Fund Aims
In its second year, the Market Harborough Building Society Community Fund is committed to making a positive difference in the communities they serve.
The fund aims to empower local initiatives, support grassroots projects and foster a spirit of togetherness. Through the Community Fund, the Market Harborough Building Society aims to tackle the challenges faced by the community head-on and create lasting change where it matters most.
The main need the fund will support is Poverty and Disadvantage, which includes:
- Food and fuel poverty
- Housing/homelessness
- Debt relief and financial resilience
- Antisocial behaviour/crime/gangs
- Rural issues/transport
- Abuse/violence/exploitation
- Ex-offenders/at risk of offending
Please note, priority will be given to proposals addressing food and fuel poverty, housing and homelessness, and debt relief and financial resilience.
For community projects and local charities which support individuals experiencing poverty and disadvantage in the Market Harborough Building Society trading area, please see branch locations https://mhbs.co.uk/our-branches/
Priority will be given to applicants working in Market Harborough, Kibworth, Kettering, Desborough or Rothwell.
Funding Available
£45,000 is available this year. There is no minimum grant, but the maximum grant available is £5,000.
Grant awards will typically be within £2,500 – £3,000.
We expect to support between 10-15 organisations.
You must use the grant within 12 months of award.
Eligible spend includes activities, staff costs, training, rent or volunteer expenses.
Reasonable overhead costs proportionate to project delivery can be included.
Previous Round
In the first grant round (Spring 2025) the fund achieved a 44% success rate. The most common reason for rejection included:
- Ineligible capital funding requests
- Applicant organisation had a national remit
- Proposed activity was outside the fund’s geographical target area or had a wider Leicestershire focus with insufficient evidence that funds would be used to support the communities within the geographical target area (Market Harborough, Kibworth, Kettering, Desborough or Rothwell).
Deadlines
Fund opens: Monday, 2nd February 2026 at 10:00 am
Deadline for applications: Monday, 6th April 2026 at 09:00 am
Notification* of the outcome of applications: Friday, 29th May 2026
For fairness, everyone applies via the same online application form. All eligible applications are then assessed by our assessors, who make sure proposals meet the grant eligibility and criteria – see below.
Assessed applications will be reviewed by a Grants Panel. The Grants Panel will be made up of representatives from Market Harborough Building Society, who will ultimately decide which applications are successful.
If your application is not selected, we will let you know and tell you briefly why, to help in future applications. If your application is selected, you will be sent a grant agreement by 31st May 2026. When you have signed and returned your grant agreement, the grant payment will be made as one payment.
It is likely that there will be more eligible applications than money available to support them. The Community Foundation does try to match surplus applications to other grant giving funds, but we cannot guarantee this.
