Applications must support the outcomes listed below and can relate to one-off projects, capital expenses, or running costs of up to a year’s duration.

Applications for salary costs within specific projects, usually of up to one year’s duration, will be considered. Any other salary costs may be considered on an exceptional basis for no more than one year, but in general, ongoing salary
costs are not supported within this programme.*

• Improving the lives of people with specific needs, disadvantages or vulnerabilities
• Employment, education or training opportunities
• The protection of our natural environment, culture and heritage
• Improved health and wellbeing for our community
• An inclusive community, which challenges the barriers causing disadvantage or discrimination

*Applications for multi-year grants can be made via the Major Grants Programme. 

For the first round of 2026 Small Grants we have decided to focus on arts, culture, heritage and sport only.

Applications are open to registered charities or NPOs operating within or to benefit the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Organisations based within Sark should be registered with the Sark Registrar (Alderney comes under Guernsey Registry).

Applications must support the outcomes listed above that are focused on people in our Bailiwick community, on the services and support they need, or are of benefit to our community; and demonstrate measurable impact against those applicable outcomes.

• Activities outside the Bailiwick of Guernsey or that do not benefit residents of the Bailiwick;
• Applications from individuals, as opposed to incorporated or registered entities;
• Applications seeking to promote political or faith groups will not be supported (however applications are welcome from faith groups for community activities which meet the outcomes above);
• Applications for explicit lobbying activities;
• If more than one year’s reserves are held, justification will need to be provided why these existing reserves cannot be used to fund the proposed activity;
• SIF will not generally fund applications which include repairs or redevelopment of properties not owned by the charity;
• Activities which duplicate a service already provided;
• Applicants cannot apply for funding for their own salaries (for example, the salary of a CEO/ Manager should be submitted by a board member);
• Applications are not likely to be accepted from fundraising or grant giving bodies unless previously agreed with SIF;

• Most recent accounts, which should be independently reviewed, either through an audit or accountant’s report. 
• You may be asked to send in extra information relating to your organisation’s finances, governance or safeguarding policies, depending on the nature of your application.

Even if your application meets all of the eligibility criteria there is no guarantee of funding. SIF will base its decision on a range of factors, including the number of people who will benefit from the service or project in question; the impact of the project or service; the financial health of the organisation; the extent to which the charity works with partnership organisations to deliver shared objectives; and so on. Ultimately, SIF aims to direct money where, in its estimation, it is most needed.

Small Grants applications open in 2 rounds per year.

Round 1 in 2026 was for applications relating to arts, culture, heritage and sport only.

Round 2 is open now for applications from all sectors and closes on October 19, 2026 at 12pm.

SIF expects that an applicant charity is taking all necessary steps to ensure that it is fully compliant with the duties of registered organisations under the Charities etc. (Guernsey and Alderney) Ordinance, 2021. SIF may require part or all of a grant to be repaid if the charity is found to be non-compliant with the Law.

Previously, applications for small grants were processed by the Guernsey Community Foundation (GCF) on behalf of the Social Investment Fund. As of September 2025, the SIF Grant Officer will coordinate all Small Grant applications.

We will contact you after you submit your application with further questions on due diligence and safeguarding, with a short form to complete. This helps us ensure that organisations are well-governed and that the funds will be used appropriately. SIF’s aim is to ensure, as far as possible, that any grants are awarded to organisations which have appropriate governance and safeguarding procedures in place.

We understand that AI tools can help charities save time on writing applications and we support charities using these technologies. However, we want to help charities use this technology as best as possible. Unchecked, AI applications can be generic, not give a clear voice to the charity and not highlight the unique strengths of the charity. AI produced applications may also include incorrect information. It’s your responsibility to conduct a final human review of your application to ensure it isn’t misleading or inaccurate. A good rule of thumb is that “AI should inform judgment, not replace it.”

Please ensure that you are not relying on AI to fully respond to questions within the application and that you only use it for preparing a first draft, formatting, and spell checking. You must also ensure that if you use AI to describe your organisation’s activities or impact, that these descriptions are true to your organisation’s actual activities or impact. SIF grants are focused on the impact that funding makes and if you make wrongful claims concerning activities or impact then the organisation would be in breach of a SIF grant award.

 We want to hear your unique voice, so please use your time to tailor your responses to add context and details specific to your charity and to convey your organisation's story or approach.