How to Apply: Strategic Fund

• Not-for-profit organisations providing a service in Buckinghamshire can apply.
• Organisations registered with a regulating body, such as the Charity Commission or Companies House, can apply for a grant for up to 3 years.
• Groups, societies and organisations not registered with a regulator can apply for a grant for 1 year only.
• Newly established organisations that do not yet have a set of annual accounts may apply for a grant for 1 year only.

• We fund project, core and capital costs. Where the funding is capital only, we prefer to not be the only funder.
• Applications which help organisations to work together and develop partnerships are welcome.

All applicants must provide:

• Safeguarding policy
• Health and Safety policy
• Equality policy
• GDPR policy
• Environmental Sustainability policy (if the application is over £5k)
• Governing document or constitution demonstrating three Directors or Trustees
• Management accounts
• A full project budget, or an organisational budget if applying for core costs (if the application is over £5k)
• Proof of your organisation’s bank account

Apply online through our grants portal.

Applications under £30,000:

Deadlines every year:

• 27th January
• 18th April
• 27th August
• 18th November

Applicants will be notified if their grant is awarded within 6 weeks of each deadline.

Applications over £30,000:

Deadlines every year:

• 31^st March
• 1^st September

Grants are awarded following Trustee meetings in July and January.

If your grant application is unsuccessful, you will receive feedback explaining why. You can apply again at any time, but it’s a good idea to speak with a Grants Manager beforehand.

We use outcomes to understand how our funded activity contributes to the difference we want to make.   When applying for funding, applicants must select up to two outcomes that their funded activity will contribute to. Applicants will also need to explain how their activity will support these outcomes and describe how they will monitor and evaluate activity in relation to them. Read about the outcomes we want to support here: Arts, Environment. 

We encourage funded organisations to consider and measure success by demonstrating:  

• the difference their funded activity makes i.e. the changes, benefits, learning or other effects, and the indicators that help show you this has taken place. 

•  and how it does this, the outputs i.e. activities, services, or facilities  

Funded organisations share an annual written report. This outlines what has been delivered with a grant and how this contributes to the outcomes selected at application stage. It includes any changes to original plans, within a funded organisation or with partners. We ask that funded organisations describe who has benefited from the funded activity and share any evidence collected. We’re interested in what our funded organisations have learned and how this will inform future planning. 

Reports include a breakdown of expenditure and details of any additional funding secured since receiving support from the Rothschild Foundation. 

Funded organisations may meet with members of the Grants team annually to reflect on learning over the course of their funding. 

Funded organisations are invited to a biennial networking event to share knowledge, learn from each other and connect with programme experts.

• We don’t fund in Milton Keynes or counties neighbouring Buckinghamshire.
• For-profit organisations, businesses and individuals seeking bursaries or scholarships cannot apply.
• Grants are not awarded to reimburse the costs of activity that has already taken place.
• We don’t fund promotion of religion, overseas travel, animal welfare and campaigns.
• A full list of funding exclusions can be found in our FAQs.