What happens after you've applied?

The Application Cycle

We’ve refreshed the way we award our community grants to make the process clearer, fairer and easier for local groups to plan around.

Starting February 2026, each grant round will follow a simple two‑month cycle:

Month 1 — Applications Open

Example: February

• Applications open on the 1st.
• Groups have the full month to submit their grant application.
• The deadline will always be the last day of the month at 11:59pm.
• You can apply at any time during the month.

Month 2 – Review & Funding Decisions

Example: March

• Our customer panel reviews all applications submitted in the previous month.
• We may contact you during this time if we need more information.
• All groups will receive an outcome by the end of the month.
• Successful applicants will then receive their award and next steps.

How grants are awarded and monitored

If your application is successful, a representative from your organisation or group must sign the Community Grant terms and conditions. You must agree that the grant will be used for the purpose set out in your application. If this agreement is broken, we will ask you to pay the grant back.

We issue grant award payments by Bacs to your organisation or group’s bank account. We check how the grant award is being spent to make sure it is used for the purpose set out in your application form. This may include a visit to your organisation or group.

When you have spent the grant, you must give us the receipts. The value of the receipts must match the amount of grant you received. If you cannot give us receipts, we may ask you to pay the grant back and exclude your group or organisation from applying again.

We ask that you acknowledge Gentoo’s support in any communications about the project. This includes social media posts, media activity, and printed materials. We will provide guidance explaining how and where to reference Gentoo.