John James Bristol Foundation grants
John James Bristol Foundation funds organisations benefiting Bristol residents, with community project awards typically £1,000 to £20,000 and core or project costs of £500 to £5,000.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Work funded by the John James Bristol Foundation must directly benefit the residents of Bristol, typically BS1 to BS16, and priority is given to Bristol-based organisations and those that use volunteers. The majority of its awards go towards community projects and are in the region of £1,000 to £20,000, while the majority of awards towards core, or project, costs are between £500 and £5,000. All organisations must have been in existence for more than one year and, in the case of charities and CICs, have filed a set of accounts with the relevant regulatory body. It does not make retrospective awards, so the project must not have taken place, and the expenditure must not have been incurred, before your application is due to be considered. Trustees meet every month apart from January and August; normally an eligible application received by the 21st of the month will be considered at the next trustee meeting.
What they fund
The register records health, disability, poverty relief, housing, education and training and general charitable purposes. The foundation's own guidance is about community projects and core costs for organisations serving Bristol.
Who and where
The register places it in the South West of England and names Bristol as its local authority area. Its own guidance describes benefiting residents of Bristol, typically in the BS1 to BS16 postcodes.
Who they help
Where they fund
What John James Bristol Foundation says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“Priority is given to Bristol based organisations and those that use volunteers”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — WHO WE FUND | John James Bristol Foundation →
Who they say they'll fund
“directly benefit the residents of Bristol (typically BS1 – BS16)”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — WHAT WE FUND | John James Bristol Foundation →
“All organisations must have been in existence for more than one year and in the case of charities/CICs have filed a set of accounts with the relevant regulatory body”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — ELIGIBILITY | John James Bristol Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“The majority of these awards are towards community projects and are in the region of £1,000 to £20,000”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — WHAT WE FUND | John James Bristol Foundation →
“The majority of awards towards core, or project costs, are between £500 and £5,000”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — FUNDING FAQ | John James Bristol Foundation →
How they say to apply
“We do not make retrospective awards. Therefore, the project must either not have taken place, or expenditure been incurred, before your application is due to be considered”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — ELIGIBILITY | John James Bristol Foundation →
“The Trustees meet every month apart from January and August. Normally if an eligible application is received by the 21st of the month, it will be considered at the next Trustee meeting”
Source: johnjames.org.uk — FUNDING FAQ | John James Bristol Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The relief of poverty or sickness or the advancement of education amongst the inhabitants of the city of bristol or other purposes beneficial to the inhabitants of the city of bristol in such ways as the trustees shall in their absolute discretion decide. (b) such other objects or purposes (whether in the united…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does John James Bristol Foundation give?
It says the majority of its community project awards are in the region of £1,000 to £20,000, and that the majority of awards towards core or project costs are between £500 and £5,000. It does not publish a typical (median) award, so treat those ranges as your guide.
What does it fund?
Work that directly benefits the residents of Bristol, typically in the BS1 to BS16 postcodes. The Charity Commission register records health, disability, poverty relief, housing, education and training, and general charitable purposes. Its governing objects cover the relief of poverty or sickness and the advancement of education among the inhabitants of the City of Bristol.
Who can apply?
Organisations that have been in existence for more than one year and, in the case of charities and CICs, have filed a set of accounts with the relevant regulatory body. Priority goes to Bristol based organisations and those that use volunteers.
What won't it fund?
Work already done. It says it does not make retrospective awards, so the project must either not have taken place, or the expenditure not have been incurred, before your application is due to be considered.
How do I apply?
It says "the Trustees meet every month apart from January and August", and that "normally if an eligible application is received by the 21st of the month, it will be considered at the next Trustee meeting". Check the funder's own website (www.johnjames.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 288417) for current guidance, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with John James Bristol Foundation.