THE THEATRES TRUST SMALL GRANTS FUND
Capital grants of up to £7,500 are available to theatres across the UK that are operated by registered charities and not-for-profit groups for essential capital works that will enable them to be more accessible, viable and able to thrive.
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o Application deadline: FRIDAY 16th JANUARY 2026 at 5pm. The following grants round will have a deadline in June 2026 (date to be confirmed).
o Funder: The Theatres Trust Charitable Fund (founded 1977. Charity number 274697. Total charitable expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2024: £1,354,426 (2023: £1,109,762; 2022: £1,011,629)).
o Who can apply: UK Theatres run by charities and not-for-profit groups that can clearly demonstrate how capital improvements to their theatre would improve its viability and sustainability.
o Key words: Capital, Theatres, Diversity, Accessibility, Financial Sustainability, United Kingdom.
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The Theatres Trust Small Grants Programme was launched in 2021 in partnership with the Linbury Trust.
The Theatres Trust offers grants of up to £7,500 (this was previously £5,000), with no matched funding requirement, for small capital improvements to
Please note that revenue and survey costs are ineligible. This fund is to support improvements and repairs to the building fabric, and the key plant and machinery or the purchase of key equipment (but not software) to improve digital infrastructure.
The scheme will prioritise improvements to buildings that protect theatre use and remove barriers to participation and attendance.
To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that they:
o Own or manage theatres with titles or signed leases of more than five years on buildings in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
o Run a year-round programme of live performance, of no less than 30 performances a year, and
o Have a bona fide UK charitable or not-for-profit legal structure and be able to provide certified or audited accounts for at least two years.
Eligible projects include small capital works, the installation of key plant and machinery and works which make theatre buildings digital-ready. Examples of initiatives that could be funded by the scheme include (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
o Improvements and repairs to the fabric of a building.
o Improving access for people with a disability.
o Key plant and machinery, and
o Making a theatre digital-ready.
Details of all grants awarded by the Theatre’s Trust during the years ended 31st March 2024 and 31st March 2023 can be found on pages 38 and 39 of its annual accounts.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Trust’s website.
The next application deadline is 5pm on Friday 16th January 2026. The following application round is likely to be in June 2026.
Contact details for the Trust are:
The Small Grants Programme
The Theatres Trust
22 Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0QL
Email: grants@theatrestrust.