The Berkeley Foundation, established and funded by the Berkeley Group and its staff, has launched its Resilience Fund for 2025, offering small charities access to a further £450,000 of funding to strengthen their organisational resilience.
Up to six organisations working in London, the South East or Birmingham will be awarded up to £90,000 each over three years, to build resilience for the future.
The application deadline is 28 March 2025.
The Resilience Fund was first launched in 2021 in response to rapidly increasing financial pressures and operational demands faced by many small and medium-sized charities as the UK emerged from the pandemic. Unlike most grant programmes, the funds can be invested in strengthening a charity’s foundations and ensuring they can meet their long-term charitable missions.
The funding also comes with access to the Foundation’s bespoke learning programme, and potential pro bono support from the wider Berkeley Group where there is an alignment of needs and skills.
This year’s programme addresses 2 out of 5 of the Foundation’s Impact Goals; Youth Leadership and A Resilient Voluntary Sector. At a time when many of these organisations are under considerable pressure, driven by increasing costs, reduced funding, and higher service demand, it is critical that they are supported to be able to continue to deliver on their charitable missions.
This latest round of funding follows on from three years of success for the Resilience Fund programme.
Clare Maddison, Interim Head of Berkeley Foundation said:
“The voluntary sector continues to face significant challenges due to increased operating costs and more demand for overstretched services. Through this fund, we want to help organisations set aside time to focus on building their organisational resilience - whether through improved governance, strengthened people power, better financial planning or stronger systems and strategies.”
Jamie Charnock, Head of Development and Impact at CARAS - Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, an organisation that received funding in 2024 commented:
“We’re delighted to partner with the Berkeley Foundation through their Resilience Fund. As a result, we’ll be able to run a more agile and adaptable service capable of delivering transformative outcomes for young people across south London.”
To apply, click the link here.