ACEs Main Grants Programme Now Open

Unrestricted Grants between £20,000 and £25,000for up to 4 years. Deadline 30/04.

ACEs MAIN GRANTS PROGRAMME NOW OPEN

We are delighted to share that our ACEs Main Grants Programme 2026/27 is now open for expressions of interest.

The Programme will provide unrestricted grants between £20,000-£25,000 for up to four years.

We are welcoming expressions of interest from charities and CIOs with a planned annual income of £200,000-£2m, with a core focus of preventing or reducing the harm of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

We are particularly interested in hearing from eligible organisations based in Northern Ireland, North West of England and the East Midlands, and eligible organisations working exclusively with adults and men.

Eligibility criteria

The ACEs Main Charity Grants Programme aims to support UK registered charities or charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) (but not Community Interest Companies) that:

expect to have an annual organisational income of £200,000-£2,000,000
have at least one year’s published accounts
use a trauma-informed approach and evidence-based interventions
have as their core focus, the goal to prevent and/ or reduce the harm of ACEs by providing services to children, young people and/ or adults (see ‘what we fund’ for details on ACEs)
can demonstrate that the vast majority of people using the service have experienced ACEs/ are supporting people who have experienced ACEs, such as parents and caregivers (please see FAQs on how to evidence this)
can demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach through evaluation or external research
can demonstrate that the voice of service users/ experts by experience informs service design and delivery

Please note:

If your organisation’s free reserves are not the equivalent of 3-6 months running costs, please use the space provided in the online form to provide context.
If your application to the programme was declined last year, you are welcome to re-apply unless you have been advised otherwise.
If you have received a Leathersellers’ main charity grant previously, you must wait until until the same duration of your grant has passed before you reapply. For example, if you received a four year grant, you will not be eligible to reapply until four years from the date of your final grant payment. If you are unsure, please contact them.

How to Apply

To find out if you meet the criteria and for details on how to apply, please go to

leathersellers.co.uk - website

Deadline to submit expressions of interest: 5pm on Thursday 30^th April 2026.

Application Process:

The application process includes an initial expression of interest form, followed by a select number of invited applications, and visits to shortlisted charities. Visits will be conducted in October-November 2025 (Group 1) and January-February 2026 (Group 2) by members of the Leathersellers’ Charity Committee.

Open for expressions of interest: Thursday 12 March 2026
Deadline to submit expressions of interest: 5pm Thursday 30 April 2026
Stage 1 Outcome – select charities invited to make a full application: 10am Thursday 18 June 2026
Deadline for those invited to submit full applications: 5pm Thursday 16 July 2026
Stage 2 outcome – applicants informed of shortlisting decision: October 2026
Group 1 visits to charities: October-November 2026
Group 1 decisions: December 2026
Group 2 visits to charities: December 2026-January 2027
Group 2 decisions: March 2027

All expressions of interest and invited applications need to be made via an online form. A downloadable version of the expression of interest form will be made available when the round opens.