellantis, Pinley House, 2 Sunbeam Way, CV3 1ND

Phone: 024 77800 520

Email: info@heartofenglandcf.org

Website: www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk

Pre-application support: The grants team strongly encourages applicants to contact them before submitting an application to discuss their project.

Overview

Founded in 1995, the Heart of England Community Foundation is the largest independent grant-giving charity across the West Midlands and Warwickshire. The Foundation has awarded over £49 million through approximately 14,000 grants to support more than 8,000 projects and community organizations. In 2023/24 alone, the Foundation managed over 67 funds and programmes, awarding more than £5 million in grants that benefited approximately 400,000 people. With endowment funds exceeding £20 million, the Foundation connects generous donors with grassroots community causes, operating on the principle that local people have the knowledge and understanding to create positive change. In 2024, the Foundation launched a new five-year strategy aiming to distribute £25 million in grants and grow its endowment to £30 million by 2030, with a renewed focus on making applications more accessible and evidence-based funding delivery.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Foundation manages numerous grant programmes across the region, with amounts varying by fund:

Regional Programmes:

  • IM Properties Community Fund: Up to £3,000 for projects promoting positive change, strengthening communities, and enhancing the natural environment across the Midlands

Coventry, Solihull & Warwickshire:

  • Coventry, Solihull & Warwickshire Communities Fund: Up to £3,000 for projects tackling disadvantage or social exclusion
  • Alan Higgs Community Grants: Up to £1,000 for projects relieving poverty and promoting economic & community development
  • Community Energy Warwickshire Fund: Up to £2,000 for energy efficiency projects
  • Coventry Building Society Grants: Small grants up to £2,000, large grants up to £10,000 for addressing local needs
  • Net Zero Fund: Up to £10,000 for energy efficiency improvement projects

Birmingham & Black Country:

  • Birmingham and Black Country Communities Fund: Up to £3,000 for tackling disadvantage or social exclusion
  • Positive Futures Fund: Up to £5,000 for innovative projects inspiring young people
  • Tipton Education Fund: Small grants up to £3,000, large grants up to £10,000 for raising educational attainment
  • Harry Payne Fund: Up to £2,000 within 25-mile radius of Birmingham City Centre

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for most funds. Organizations can apply to multiple grant programmes per year but cannot reapply to the same programme within 12 months. New organizations are limited to two applications total.

Priority Areas

The Foundation supports a wide range of social issues including:

  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Poverty relief and economic development
  • Environmental sustainability and energy efficiency
  • Educational attainment
  • Youth engagement and preventing entry into criminal justice system
  • Support for elderly and vulnerable adults
  • Disabilities and accessibility
  • Homelessness
  • Community cohesion and social inclusion
  • Arts and culture
  • Health initiatives

What They Don't Fund

Ineligible Organizations:

  • Animal welfare groups
  • Political groups
  • Religious groups seeking to influence beliefs (faith-based organizations can apply if benefiting wider community)
  • Sports groups without community element
  • Statutory bodies
  • Individuals
  • Medical research organizations
  • Organizations with substantial reserves
  • Organizations with annual income over £500,000

Ineligible Activities:

  • Fundraising appeals
  • Retrospective grants
  • Overseas projects
  • Endowment funds
  • Loan repayments
  • Direct replacement of statutory obligations and public funding
  • Promotion of religious or political activities
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for Heart Of England Community Foundation?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Chief Executive: Tina Costello OBE (serving since 2013)

Tina has led the Foundation through significant growth and noted that “smaller voluntary and community organisations are often under the radar of national funders,” positioning the Foundation as advocates for these grassroots groups.

Senior Management:

  • Shamiela Ahmed - Senior Manager, Programmes
  • Jayne Taylor-Farren - Senior Manager, Finance
  • Helen Kendrick - Senior Manager, Operations

Board of Trustees

Chair: Chris West

Treasurer: Michelle Vincent

Trustees: Calum Nisbet, Jude Jennison, Richard Port MBE, Alethea Fuller, Dan Boardman-Weston (Chief Executive of BRI Wealth Management)

Patrons: Sally Carrick, Stellantis (Corporate Patron)

President: Tim Cox

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

  • Management committee with at least 3 unrelated members
  • Written constitution
  • Most recent annual accounts
  • Recent bank statement
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Equal opportunities policy
  • Quotes for capital items over £300

Applications started but not submitted will be deleted after 6 months.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by specific fund. For example, the Inclusive Communities Fund assessed over 800 applications and made announcements to successful applicants approximately one month after the closing deadline (applications closed February 2024, announcements made from March 2024).

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. However, the Foundation received over £57 million in funding requests for the Inclusive Communities Fund alone, with £9 million ultimately awarded, indicating highly competitive application processes for some programmes.

Reapplication Policy

  • Organizations can apply to multiple grant programmes per year
  • Cannot reapply to the same programme within 12 months of a previous application
  • New organizations are limited to a maximum of two applications across all programmes

Application Success Factors

Key Recommendations from the Foundation

Pre-application engagement is essential: The Foundation strongly encourages applicants to speak with the grants team before beginning an application. Contact them at 024 77800 520 or info@heartofenglandcf.org.

Focus on wider community benefit: Projects must demonstrate clear benefit for the local area, not just specific membership or limited groups.

Full cost recovery supported: The Foundation supports full cost recovery models and encourages applicants to include appropriate overhead and administrative costs.

Proportionate applications: As part of their new five-year strategy, the Foundation is committed to only asking questions proportionate to the grant amount being applied for, making the process more efficient and accessible.

Recent Funded Projects (Examples)

  • Ladybug Lodge (Coventry): £4,905 to transform playtime for SEND families with 26 new 'Stay and Play' sessions
  • Bell Green ABC: Grant for a new boxing ring for young boxing enthusiasts in Coventry
  • Birmingham LGBT's Affirmative Counselling Service: Funding for projects tackling inequality
  • The Friendship Project: Support for improving mental health and wellbeing of children aged 6-16 who may be withdrawn or lacking self-esteem
  • Saints Project: £49,800 from the Social Impact Fund providing nutritious hot meals to hungry families

Strategic Considerations

The Foundation emphasizes:

  • Local knowledge: Projects led by people who understand local issues and communities
  • Grassroots organizations: Particular focus on smaller organizations often overlooked by national funders
  • Evidence-based funding: Increasing use of data to identify funding cold spots and direct resources strategically
  • Diversity: Championing organizations doing incredible work but with low profiles
  • Innovation: Especially for youth-focused programmes seeking creative approaches

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Pre-application contact is crucial - the grants team actively wants to discuss your project before you apply. Use this opportunity to refine your proposal and ensure strong alignment.
  • Geographic specificity matters - ensure your project clearly serves Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry, Warwickshire, or Solihull communities with demonstrable local benefit.
  • Size appropriate - with an income cap of £500,000, this funder explicitly targets smaller grassroots organizations. Emphasize your local, community-led approach.
  • Strategic timing - you can only apply to each programme once per 12 months, so ensure your application is well-prepared and timed appropriately for your project readiness.
  • Full cost recovery welcome - unlike some funders, Heart of England supports overhead costs, so don't underestimate your true project costs.
  • Align with five-year strategy - the Foundation is actively working to improve accessibility, support diversity, and use evidence-based approaches. Frame your work within these strategic priorities.
  • Multiple funding opportunities - with over 67 programmes, explore multiple funds that might fit your work, but remember the two-application limit for new organizations.

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References