How to Find Grant Funders that Align with Your Mission, Vision, and Values
For charities across the UK, grant funding is a lifeline. It helps sustain services, pilot new projects, and expand the reach of programmes that are vital to your cause. But chasing every grant opportunity without checking how closely your goals align with the funder not only wastes time, but you could also end up compromising your organisation’s purpose. Applying to funders who don’t share your mission, vision, and values often leads to rejection—or worse, a partnership that pressures you to turn away from what matters most to your charity.
Here’s where the Golden Rule comes in: grants are not just about money.
They’re about building relationships with funders who share your passion and goals. When there’s true alignment, funders become more than donors - they become partners in driving long-term change, often providing repeat, or multi-year funding.
Here’s how to make sure that your charity can identify the right funders and ensure your values are a genuine match.
Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on Your Own Mission, Vision, and Values
Before looking outward, you need to take the time to look inwards, and make sure that you’re clear on your own identity.
Mission: What is the core purpose of your charity? Who do you serve, and how?
Vision: What long-term change do you want to see in society?
Values: What principles guide the way you deliver your work?
For example, if your mission is to tackle food insecurity in Manchester, your vision might be a community where no one goes hungry, and your values may include dignity, sustainability, and inclusivity. Having these clearly articulated will help you assess whether a funder’s priorities align or conflict with yours.
Step 2: Define Your Ideal Funder Profile
Another Golden Rule: Not every UK funder will suit your charity. That’s precisely why a generic ‘apply to everything and see what sticks’ approach just doesn’t work. Instead, focus your energy and sketch out your “ideal funder profile.” Consider things like:
What causes or themes they support (e.g. poverty, arts, health, environment).
Whether they focus on national or regional giving.
The size and type of grants (core costs vs. project funding).
Whether they prefer grassroots organisations or larger, established charities.
Their approach to partnership—are they hands-on or hands-off?
This profile acts as a filter, saving time and ensuring you pursue the opportunities that are the best fit for you and what you are trying to achieve.
Step 3: Use UK-Specific Grant Directories and Databases
Fortunately, UK charities have access to several excellent funding databases:
Funding Central (free for charities with an annual income of up to £30,000) – lists thousands of UK and EU funding opportunities.
GrantNav (360Giving) – allows you to search and analyse grants made by UK funders.
Charity Excellence Framework – includes a free funding finder tool.
UK Community Foundations – a network of UK-wide foundations giving grants to local causes.
Each platform allows you to search by cause, location, and funding type—making it easier to match funders with your profile.
Step 4: Review Funders’ Missions and Past Grants
This is an important one - discovering what a funder has supported previously. A funder’s website is often the best place to evaluate alignment. Look for things like:
Mission fit: Do their goals resonate with your cause?
Previous grantees: Do they support charities like yours, in your region?
Values alignment: Do they emphasise principles you share, such as social justice, inclusivity, or sustainability?
For example, if your charity promotes youth empowerment, a strong fit could be BBC Children in Need, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, or a local community foundation with a youth focus.
Remember - the more closely aligned you are with the funder, the more likely you are to be successful in your application.
Step 5: Look Beyond the Money
A common goal for trusts and foundations is to build long-term partnerships with those they support, not just fund one-off projects. As you review individual funders, consider:
Reputation: Are they well-regarded in the charity sector?
Support beyond funding: Do they provide networking, training, or advocacy opportunities in addition to the money itself?
Partnership style: Do they trust charities to deliver or require heavy oversight during the course of your project?
A funder who shares your values and invests in your longer-term sustainability and potential is far more valuable than one who provides short-term, restrictive funding.
Step 6: Build Relationships
Grant funding in the UK is competitive, but charities that cultivate relationships often stand out. You can build connections by:
Attending networking events hosted by the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), NCVO, or local infrastructure organisations.
Following and engaging with funders on LinkedIn and Twitter/X.
Reaching out with a short introduction and asking about funding priorities.
Joining local forums or networks, such as Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) groups, where funders often share opportunities.
Funders are more likely to support charities they know, trust, and see as aligned with their mission.
Step 7: Spot Red Flags
Not every opportunity is right—even if money is on offer. Be cautious if:
The funder requires you to alter your mission to fit their brief.
They have a history of funding organisations with values that clash with yours.
Reporting demands are unrealistic for your size and capacity.
It’s better to walk away than compromise your integrity or overstretch your team.
Step 8: Create a Shortlist and Prioritise
After your research, narrow your list to the 10–15 funders that best match your mission, vision, and values. Rank them by:
Level of alignment.
Scale and relevance of their funding.
Your existing networks or chances to build a relationship.
This targeted approach saves time and boosts your success rate.
Conclusion: Partnership, Not Just Funding
For UK charities, finding the right funders isn’t simply about securing grants—it’s about building partnerships rooted in shared purpose. When your mission, vision, and values align with those of your funders, you gain more than financial support. You gain allies who believe in your cause, amplify your voice, and strengthen your ability to deliver lasting change.
By clarifying your identity, researching thoroughly, using UK-specific resources, and nurturing authentic relationships, you’ll be well positioned to find grant funders who share your “why.” Those are the partnerships that sustain impact for years to come.