In 2025, we reviewed our funding strategy to focus support on our home county of Nottinghamshire, but remain accessible to impactful projects across the UK that closely align with our funding priorities.  The Trust funds charities and voluntary organisations working in the areas of health, lifelong learning, community development and social care, and encourages applications from organisations where our grants of up to £10,000 can make the biggest impact.

Update on the Boots Charitable Trust application process:

We’re pleased to announce that new applications will reopen on Friday 1st May 2026 for projects that support the Nottinghamshire community and UK wide.

If your organisation is creating positive change in your community, and fits within our funding priorities, we’d love to hear from you.

Before you begin an application, please ensure that you read either the Nottinghamshire Application Guidance or National Application Guidance, depending on the area where your project will support. 

Applications for funding will open to projects supporting communities across the UK on Friday 1st May 2026, via our portal. Please ensure you review the  National Application Guidance before beginning an application. Please note, UK wide and Nottinghamshire funding priorities differ and it is important you review the correct application guidance before applying.

While we look at nominations from all different charities, our main focus with UK wide applications is on the following areas that are very close to our hearts and heritage:

• Health: To support people and families living with cancer in deprived communities by improving access to practical, emotional, and ongoing healthcare support. The Trust will prioritise organisations delivering community-based cancer support, rehabilitation, and prevention services that reduce health inequalities.
• Lifelong Learning: To enable young people aged 16–30 from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain the skills, confidence, and experience needed to secure employment and progress into stable, meaningful careers. Grants will prioritise structured skill building, vocational learning, and transition- to- -employment programmes.
• Social Care: To support children and young people, up to age 18, who have experienced rape or sexual abuse, by funding trauma-informed services that provide access to safety, therapeutic recovery, safeguarding education, and specialist advocacy.

Here is some guidance on those projects we do not supply funding for:

• Individuals
• Organisations that are not registered charities and which have income or expenditure of more than £5,000 per year
• Charities seeking funds to redistribute to other charities
• Projects for which there is a legal statutory obligation
• Capital projects, large building or construction
• Projects with ongoing maintenance costs that would be dependent on Boots Charitable Trust funding for delivery to continue.

If you have previously started or submitted an application, this can be accessed here.

Nominations are reviewed quarterly by a board of Trustees. 

Q3: The Q3 application window closed Friday 6 March 2026. The Trustee board meeting will take place in May 2026.

Q4: The Q4 application window for both Nottinghamshire and National projects will open 1^st May 2026 and close midday Friday 15^th May.

Kyle Rowe – Managing Director Boots Opticians

Beneeta Shah – Director of Pharmacy Stores

Jennifer Moffat – Financial Controller

Michael Benford – Director of Finance – Operations

Adam Wiles - Senior Dispute Resolution, Investigations & Healthcare Lawyer

Jenny Rose - Director of Stores (Wales & West)

Rebecca Hitchings - General Merchandise Business Unit Director, Boots UK & ROI

If you are seeking support in the form of Boots products for raffles or to support your work, please complete a Donation Request Form. Please contact inthecommunity@boots.co.uk only for queries relating to stock donations.

Boots Charitable Trust and bootscharitabletrust@cafonline.org will be unable to support with requests of this type.