There's a Grant That Pays for Your Charity's Website. Here's Everything You Need to Know.

Most charity trustees know the feeling. You're sitting in a meeting, looking at your website — the one that hasn't been properly updated since someone's nephew built it in 2019 — and everyone agrees it needs to change. Then someone asks the question that ends the conversation: where's the money coming from?

Digital infrastructure is one of the hardest things for a small charity to fund. Traditional grant bodies focus on frontline services, staff costs, and programme delivery. A website doesn't feed anyone or keep a shelter open — so it gets pushed to the bottom of the list, year after year, while your organisation loses credibility, donors, and reach with every passing month.

The Fat Beehive Foundation exists specifically to fix that problem.

What Is the Fat Beehive Foundation?

The Fat Beehive Foundation was established in August 2020 as an independent grant-giving charity, set up by the team at Fat Beehive — a digital agency that has been building websites for charities and nonprofits since 1997. The Foundation was born from a simple conviction: that great digital communications can be transformative, but they are consistently out of reach for smaller organisations with limited budgets.

Every year, the Fat Beehive agency allocates a portion of its profits to the Foundation, making sure that small charities across the UK have the opportunity to expand their reach and change more lives. The result is one of the few grant programmes in the UK dedicated entirely to funding digital projects for the charity sector.

What Does It Fund?

The Foundation awards small grants of up to £2,500 to help charities improve their digital presence, supporting UK-based charities with an annual turnover of under £1 million across a wide range of digital projects — whether that's building a new website, developing online resources, or improving digital accessibility.

What it does not fund is equally worth knowing. The Foundation does not cover general software or hardware procurement, core costs or staff salaries, or organisations without the internal capacity to deliver a digital project. The focus is deliberately narrow — hard-to-fund digital spend that other funders consistently overlook.

The Foundation is particularly keen to support traditionally hard-to-fund organisations, such as those working with prisoners, refugees, or disadvantaged youth. If your charity works in one of these areas and has been struggling to make a case for digital funding elsewhere, this grant was designed with you in mind.

When Can You Apply?

Grants are awarded twice a year, with applications reviewed at trustee meetings in April and October. The deadline for the October meeting is the end of September, and the deadline for the April meeting is the end of March.

The next deadline is 30 September 2026 for the October review cycle.

You will need to provide a supporting quote for the work you want funded, which will be reviewed by specialist advisors to ensure value for money and feasibility. If your application progresses, the Foundation will request further information about your charity's financial standing and the individuals involved in delivering the project.

What Are Your Realistic Chances?

This is the part most articles about this grant leave out — and it matters. The Foundation is well regarded, well publicised, and consistently oversubscribed. To date, it has received over 800 applications and funded approximately 1% of them. Those are not odds to build a digital strategy around.

That does not mean you should not apply. A well-prepared application from a charity with a clearly defined digital goal, the internal capacity to deliver, and a credible supplier quote stands a genuinely good chance. What it does mean is that you should apply — and have a plan for what happens if you are not selected.

What If You Don't Get It?

A grant of up to £2,500 is a meaningful contribution toward a website — but it is rarely the whole picture. For many charities, the more important question is not whether this single grant comes through, but what the full range of funding options looks like.

For UK charities with an annual turnover under £100,000, LINKBIT offers a dedicated programme with significantly reduced rates across all our services. For charities above that threshold, we provide free eligibility advice — walking you through every technology discount, Microsoft charity licensing benefit, and digital funding scheme your organisation may be entitled to, regardless of whether you work with us.

Sometimes the answer is a grant. Sometimes it is a combination of charity licensing, reduced-rate services, and a phased approach that fits within what you already have. Either way, you deserve to know what your options actually are before you decide.

How to Apply

Start at the Fat Beehive Foundation website: www.fatbeehivefoundation.org.uk

Complete the eligibility quiz before investing time in a full application. The Foundation allows up to three months for a response, so factor that into your planning timeline.

When preparing your application, be specific about your digital goal, honest about your internal capacity to manage the project, and make sure your supplier quote reflects genuine value for money. A quote from a managed service provider who can demonstrate long-term support — not just a one-off build — will carry weight with the trustees.

Ready to talk through your options?

Whether you are applying for funding or planning your digital infrastructure independently, we are here to help you work out the right path for your organisation.

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LINKBIT LTD provides managed digital infrastructure for UK businesses and registered charities. We are not affiliated with the Fat Beehive Foundation. Grant information is accurate as of May 2026 — always verify current deadlines and criteria at fatbeehivefoundation.org.uk before applying.