Unity Impact Grants Application Form

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in applying for a Unity Impact Grant.

The Unity impact Grant programme launched in September 2024 as part of our aim to provide £40,000 of donations and grants to celebrate Unity’s 40th year anniversary. This was such a resounding success that Unity has decided to repeat the programme again for another year.

For 2025, we are delighted to share that Unity has increased the number of grants from 6 to 10. We will be awarding ten shortlisted customers a £5,000 grant each to enable them to maximise the impact they are creating in their local communities (a total of £50,000).

Apply now for a Unity Impact Grant for £5,000 to boost your mission. You will find the application form below. For full details about the programme click here

https://www.unity.co.uk/unity-impact-grant-2025/

Eligibility Overview

If you are happy to proceed, please review the criteria below to assess your eligibility. The key points are:

You must have been a Unity Trust Bank (Unity) customer for at least 1 year prior to 1st September 2025.

If not Key Contact or Signatory on the account, you must attest that you have their permission to proceed with this grant application and will receive all correspondence in respect of this application.

You can be a lending customer, transactional banking customer or deposits-only customer but you must have an 'active' account with Unity, with transactions within the last 12 months.

Customers can submit one application only.

Your organisational incorporation should be within the recognised VCSE (Volunteer, Community, Social Enterprise) sector and therefore should be one of the following:

Charity Commission (or nationally relevant equivalent) registered.
A Community Interest Company (CIC) (incorporation can be by shares or guarantee if the organisation is on the CIC register).
Register with the FCA Mutuals list as a co-operative or mutual with clear social, environmental or community purpose.
A member branch of a Trade Union

Local Councils will also be eligible to apply this year – a grant could be award to allow them to deliver a special project, not already funded by precepts or public monies.

The £5,000 grant must be no more than 30% of your organisation’s previous year's income (e.g. your income must be greater than £15,000 in the previous period).

The organisation must be based in the UK and must deliver impact in the UK. For clarity, the organisation must be registered and operating in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

Unity will not fund pre-dated matched funding requirements

The organisation should be the direct delivery agent of the social, economic, environmental or community good that the application is for. For example, the Unity Impact Grants will fund the following:

A charity responsible for the maintenance and / or providing access to green spaces to protect biodiversity and promote wellbeing.
A CIC specialising in mental health support services directly to young people.
A housing association delivering employment and therapeutic services to vulnerable tenants.
A local council delivering a special project, not funded by precepts or public monies.

Unity Impact Grants will not fund:

Charities providing grants to other organisations delivering services.
A CIC which subcontracts the service provision to a third party to deliver services to vulnerable groups.
Pre-dated match funding requirements.

If you feel your organisation meets the eligibility criteria listed above, please continue to the next page to learn more about what the Unity Impact Grant programme can fund and the funding availability.

Grants Available

In 2025, Unity established a total funding pot of £50,000 for our Unity Impact Grants (UIG).

The UIG will be awarded across 10 grants of £5,000 each

Eligible use of grants

Unity aims for our grants to be as flexible as possible for the successful applicants. We also aim to ensure that our funds are providing the greatest possible benefit to the successful customer and their communities and will therefore require grants to be spent in the following:

Project funding / Direct funding - UIG funding can contribute to delivery costs of projects, services or products delivered by the organisation.

Restricted operational and overheads / Indirect funding - UIG funding can contribute to indirect / operational costs associated with but not directly contributing to services. This could include (but is not limited to) back-office functions, communications, business development, office costs and refurbishments. The use of funds must be specifically defined.

Restricted capital expenditure / capital funding - UIG funding can be used to contribute towards the cost of purchasing, maintaining or improving capital assets. The fund usage must be specifically defined with clear justification for how the capital expenditure supports the impact delivered by the organisation.

Impact criteria and assessment

Unity is a 'double bottom line' bank. This means that we aim to support organisations delivering a benefit to society as well as achieving commercial success.

The UIG is 'outcome area agnostic'; therefore, Unity will be openminded and has no attachment to the outcome. However, the following criteria will be applied as a key factor of the successful grant recipient:

Clear definition of beneficiary group / customers: The successful applicant will have a clearly defined beneficiary group with a clear articulation of the disadvantage, vulnerability or exclusion faced and how their organisation supports this group.

Evidence of impact need: Whether it is nature restoration in environmentally depleted areas, specialist care services to a particular user group, affordable housing or education for marginalised young people, the successful organisation will have a clear articulation of the environmental, economic or societal need for their organisation. Must align with one of the 17 the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Impact evidence: Demonstration of quality monitoring & evaluation (M&E), impact management or customer quality assurance to ensure the work the organisation delivers contributes to meaningful and sustained change.

Sustainable practices: Organisations that demonstrate sustainable practices, a commitment to reducing their environmental and carbon footprint and can evidence responsible environmental practices will receive additional scoring alongside the positive impact they create through their services.

If you would like to submit an application to the Unity Impact Grant programme, please click next to begin your application.

Confirming eligibility

Please confirm your organisation has been a customer of Unity for at least one year before submission of your application

Please confirm your organisation had a total income of at least £15,000 in the year prior to submission (this can be in the last reported period or in year to date equivalent)

Confirm our incorporation meets the requirements set out in the guidance (e.g. charity commission or national equivalent, Community Interest Company registered, FCA mutual register, a trade union member branch or Housing Association) or if applying on behalf of a Local Council, please select N/A.

Confirm this grant is not for pre-committed match funding requirements

Please confirm your organisation is based in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and that the majority of impact you deliver is also based within the UK

Please indicate the Head Office region:

Region 1 – Scotland, North East and North WestRegion 2 – Wales, East Midlands and West MidlandsRegion 3 – London, South East and South West

Please select the region where the money will be spent:

Same region as the Head OfficeRegion 1 – Scotland, North East and North WestRegion 2 – Wales, East Midlands and West MidlandsRegion 3 – London, South East and South West

Please confirm if your application will be for:

Regional GrantSustainability Grant

Notice:

You have selected 'No' to one of the eligibility criteria for the Unity Impact Grant requirements. If you do not meet all eligibilities, your application will not be consider. If you have selected 'No' we recommend you do not proceed with your application. Thank you

Notice:

You have selected 'Not Sure' to one of the eligibility criteria for the Unity Impact Grant requirements. If you do not meet all eligibilities, your application will not be consider. Therefore, we recommend you review whether you meet our eligibility requirements before proceed.

Overview

Admin Information

Please enter the name of your organisation:

Please enter the Unity account number of your organisation (Only numbers):

Please select the registration body of the organisation which would receive the grant

Companies HouseCharities CommissionFCA Mutuals Public RegisterSole Trader - UnregisteredTrade Union member branchN/A Local Councils

Please select the legal structure of the organisation applying for a Unity Impact Grant:

Company Limited by Shares (CLS)Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG)Community Interest Company (CIC) limited by sharesCIC limited by guaranteeHousing AssociationEmployee Owned CompanyCLS with mission lock in articles

Please input the Companies House number

Please enter your CIC registration

Please input the Charities Commission number

Please input the FCA Mutuals Register

Please enter the name of the primary contact for your application

Applications can be made by individuals who are not Key Contacts or Signatories on their Unity account. It will be assumed that permission will have been granted to do so.

Please enter the email address for the primary contact for this application

Please enter your preferred phone number to contact your organisation regarding this application

Please note: the contact name, email address and telephone number will be our primary means of contact to discuss your application.

Please enter a secondary contact email address for this application

About your organisation

In no more than 200 words, please provide a summary of your organisation:

Please enter the postcode of the headquarters / main office of your organisation:

Which statement best describes how the location of your impact relates to your postcode

Our head office postcode is where we deliver impactWe have one other site where we deliver impact as an organisationWe deliver impact across multiple sites

Please enter the postcode of the primary site you deliver impact to your customers / beneficiaries

We require organisations to have at least £15,000 income in their previous financial period to apply for the Unity Impact Grants programme. Please confirm:

In our most recently audited accounts we report an income greater than £15,000In the past 12 months of management accounts we have achieved greater than £15,000We have not achieved at least £15,000 income in our most recent audited accounts or 12 month accounts detailsIncome is defined as the total funding, contract, grant, sales and donations received durring the period

Please confirm the total income reported in your most recent annual accounts (please type as 100.00 for £100)

Please confirm the 12 month period you are reporting (e.g. Aug 23 - Aug 24)

Please confirm the total income reported in your management accounts period (please type as 100.00 for £100)

What is the FTE (Full Time Equivalent) number of staff at the organisation?

Does the organisation have a 'Modern Slavery Policy' or set of practices to ensure safeguarding against modern slavery?

Yes - public statement or policyYes - internal policy or statement heldNo policy but do have effective practices in place Do not have practices or policies in place for modern slavery

Is the organisation real living wage certified?

Yes - we are real living wage certifiedNo - but we pay all employees at least the real living wage set by the Living Wage FoundationNo - but we ensure we pay all staff at least the UK government living wage

Does the organisation hold a current environment or sustainability management plan?

Yes - to manage current environmental impact onlyYes - to manage current environmental impact & a strategy to Net Zero by 2050No but we aim to develop a relevant plan in the next year

Does the organisation currently measure their carbon footprint?

Yes - Scope 1 and 2 onlyYes - all greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2 and 3No but we'd like to No

What would the Unity Impact Grant mean for your organisation:

What would you do with the Unity Impact Grant?

In less than 300 words, please provide an overview of what you would use the £5,000 Unity Impact Grant for:

Please provide an overview of what percentage of the grant will be committed to direct project, indirect project or operational expenditure or capital use

Direct project costs

Indirect / Operational Costs

Capital costs

Other

Will any of the funding go towards pre-approved match funding targets

Yes No - but we may leverage in additional grant or investment from this grant No

Please upload a budget breakdown for your application (optional)

About the impact you deliver

In less than 300 words, please provide an overview of the impact you deliver as an organisation. Please tell us about the environmental, economic, social, community or other changes you aim to deliver and how your organisation does this:

Which Un Sustainable Development Goal does your organisation contribute to?

What model best describes the way the organisation delivers impact

Impact Employer - we employ people who have experienced certain disadvantages or barriers to good employment and support them to flourish at workImpact Enabler (Concessionary) - provide below market or subsidised access to rent or support to VCSE organisationsImpact Enabler (Non-concessionary) - provide rent or leasing to local charities, social enterprises, community groups or housing at market rateImpact Investor - makes onward investments into social economy organisationsImpact Services - provides a service to individuals to access goods or services to improve their lives (housing, support to young people, care services, nature restoration) Impact Trainer B2B - provides trainings to corporates or other organisations to improve the way they work with individuals for a fairer society Impact Trainer B2C - provides training or education to individuals to help them achieve their goals in areas such as employment, education, wellbeing o environmental management Profit / Resource Donations - donate a portion of profits (operating or net), personal income or similar to a chosen charity

About the people who benefit from your work

Would you say your organisation directly aims to support people or communities?

YesImpact is majority accessed by disadvantaged / vulnerable groups but also by general publicImpact is mostly accessed by general public but small proportion is designed specifically for vulnerable or disadvantaged customers

In terms of who benefits from the impact, which statement best describes the rate at which impact is targeted at people who face specific disadvantages or vulnerabilities?

Impact solely accessed by disadvantaged / vulnerable groupImpact is majority accessed by disadvantaged / vulnerable groups but also by general publicImpact is mostly accessed by general public but small proportion is designed specifically for vulnerable or disadvantaged customers

If targeted, which protected characteristic best describes the user group?

Which vulnerability or disadvantage best describes the user group?

Please tell us how you engage with and integrate the feedback and lived experience of your users into your service and what specific needs the users of your services have:

About the environment you support

Which of the below best describes the focus of the outcomes you aim to achieve through your environmental or climate-related work

Focused on biodiversity recovery / protection, reducing pollution and protecting / recovering ecoystemFocused on enabling affordable, community and safe access to environmentsFocused on solutions to climate change and building nature-based solutions to adaptation, mitigation or both

In terms of how local communities and people benefit from your environmental work, which statement is most true:

We specifically aim to engage local communities in job creation and opportunities through our environmentWe aim to make our environmental activities affordable and accessible to the local communityOur focus is on nature-based solutions that a community may not access but will benefit fromOur focus is on environmental impact that benefits people and planet generally without a local focus

Please tell us anything more about the environmental outcomes you aim to achieve and what challenges are faced in the community, place or ecosystem you work with:

How you measure impact and what success would look like

Please select the monitoring, evaluation learning (MEL) activities you have undertaken in the past year to assess whether your activities deliver the change expected

External evaluation from 3rd party conducted	Internal evaluation conducted
Customer / user surveys	Focus groups
Customer / user satisfaction	Environmental assessment
Other

Please upload any relevant files you can share to demonstrate MEL activities (optional)

Please ensure any uploads do not include any personal, individually identifiable or sensitive data in line with GDPR standards

If you were successful in your application for a Unity Impact Grant, which primary indicator would you use to track whether the grant has successfully support you? For example, it may be 'number of young people accessing a project, total tonnes of carbon avoided or wellbeing increase for staff members.'

Please note: If you are successful, this indicator may be agreed, adapted or reviewed with other options with Unity

Thank you for completing your Unity Impact Grant programme application.

We aim to respond to all applicants by Friday 28th November 2025 via the email provided in this form.

To finalise your submission, please press 'Submit' below.

Contact Information