Transpennine Route Upgrade Community Fund: grants for local groups, schools and charities
Added: 22/09/2025
Voluntary Action Leeds
Building on the success of last year’s scheme, the TRU Community Fund will provide grants of £1,000, £5,000, £10,000 or £20,000 to organisations (local community groups, schools and charities) located within five miles of the Transpennine route, which runs between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
The fund aims to help create or enhance indoor or outdoor community focused facilities. Applications open on Monday 6 October and close on Monday 27 October.
The funding is being managed on behalf of TRU by Neighbourly. Applicants will need to create an account before applying on the TRU Community Fund campaign page when applications open. You can register now so this is all done before the applications open, it’s very simple to do.
The Community Fund forms a key part of TRU’s commitment to invest in local communities and protect the spaces and places it will be working in over the next decade. Successful grants will align with the key principles outlined in Our Guiding Compass, including supporting vulnerable people, enhancing health and wellbeing, promoting skills and employment, and advancing equality, diversity and inclusion.
Any questions about applications should be directed to Neighbourly at community@neighbourly.com. Please note that if a high number of applications are received, the application window may need to close early.
Alex Peters, Interim Head of Sustainability and Social Value for TRU, said: “We’re delighted to launch the second round of our Community Fund, which represents our ongoing commitment to supporting the communities we work alongside. This funding provides a fantastic opportunity for local organisations to make a lasting impact on the people they serve.”
The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a multi-billion-pound programme that will transform rail travel across the North, delivering faster journey times and more reliable services.
The launch of the second round of the TRU Community Fund comes as the project is halfway through undertaking major upgrades at Huddersfield station.
The work in Huddersfield involves reconstructing and extending the station platforms to accommodate longer trains, strengthening Huddersfield viaduct, and upgrading tracks and signalling for increased reliability.