The Leathersellers’ Main Charity Grants Programme provides multi-year, unrestricted funding to charities working to prevent and address the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
This is a significant opportunity for mid-sized charities delivering trauma-informed support to children, young people and families across the UK.
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About the Programme
Now in its fifth year, the programme focuses on supporting organisations that address the long-term impact of trauma experienced during childhood.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) include issues such as abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental substance misuse, mental illness and family breakdown. These experiences can have lasting effects on physical and mental health, wellbeing and life outcomes.
The fund prioritises organisations delivering services that help prevent ACEs or support recovery from their impact through evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches.
How Much Funding Is Available
- £20,000 to £25,000 per year
- Funding awarded for up to 4 years
Funding is unrestricted, meaning it can be used for core costs such as salaries, service delivery and organisational overheads.
The programme is highly competitive, with only around 25 organisations expected to receive funding from hundreds of expressions of interest.
What the Fund Supports
The programme supports charities whose core focus is preventing or reducing the impact of ACEs.
Funded work can include:
- Counselling and therapeutic support
- Mentoring and early intervention programmes
- Community and family support services
- Activities supporting recovery from trauma
- Services for parents, caregivers and adult survivors
The fund is open to a wide range of approaches, provided organisations can demonstrate that the majority of people they support have experienced ACEs.
Who Is Eligible
To apply, organisations must:
- Be a UK registered charity or CIO
- Have an annual income between £200,000 and £2 million
- Have at least one year of published accounts
- Deliver work focused on preventing or reducing ACEs
- Use trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches
- Demonstrate impact through evaluation or research
- Show that service users’ voices inform delivery
Community Interest Companies (CICs) are not eligible.
The Foundation is particularly interested in organisations supporting under-represented groups and those working in areas of high deprivation.
Application Process and Timeline
The programme uses a two-stage process:
- Expression of Interest deadline: 30 April 2026 (5pm)
- Invitations to full application: June 2026
Only a small proportion of applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
What Makes This Fund Different
This programme stands out because:
- Funding is unrestricted and multi-year
- Strong focus on trauma-informed, evidence-based delivery
- Clear thematic focus on ACEs
- Emphasis on lived experience shaping services
The Foundation is looking for organisations that can demonstrate both strong delivery and meaningful, long-term impact.
Is This Right for Your Organisation
If your charity works with children, young people or families affected by trauma and can clearly evidence impact, lived experience and a trauma-informed approach – this programme could be a strong fit.
With up to four years of core funding available, it offers a valuable opportunity to sustain and scale impactful services supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society.
