Guide · 2026-08-14
Funding for charity website development: what's actually available
The Google Ad Grant doesn't pay for a new website, so here's what actually can: small-charity grant funders, occasional digital-specific rounds, and a realistic look at what a compliant charity site costs to build.
A lot of charities start looking for website funding because they've heard about the Google Ad Grant and assume it covers the build. It doesn't. The Ad Grant is up to $10,000 a month in free Google Search advertising, not cash towards a website. If anything, the relationship runs the other way: Google reviews your site as part of approving the grant, so a thin or broken site can get an application rejected before the money side even comes into it (more on that in why Google Ad Grant applications get rejected).
So if the Ad Grant isn't the answer, what actually is?
General small-charity grant funders
A handful of UK funders give out unrestricted or project-specific grants that a website build can often fall under, as long as it fits their stated remit:
- National Lottery Awards for All: grants of £300 to £20,000 for community projects, simple online application, rolling deadlines
- Aviva Community Fund: up to £50,000, combines public crowdfunding with a top-up grant
- Postcode Community Trust: £500 to £25,000 for small charities and community groups
- Lloyds Bank Foundation: unrestricted core-cost grants of £25,000 to £75,000 for charities with income between £25,000 and £1m, aimed at organisations tackling complex social issues
None of these are website-specific, so the pitch has to be that the site supports your actual charitable work (better service delivery, clearer information for beneficiaries, a working donation flow), not just "we want a new website."
Digital-specific grant rounds
Occasionally a digital-focused funder runs a grant round aimed specifically at charity websites. Charity Digital has run rounds like this before, covering the strategy, design, build and launch of a new site. These come and go and usually have a limited number of places, so they're worth watching for rather than counting on.
Where to actually check what's open
Funder eligibility and open rounds shift constantly, so rather than treating any list (including this one) as current, GOV.UK's Find a Grant service is the best single place to search live UK grant schemes. It's worth a look before applying anywhere, since something more suited to your charity might be open right now that wasn't a few months ago.
The other option: budget for it directly
For a lot of small and medium charities, waiting on a grant application (which can easily take months, with no guarantee of success) isn't actually faster or cheaper than budgeting for the build directly. leeday.uk builds compliant, donation-ready charity websites from £750 one-off, with payment plans so it doesn't have to be one lump sum. That also means the site can be built Ad-Grant-ready from the start, rather than needing a rebuild later to pass Google's review.
That's roughly what happened with TrulyBeloved, a UK children's charity that hadn't claimed the Ad Grant. Getting the website and the application properly set up unlocked the grant, worth up to $100,000 a year in free advertising, on top of whatever the site itself cost to build.
If you're weighing up funding routes versus just budgeting for it, website, Google Workspace & Google Ad Grant setup for charities covers pricing and how the process works.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Google Ad Grant pay for building a charity website?
No. The Ad Grant is up to $10,000 a month in free Google Search advertising, not cash towards a website build. Google also reviews your site as part of approving the grant, so the site usually needs to exist and be compliant first.
What grants can help pay for a charity website?
General small-charity funders that cover project or core costs (National Lottery Awards for All, Aviva Community Fund, Postcode Community Trust, and similar) can often be used for a website if it fits their remit. There are also occasional digital-specific grant rounds, like Charity Digital's website grants, aimed specifically at funding a new site.
Where do I find current UK charity grants?
GOV.UK's Find a Grant service is the most current place to search live, open UK government and public-sector grant schemes. Funder-specific sites (Lloyds Bank Foundation, Aviva Community Fund, etc.) are worth checking directly too, since eligibility and open rounds change often.
How much does a charity website actually cost?
leeday.uk builds compliant, donation-ready charity websites from £750 one-off, with payment plans available so it's not one lump sum upfront. That's often faster and simpler than a full grant application cycle for smaller charities.
Topics: Nonprofits, Guide, Website Tips
By Lee Day · leeday.uk · UK-wide support