Woking Community Fund
Supporting local communities to develop and thrive by supporting voluntary effort, not just for a single cause, but across all sectors.
What is Woking Community Fund?
The fund was set up in 2012 by local business people and has been run by a team of volunteers ever since. It supports a wide range of sectors, including isolated older people, those with long-term illness or disabilities, the environment, sports, young people, families, and community facilities.
How we help people
The Woking Community Fund makes it easy for local residents to support the breadth of local needs by:
Exclusively supporting local community projects
Pooling donations from companies, individuals and families to make a bigger impact
Providing a sustainable source of funding to support the evolving community needs
Developing the capacity to respond to local issues as they arise
Woking Community Fund awards grants to support the following:
Supporting projects or improving facilities which combat social isolation and disadvantage;
Helping people to gain confidence and raise aspirations through training and development of new skills;
Providing counselling, advice, respite and support; and
Supporting people who are experiencing difficult circumstances due to an illness, injury, disability, bereavement or financial difficulty.
Grants may fund existing services or facilities and new initiatives and can contribute to either capital costs such as funding new equipment or support on-going running costs.
Examples of grants given
MASCOT – Supporting Community Resilience
A £5,000 grant helped Maybury & Sheerwater Community Trust (MASCOT) maintain vital community hubs serving residents facing isolation, language barriers and financial hardship. Funding supported core costs, enabling services such as English classes, a Friendship Café, IT and benefits support, foodbank access and warm hub provision. Over 600 visits per quarter were recorded, with residents gaining confidence, skills and a trusted place to turn for practical help and social connection.
Silver Friends – Reducing Loneliness for Older People
With a £5,000 grant, Silver Friends expanded its social and befriending services for isolated older residents. The funding supported staff coordination and the delivery of regular clubs, outings and special events. Service user retention was close to 100%, with many participants describing renewed confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging — often through what was their only social outing of the month.
Home-Start – Supporting Families in Crisis
A £10,000 grant enabled Home-Start to fund core coordinator roles, supporting families facing challenges including mental health issues, poverty, disability and domestic abuse. Over one year, 366 families received tailored support through home visits, crisis intervention and specialist groups. Nearly all reported improved wellbeing and reduced isolation, with volunteers providing thousands of hours of practical and emotional support.
Make a donation.
Donations can be made at any level, either as one-off donations or spread over a period of time. They can be donated as gifts of cash, legacies, shares, property or land.
The easiest way to give is through the donation page, which will direct your donation directly to Woking Community Fund. If you would prefer to make a bank transfer, please contact us.
Don’t forget Gift Aid! Using Gift Aid means that for every pound you give, the Woking Community Fund will receive an extra 25p from HM Revenue & Customs, helping your donation go further.
Leave a legacy or gift in your Will.
You may choose to support your local area by making a gift in your Will.
Every charitable gift in a will is entirely exempt from inheritance tax.
Additionally, the inheritance tax rate reduces from 40% to 36% if at least 10% of your estate goes to charity. Choosing to give in this way is an extraordinary act of compassion and commitment - one that will continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of people and communities across Surrey for generations to come.
Apply for Funding
A small grant can make a big difference
Applying for a small grant (up to £1000) is easy.
Simply click the link below to send us a quick email. You will be asked to say a few words about your organisation and what you want the funding for – keep it short.
The Fund Panel will then review whether they have any funding available and if they’d like to invite you to apply, they will send you a link to the online application form.
If you’re invited to apply, the application will be processed within a month.
This Fund currently has limited capacity for grant-making, but larger grants of up to £2,500 will be considered in exceptional circumstances. If you need more than £2,500 you should apply as usual via our main grants round.
Our small grants process is designed to respond to local, urgent needs, and particularly to support the small grassroots organisations that provide much-needed support to the most vulnerable in our communities.
We therefore welcome applications that prioritise addressing the needs of residents at disadvantage because of economic or health circumstances, living with poverty or other need or inequality.