What is a rolling grant programme?

A rolling programme is a grant scheme that accepts applications at any time, with no closing date. Decisions are made as applications arrive or at regular trustee meetings, on a timescale the funder publishes. Garfield Weston Foundation says it accepts applications all year round; Trust for London's apply page on 26 October 2026 said "we accept applications on a rolling basis for most of our priority areas, so you can apply at any time"; and National Lottery Awards for All England is open all year with a decision in 16 weeks.

Why it matters when applying. Rolling programmes are the backbone of a pipeline because they fill the gaps between fixed deadlines. On 26 October 2026 OpenGrant listed 142 rolling schemes among the 407 open to charities and community groups UK-wide, and 444 among the 724 open to organisations in the North West. The risk is that "no deadline" becomes "never": a rolling application with no internal date slips behind every dated one. How to build a trust fundraising pipeline suggests giving each rolling prospect a target submission month.

Rolling is not fast. The absence of a deadline says nothing about the decision time. Trust for London shortlists within two months and takes three to four months to a final decision; Awards for All takes 16 weeks; trusts that meet quarterly may take longer. Rolling programmes also tend to limit how often you can apply: Trust for London allows one application a year and asks unsuccessful applicants to wait 12 months. The alternative model, a funding round with fixed dates, is easier to plan around but harder to catch.

Example. A fictional community centre needs £15,000 by next September. It applies to Awards for All England in February, allowing 16 weeks for a decision and a margin for questions, rather than waiting for a round. It sets the February date in its calendar as if it were a deadline.