Screwfix Foundation Grants 2026: Rules and Deadlines

Grantsights builds its own funding search for US organisations only, so for a UK or Irish charity this page points to the Foundation and other UK funders instead. If you'd like us to cover UK funders properly one day, add your name to the UK list.

Screwfix Foundation Grants at a Glance

There's 1 grant programme, 4 decision dates a year and a ceiling of £5,000. Here's how it works, from the portal and the eligibility criteria as read on October 30, 2026.

The Foundation describes itself as "a registered charity set up in 2013 in the UK and launched in the Republic of Ireland in 2025". Its money comes from Screwfix staff and customers: the 2025 accounts list £587,892 from customers rounding up online orders ("Pennies"), £520,774 from 2 raffles and £203,064 from Screwfix matching staff fundraising pound for pound.

Two official sources describe the amount differently. The screwfix.com page says funding is "in the region of £5,000"; the newer application portal says "up to £5,000/€5,000 per project". Treat £5,000 as a ceiling, not a target.

Who Can Apply, and Who Shouldn't

The Foundation funds organisations, not people, and only for buildings. According to the application portal, your organisation must do all 5 of these things:

1. Be a registered charity or registered not-for-profit. The 2024 criteria spell it out: a charity registered in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, or a not-for-profit company registered at Companies House (opens in a new tab) or on the FCA mutuals register (opens in a new tab). An unregistered community group can't apply; GOV.UK's guide to setting up a charity (opens in a new tab) explains the options.
2. Help people in need "by reason of financial hardship, sickness, distress or other disadvantages" in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
3. Restrict the money to a building project that relates to "the repair, maintenance, improvement or construction of buildings that are used by people in need".
4. Have an online presence, such as a website or a Facebook or Instagram page, so the Foundation can see your work.
5. Spend the grant within 12 months and send an update when the work's finished.

Who shouldn't apply:

• Open-to-all venues. The portal says it doesn't support projects that "benefit the general public", naming community centres, sports clubs and associations, uniformed groups such as scouts and guides, and schools. A village hall used by everyone is a weak fit; a day centre for older people or a refuge is a strong one. For open-to-all venues, the National Lottery Awards for All guide covers a better-suited fund.
• Animal and wildlife charities. The 2024 criteria exclude organisations whose main beneficiaries are animals or wildlife.
• Anyone funded in the last 2 years. The portal asks you not to apply, and says a later application will be rejected unless the previous project is complete and an impact report has been provided.
• Big projects with nothing else lined up. The Foundation prioritises projects it can fund in full. If your job costs £25,000, a £5,000 request is a red flag unless you can show where the other £20,000 is coming from.
• Individuals and sole traders. There's no route for a person or a business.

What Screwfix Foundation Grants Pay For

Every grant pays for something fixed to a building. The 2024 eligibility criteria give 5 examples of what it funds and 10 things it won't.

Source: The Screwfix Foundation, Eligibility Criteria 2024 (PDF linked from its screwfix.com page), read October 30, 2026.

The line between "fixed" and "removable" decides many cases. A fitted kitchen is in; a new fridge isn't. A sensory room's fitted lighting and padding is in; a tablet for the room isn't. If an item would leave with you when you moved premises, assume it won't be funded.

Grantsights Analysis of Screwfix Foundation Grants: 4 Years of Accounts

The Foundation has made between 376 and 420 local grants a year for 4 years. Grantsights analysis of 1,596 local grants worth £7.28 million, reported in the accounts filed with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, shows how the money has been shared out. According to the Charity Commission register, the charity's reporting is up to date, and it has 8 trustees and 2 volunteers, with no trustee paid.

Source: Grantsights analysis of 1,596 local grants reported in The Screwfix Foundation's audited accounts for the years ended 31 January 2023 and 31 January 2025 (each with prior-year comparatives), Charity Commission register, charity 1151375, downloaded October 30, 2026. The 2025 average is total local grants divided by recipients; the trustees' report states £4,524.

Three things follow. First, the average grant has sat between about £4,200 and £5,100, so most awards are near the £5,000 ceiling rather than small top-ups. Second, roughly 100 local grants are approved each quarter on average (420 in a year). Third, the Foundation spent more than it raised in the latest year. According to the Charity Commission register and the 2025 accounts, income was £1,731,063 and spending £1,930,010, a £198,947 deficit, with reserves falling from £817,236 to £618,289. The trustees expect income to "remain stable", but that's a reason not to assume the pot will grow.

Where the money goes by nation. The trustees' reports give the share of local grants by UK nation. England dominates, and Scotland's share has roughly doubled since 2023.

Source: The Screwfix Foundation, trustees' reports for the years ended 31 January 2023 and 2025. FY2025 covers February 2024 to January 2025. The reports give UK nations only.

What the Foundation Has Funded: Examples From Its Published List

The Foundation's criteria say "all projects that are successful will be listed on our website", but on October 30, 2026 the only list linked from its page was Grant Awards 2023, which names 188 organisations paid in March 2023 (115) and July 2023 (73), with a project description and a Screwfix sales division (North 59, South 50, East 45, West 34) for each. It doesn't give amounts.

Grantsights analysis of all 188 project descriptions in that list, using keyword matching (one project can count in more than one row), shows what kinds of work got through:

Source: Grantsights analysis of The Screwfix Foundation, "Grant Awards 2023" (PDF), downloaded October 30, 2026. Counts are approximate because descriptions were matched by keyword.

A case in point is the mix of named recipients below. They show the fit the Foundation looks for: organisations with a clear group of people in need, using a specific building.

• Argyll & Bute Rape Crisis received funding for a new central heating system and flooring for its support service.
• Age Concern Cheshire (Age UK Cheshire) received funding for a new fire alarm system.
• Asylum Link Merseyside received funding for a new fire detection system at its centre for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Age UK Faversham & Sittingbourne received funding for a hearing loop system in its day centre.
• Your Sanctuary, a Surrey domestic abuse charity with 2 safe houses, received funding for painting and decorating.
• Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group received funding for wall-mounted infrared heaters and draught-proofing in its exercise studio.

None of these is a general-public venue, and each project is a single, clearly priced job. That's the pattern to copy.

Screwfix Foundation Deadlines and Decision Times

Every application lands in 1 of 4 fixed windows, and there's no fast track. The portal says the cut-off is "midnight on the 10th of the month prior to the Trustee meeting".

Source: The Screwfix Foundation application portal and Eligibility Criteria 2024, read October 30, 2026.

Realistic timeline. From the deadline to a decision is about 7 weeks. If you're successful, you complete a bank transfer form, and the Foundation says payment follows within 1 month of receiving your bank details. Applying on 11 August, the day after a cut-off, means waiting until 30 December for an answer; applying on 10 November means waiting about 7 weeks. Either way, plan for at least 2 to 3 months from submission to money in the bank, and don't book contractors until the grant is confirmed.

How to Apply for a Screwfix Foundation Grant

Applications are online only, through the Screwfix Foundation application portal (opens in a new tab). You can save a draft and come back to it. Here are the 6 steps, in order.

1. Check your registration. Have your charity number or Companies House number ready. In England and Wales, make sure your Charity Commission register entry (opens in a new tab) is up to date; the Foundation can see it.
2. Get a firm quote. The Foundation says it needs "certainty that your project will go ahead", so a contractor's written quote is the strongest evidence you can attach.
3. Decide on a partial award. The form asks you to think about whether you can accept less than you asked for and how you'll fund the rest if the project costs more than £5,000.
4. Count your beneficiaries. You'll be asked how many people will directly benefit and who they are. Give a number and describe the need, not just the building.
5. Describe your organisation. Registered name, address, legal form, purpose and who you help.
6. Submit before midnight on the 10th. Then wait for an email at the end of the following month.

If you're successful, you'll need a bank account in your organisation's registered name (grants can't go to personal accounts) and evidence such as a redacted bank statement. The money is restricted to the project you described.

What the Screwfix Foundation Doesn't Tell You

The Foundation's page is short and friendly. A few things that matter for your chances aren't on it.

There's no published success rate. The Foundation says it's oversubscribed every quarter and receives "more applications than ever before", but it doesn't publish application numbers. With roughly 100 local grants a quarter, a weak fit is unlikely to get through.

Full funding beats partial funding. The portal says projects it can fund in full are prioritised. A tightly scoped £4,800 job will usually beat a £4,800 slice of a £40,000 refurbishment. If your project is big, split off a self-contained phase.

The rules got stricter over time. The 2024 criteria excluded sports clubs, uniformed groups and animal charities. The portal now also excludes community centres and schools, and adds the 2-year rule and the online presence requirement. If an older blog post says a community centre can apply, the portal is the newer source.

"In need" means a defined group. The Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit (opens in a new tab), which the trustees say they follow, still applies. The Foundation's own test is narrower: whether the people who use the building face hardship, sickness, distress or disadvantage.

No feedback. The criteria say a rejection may simply mean that quarter was oversubscribed. You can reapply in a later window with a clearer case, unless you were funded within the last 2 years.

The published list is out of date. The latest awards list linked from the website covers 2023. To see the most recent totals, read the accounts on the Charity Commission register or the filings for company 08415662 at Companies House (opens in a new tab).

Common Mistakes That Sink Screwfix Foundation Applications

Most rejections come down to fit, not writing. Based on the Foundation's own criteria, these are the mistakes to avoid:

• Asking for furniture or equipment. Chairs, tables, white goods, laptops and garden kit are excluded however much you need them.
• Applying as a general community venue. Sports clubs, community centres, scouts and guides, and schools are out, according to the portal.
• Assuming a CIC can't apply. Not-for-profit companies registered at Companies House are eligible, and the 2023 list includes a community interest company. Our grants for community interest companies UK guide lists other funders that accept CICs.
• Leaving a funding gap. A £5,000 request towards a much larger project, with no sign of the rest, is less likely to succeed than a project the Foundation can fund in full.
• Applying too soon after a grant. Within 2 years, it's an automatic no.
• Forgetting the 12-month spend rule. If the work can't start within a year, wait.
• No online presence. The portal requires a website or social media page.

When the Screwfix Foundation Is the Wrong Fit

If your project fails one of the tests above, look elsewhere rather than stretching the facts. These Grantsights guides cover funders that take a broader view:

• For core costs, equipment or projects in community venues, start with our grants for small charities UK guide, which compares funders that back organisations with incomes under £100,000.
• For community centres, village halls and open-to-all projects up to £20,000, the National Lottery Awards for All guide explains decision times in each nation.
• For a wider list of trusts that fund charities, see our charity grants UK guide.
• For grassroots groups that aren't registered charities, our community grants UK guide is the better starting point.
• For a church roof or other place of worship, see our church roof repair grants UK guide.
• For a larger capital project in Scotland, our funding for charities in Scotland guide lists Scottish funders.

Sources Checked

All sources were read or downloaded on October 30, 2026:

• The Screwfix Foundation, Screwfix Foundation page on screwfix.com (opens in a new tab), Irish page on screwfix.ie (opens in a new tab), Eligibility Criteria 2024 (PDF) and Grant Awards 2023 (PDF), both linked from the screwfix.com page
• The Screwfix Foundation, application portal (opens in a new tab) (read in a browser; it blocked an automated read)
• Charity Commission for England and Wales, register entry for The Screwfix Foundation (1151375) (opens in a new tab), including audited accounts for the years ended 31 January 2023 and 31 January 2025
• Companies House, The Screwfix Foundation, company 08415662 (opens in a new tab)
• GOV.UK, Set up a charity (opens in a new tab) and Charity Commission, Public benefit: running a charity (PB2) (opens in a new tab)