What we want to support
The Factory Foundation wants to support projects or activities that harness local action and creativity. What really appeals to us are trials, ideas and experiments that you might be struggling to get funded elsewhere. We also know that longer term projects with excellent outcomes can be challenging to maintain and we want to hear about those too. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from un-constituted groups and individuals who are developing work that is clearly contributing to the community.
If you are unsure of the suitability of a project you would like to propose for funding, we invite you to send an email of no more than 200-words outlining your idea. We will then respond with a brief indication of whether we think it could be a good fit. Please send enquiries to tori@tobaccofactory.com
Grant amount
Between £1,000 and £5,000
Themes we are focused on
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Climate and Environment
A grant from our Climate and Environment round could help bring your community’s ideas for decarbonisation and environmental action to life. Do you want to start a community garden, composting or food-growing project? Plant trees or wildflowers to create space for nature? Set up a repair/upcycle café or swap shop to reduce waste? Maybe you’ve thought about running workshops to share tips on saving energy and living more sustainably? Is there a small renewable energy project that you’ve always wanted to get off the ground or an event to raise awareness and inspire local action? Whatever the scale, our aim is to support you to inspire climate action and protect nature.
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Children and Young People
A grant from our Children and Young people round could support a wide range of activities that give children and young people chances to learn, create, and grow. This could mean setting up sports or outdoor adventure activities, running art, music or drama workshops, starting coding or media clubs, or creating safe spaces where young people can hang out, share ideas, and support each other. It could also back youth-led projects like organising events, campaigns, or volunteering and work experience activities that make a difference in the community. The aim is to give young people the chance to try new things, build confidence, and feel proud of what they can achieve.
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Arts and Culture
A grant from our Arts and Culture round could help your community celebrate creativity and culture in many ways. You could use the grant to deliver one-off workshops, exhibitions, or storytelling events, or you might want to develop an initiative for a festival, theatre or music project or create public art that brightens shared spaces. Whether you want to use the medium of art and culture to explore an idea or celebrate local heritage, the focus is on giving people chances to express themselves, and showcase the talents of South Bristol.
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Health Equity
A grant from our Health Equity round could support your community to develop and run activities that focus on healthier lives. Smaller projects might include taster sessions in cooking, exercise, or thematic support, while larger ones could develop ongoing peer-support groups, information workshops, or outreach programmes for communities facing extra barriers. Whatever the project, the aim is to bring people together, improve access to healthy activities, and support communities to live well.
Applying for a grant
The following table outlines the grant themes, the quarter in which we expect activities to be delivered and completed and the dates that the application processes will open and close.
We require organisations applying for funding to have an up-to-date safeguarding policy which we ask you to submit alongside the application.
Please read the FAQ section which should assist you with any queries you may have about the process.
Trustees
George Ferguson CBE PPRIBA RWA
Past President of Royal Institute of British Architects (2003/5) and first elected Mayor of Bristol UK (2012-16). He is founder and Chair of Tobacco Factory Enterprises (from 1994) and of Bristol Beer Factory (2004). He was appointed a CBE for services to architecture and the community (2010), and has honorary degrees from the Universities of Bristol and the West of England. He is currently Chair of the Royal West of England Academy.
George Perry
Georgina has over 20 years’ experience of helping organisations to work better for the people they serve. She has co-founded two national charities, established social enterprises in Bristol and is recognised for her creativity, imagination, and determination to respond to community needs. Known for her commitment to fairness and collaboration, George is dedicated to helping communities thrive, discover their strengths, support their talents, and ensure they can access the right support at the right time.
Ade Williams MBE FRSA
Lead Pharmacist at the multi-award-winning Bedminster Pharmacy on East Street. He was Chair of the Bedminster BID and former member of the Bristol Cathedral Council. A campaigner for health and wellbeing equity, Ade is the Pharmacy Profession’s Patient Champion and holds other NHS strategic roles. He has an honorary degree from the University of the West of England. He is currently Chair of the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade.
TIPS FOR YOUR APPLICATION. . .
TIPS FOR YOUR APPLICATION. . .
Have you clearly described the issue you want to address?
Have you clearly articulated an understanding of the community context for this work and why the project matters now?
Does your idea bring a fresh, inventive or artistic approach to the thematic issue?
Does your project test new ideas, pilot creative methods, or experiment with different ways of engaging people?
Does your project embrace learning from trial and error?
Is your project bold or ambitious in what it’s trying to do? How have you considered risks and potential challenges?
Are the activities and budget realistic?
Are you showing clear planning and evidence that you can deliver what you propose?
If you are awarded a grant
We will inform you via email of the outcome of your grant proposal within three weeks of the grant round deadline. We will not be able to give feedback if you are unsuccessful, however in some cases, we may ask you to re-submit your application to another thematic round that we think it may be more suited to.
We reserve the right to award grant amounts that may cover all or some of the application you make to the Factory Foundation.
You will need to deliver your project within the quarterly timescales we have set out. If this is not possible then we request that you contact us as soon as possible to agree how you will proceed.
Successful applicants will be asked to submit a brief evaluation a maximum of 8 weeks after the project end date telling us about the outcomes and overall impact the work achieved. This report should be emailed to tori@tobaccofactory.com . It should be no more than 1 side of A4 and where possible the email should include photographic attachments of the work taking place. Please remember to get signed permission from anyone included in the photographs. We will assume that any photographs sent to us have received this clearance.
You can make up to two applications per year and each must be to different grant rounds.
FAQs