Support packages worth more than £22,000 have become available for up to 22 frontline community, environment, welfare or youth charities, as the Weston Charity Awards opens for 2025 applications. 

Frontline charities based in Wales, the north of England and the midlands that have delivered services for more than two years are eligible to apply for the support packages, which are worth over £22,000 each.

The awards, which are a collaboration between the Garfield Weston Foundation and its charity partner Pilotlight, will see winners receive a package of support that includes unrestricted grants of £6,500 to support the delivery of a sustainability plan and to accelerate growth.

Successful applicants will also receive free access to the Pilotlight 360 programme, an eight-month package of charity leadership coaching worth an estimated £16,000. 

During the Pilotlight 360 programme, leadership mentoring will be delivered by four senior experts across private and public sector organisations. Participants will benefit from bespoke coaching on various topics, including income diversification, developing new business models, long-term strategies, finding operational efficiencies and volunteer recruitment.

Applicants must have at least one paid full-time member of staff in a leadership position and must have an income of less than £5m a year. Applicants must also be able to attend in person for three out of eight meetings, two of which will be held in London and one at the charity’s location.

Charities can apply for the awards on Pilotlight’s website before the deadline of 5pm on 8 January. Prospective applicants can also register to attend a free Zoom information session on either 16 December or 6 January to learn more.

Since the Weston Charity Awards launched in 2014, more than 150 charities have benefitted, with the awards’ most recent impact report showing that two years after completing the programme, charities had increased their income by 43 per cent, on average.

This year’s Weston Charity Award winners included the community cohesion charity Murray Hall Community Trust in Sandwell and the Black Country, the health and wellbeing charity RAY Ceredigion in west Wales and the youth voice charity Youth Leads UK in Salford.

Flora Craig, interim director at the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: “We know that charities are under pressure to deliver their great work – they face increased costs, a high demand for their services and a competitive environment. 

“The Weston Charity Awards programme is a great opportunity for charities to take stock, work with experienced experts and develop plans for a resilient future.”

Ed Mayo, chief executive of Pilotlight, said: “Research shows that the largest barriers small charities face is income-generation and management skills gaps. 

“Thanks to our partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation, these awards provide financial support while also helping small charities to overcome common stumbling blocks, from digital transformation and improved data analysis to operational sustainability and partner collaboration.”