Deadline Date: August 31, 2026
The Democratic Engagement Fund is inviting applications from eligible civil society organisations to support activities that encourage greater participation in democratic processes across England.
The fund focuses on supporting politically neutral, place-based democratic engagement activities, increasing public understanding and participation in democracy, engaging groups that are currently less democratically involved, strengthening the evidence base on democratic engagement, identifying effective approaches to improve awareness, motivation and participation, promoting high-quality monitoring and evaluation, and supporting long-term capability across the democratic engagement sector.
The Democratic Engagement Fund aims to address differences in democratic participation by supporting projects that help people feel more informed, confident, and able to take part in democratic processes.
The fund will support civil society organisations in delivering community-based activities while generating evidence on what works to increase democratic participation. The findings are intended to inform future policy and practice.
A key objective of the programme is to build a robust evidence base through consistent monitoring and evaluation of funded projects. This includes identifying effective ways to improve democratic awareness, motivation, and participation, particularly among underrepresented groups.
The programme also aims to generate early evidence on effective approaches to preparing and supporting younger citizens to participate in democracy as the voting age is lowered to 16.
The Democratic Engagement Fund has a total budget of up to £2.5 million. Most projects will receive around £25,000, with a maximum grant of £50,000 per project.
Eligible applicants include charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), Community Interest Companies (CICs), Companies Limited by Guarantee, Community Benefit Societies, co-operatives, and other Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations with experience or the capacity to deliver community-based, politically neutral projects in England.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
