New funding available for charities working on employability
Aberdeen Charitable Trust announces funding available for UK charities working on employability.
Duration: 2 Mins
Date: 15 Jan 2026
- Initiatives – this programme makes substantial multiyear grants aligned to direct programme delivery. Each round will focus on either employability, financial capability or nature.
- Ideas – this fund supports charities to carry out pilot projects that develop sustainable solutions to persistent challenges.
- Insights – this programme funds research on financial capability and routes to fair work to inform future action.
Open Now: Initiatives fund - employability
The Trust is keen to help partners make a step change in their work. The Initiatives fund is open now until 4th February and awards grants of up to £1m for small-to-medium sized charities.
The current funding round focuses on charities delivering employability programmes and the Trust is particularly keen to hear from organisations working on UK-wide initiatives with people over the age of 25. Future Initiatives grants will focus on the Trust’s other themes of financial capability and nature, sign up to the Trust’s newsletter to find out when these themes are open for applications.
Read more about how to apply and our criteria.
Opening in March: Ideas fund
This fund helps charities see their ideas become reality. The Trust is looking for proposals that could transform financial capability, employability or the natural environment. The Trust’s Ideas fund supports pilot projects that aim to create sustainable solutions to persistent challenges. Funding of between £20,000 and £180,000 is available worldwide for organisations working in the communities where Aberdeen Group is based. The Trust is particularly interested to hear from organisations which have ideas around how to tackle the impact of AI on social inclusion.
Opening later in 2026 – Insights fund
The Trust’s Insights programme funds research on financial capability and routes to fair work to inform future action. More information on current partnerships within this fund are available here. Interested charities can sign up to the Trust’s newsletter to find out when the fund is open for applications.
