Applications open for grants and academic support for charities and community groups in Yorkshire
Yorkshire’s charities and social enterprises offered £10,000 grants and unique academic support package to boost their community work
The successful Community Research Grants programme is open for 2025 applications
York St John University’s Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) is delighted to announce the launch of its 2025 Community Research Grants (CRG) programme. Now into its fourth year, the scheme offers up to £10,000 in funding for impactful research collaborations between community groups and York St John academics and researchers.
Applications are now open for voluntary, charity, and social enterprise (VCSE) groups across Yorkshire and the Humber. Priority will be given to organisations that have a strong community-led ethos and/or incorporate significant community participation.
This unique initiative enables VCSEs to define pressing issues in their communities and work hand-in-hand with York St John researchers to explore and address them.
The CRG programme has a proven track record of supporting powerful projects, including York’s anti-racism strategy, community perspectives on forced migration with Leeds-based Give a Gift, and tackling public harm against women and girls through The Dancefloor Project.
Recent collaborations include:
- Men’s suicide prevention impact evaluation (with Menfulness)
- Community led tourism in York (with Good Organisation)
- Reimagining Door 84 through youth and community participatory research and co-creation (with Door 84 Youth and Community Centre)
- Foregrounding the experiences of neurodivergent learners and educators (with Spectrum First Education Ltd)
The team are particularly keen to work with smaller, local organisations and are offering two online briefing sessions to guide applicants through the process.
Briefing Event 1: Monday 24 February 2025, 2.00pm to 3.30pm. Online.
Briefing Event 2: Wednesday 5 March 2025, 10.00am to 11.30am. Online.
Professor Matthew Reason, Director of the Institute for Social Justice said: “Over the last three years our team at the Institute for Social Justice has been developing its expertise in co-produced research and seeing what positive impacts this can have on our community.
“We’re very pleased to open up another round of Community Research Grants to bring together new partnerships between academics and local VCSE organisations. Through their different but complimentary skills and shared vision and ethos, these partnerships produce useful and impactful research that supports VCSE work in meaningful ways.
“If you can see the value of research expertise and insight to help your organisation contribute to positive change, we’d love to hear from you and look forward to supporting you through the application process and beyond.”
Hanif Malik, co-founder of Give a Gift, an ongoing CRG partner, said: “The Community Research Grant from York St John University’s Institute for Social Justice has been instrumental in helping Give a Gift deepen our understanding of health and wellbeing inequalities among ethnic minority communities in Leeds.
“Through this collaboration, we have not only gained valuable insights but have also enhanced our skillset in conducting research with our target groups.
“The experience has given us the confidence to engage community researchers effectively, ensuring that lived experiences remain at the heart of our work. The partnership has been very useful in strengthening our approach to community-led research, and the researchers were both friendly and supportive of our work.
“I would highly recommend it to any third-sector organisations who are looking to carry out similar work and generate evidence about the impact of the work.”
Jamie Williams, co-director at Spectrum First Education Ltd said: “The CRG scheme has been transformative. This work has enabled us to deepen our practice, present at high-profile events, co-host a national conference, publish in an esteemed journal, be introduced to new opportunities and networks, and forge valuable working partnerships for the future.
“The Institute for Social Justice – and York St John University as a whole – has welcomed and supported us wonderfully at every stage.”
Applications are open from today, Monday 3 February until noon on Friday 28 March.
Visit York St John Community Research Grants for more information and to apply.