Unrestricted Core Grants of between £20,000 and £25,000 for 1-4 years are available to UK registered charities to help prevent and tackle the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
2025/26 marks the fourth year of The Leathersellers’ Foundation strategic funding to help prevent and tackle the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The Main Grants programme opened to applications 26 March 2025 with an end of April deadline. Up to 20 grants are expected to be awarded to registered charities across the UK in this funding round.
The term ACEs is used to recognise traumatic events that occur during childhood that can have a significant impact on a person's physical, emotional and mental health throughout their life, such as (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
- Abuse – physical, sexual or psychological/emotional.
- Domestic abuse.
- Having a close family member serve time in prison.
- Mental illness of a close family member.
- Neglect – physical or psychological/emotional.
- Parental or caregiver separation or divorce on account of relationship breakdown, and/or
- Substance misuse by a close family member.
The ACEs Main Charity Grants Programme provides unrestricted revenue grants of between £20,000 and £25,000 per annum for up to 4 years towards the core costs of charities and CIOs throughout the UK. The Foundation welcomes applications from charities who support under-represented groups.
Applicants should meet the following criteria:
- Able to demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach through evaluation or external research.
- Are either lived-experience led or can show significant input from those with lived experience.
- Be working to prevent the occurrence of and/or support recovery from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as their core focus.
- Have an organisational income over £200,000 and under £2 million (for the coming or current year).
Operating in the UK in an area of deprivation, and - Use a trauma-informed approach and evidence-based interventions.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on the Foundation’s website.
The deadline for the submission of an Expression of Interest is 5pm on Wednesday 30 April 2025.
Other grants are also available - see their website for details.