Ciswo
At a glance
Key takeaways
- CISWO's work fits best if you are a miners' welfare charity, or a charity working with former coal miners and their families, in its priority areas of recreational facilities, practical small grants and higher education.
- Its typical grants fall between £5,900 and £20,000, with about 8 in 10 of its named grants to organisations in that band and a median of about £8,550, so a request in that region is realistic for a grant of this kind, while its Small Grants Programme goes up to £2,000.
- Applications must come from the charity's trustees, and CISWO accepts applications on a rolling basis, although education grants can only be submitted between 1 March and 1 December.
- Organisations other than miners' welfare charities should not apply for Recreational Facilities Grants, and miners' welfare charities that are not eligible should not apply for Small Grants.
- Miners' welfare trustees can contact their CISWO regional development manager for information about support before they apply.
Overview
CISWO is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1160157).
CISWO is a charity that exists to enable former coal miners and mining communities to reduce disadvantage. It provides help for former coal miners and their families, supports over 200 independent mining charities and protects recreational land in former mining communities. It also gives grants to former mineworkers and their dependent children for higher education, and its annual giving was £176,250 according to the annual report.
What they fund
Priority Areas
CISWO provides tailored help for former coal miners and their families, including need-based individual grants for former miners and dependent families; eligibility depends on the relevant service criteria and demonstrable low income. It also supports independent mining charities, particularly miners’ welfare charities, so they can sustain and improve recreational facilities and services in local communities. Its small grants help with practical improvements, urgent compliance requirements and projects benefiting local communities, while larger recreational facilities funding supports capital works, development costs, refurbishment and repairs. The organisation also works to protect recreational land in former mining communities and reduce disadvantage linked to the coal mining industry.
Themes
- Recreational facilities
- Miners’ welfare charities
- Higher education
Geographic Focus
Priority: England; Scotland; Wales.
What they don't fund
- Small Grants Programme only: miners’ welfare charities other than eligible miners’ welfare charities
- Recreational Facilities Grants only: organisations other than miners’ welfare charities; purposes that are not charitable
- Education grants only:
- applicants who were not employed in the coal mining industry of Great Britain or who have not completed the required length of service
- dependent children of former coal mining employees who are not financially dependent on their parents
- families without demonstrable low income
- dependent children under 18 or 25 and over at the start of the academic year for which the grant is required
How to apply
Miners’ welfare trustees can contact their CISWO regional development manager for information about support, or email or call CISWO.
Application windows:
- Education grants: Applications can be submitted between 1 March and 1 December.
Who can apply:
- Applications for funding must come from the trustees of the charity, although this may be in collaboration with a user group, for example a football club.
What to send:
- Education grants
- A copy of your student finance award
- Evidence of enrolment
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Small Grants proposals support practical improvements, urgent compliance requirements and projects that benefit local communities.
- Recreational facilities funding must be used to develop, sustain or increase charitable recreational activities.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Ciswo.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 13 grants in year to 31 December 2025 by size
Median £8,538 (year to 31 December 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Mexborough Miners Welfare Institute and Recreation Ground£50,000year to 31 December 2025
- Kilburn Miners' Welfare Trust£20,000year to 31 December 2025
- Linby Miners Welfare Recreation Ground£16,486year to 31 December 2025
- Llay Miners Welfare Institute and Recreation Ground£11,655year to 31 December 2025
- Ifton Miners' Welfare Institute and Recreation Ground£10,000year to 31 December 2025
- Elphinstone Miners' Charitable Society£9,258year to 31 December 2025
- Birch Coppice Miners' Social Welfare Centre£8,538year to 31 December 2025
- Dodworth Miners Welfare Scheme£7,926year to 31 December 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 1 line covering other, unnamed recipients (£11,036).
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £2,895,988 | £3,390,986 | £266,548 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £1,698,078 | £3,844,127 | £165,995 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £2,319,846 | £3,522,405 | £74,618 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £2,076,457 | £3,365,648 | £154,785 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £1,417,875 | £5,154,572 | £176,250 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
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.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- ciswo.org.uk
- ciswo.org.uk/small-grants-programme · read on 30 October 2026
- ciswo.org.uk/about-us · read on 30 October 2026
- ciswo.org.uk/helping-you/education-grants · read on 30 October 2026
- ciswo.org.uk · read on 30 October 2026
- ciswo.org.uk/contact · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Ciswo?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 01709 728 115source
- 01506 635 550source
- 01977 703 384source
- 01623 625 767source
- 01443 485 233source
- mail@ciswo.org.uksource
- The Old Rectory, Rectory Drive, Whiston, Rotherham S60 4JG.source
- Coalburn Miners Welfare, 42 Coalburn Road, Coalburn, Lanark, ML11 0LHsource
- Thornycroft Centre, Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract, WF8 4AYsource
- Welfare Offices, Berry Hill Lane, Mansfield, NG18 4JRsource
- Ground Floor Unit 5, Melin Corrwg Business Parc, Upper Boat, Pontypridd, CF37 5BEsource
- ciswo.org.uk
Applying to Ciswo?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 01709 728 115source
- 01506 635 550source
- 01977 703 384source
- 01623 625 767source
- 01443 485 233source
- mail@ciswo.org.uksource
- The Old Rectory, Rectory Drive, Whiston, Rotherham S60 4JG.source
- Coalburn Miners Welfare, 42 Coalburn Road, Coalburn, Lanark, ML11 0LHsource
- Thornycroft Centre, Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract, WF8 4AYsource
- Welfare Offices, Berry Hill Lane, Mansfield, NG18 4JRsource
- Ground Floor Unit 5, Melin Corrwg Business Parc, Upper Boat, Pontypridd, CF37 5BEsource
- ciswo.org.uk