Building firm Barratt’s charitable arm has closed applications to its £300,000 grant programme after almost half of applicants failed to meet its funding criteria.

Barratt Foundation received 330 applications for funding through the programme. But 147 (45%) did not meet its criteria.

The 27 charities it is supporting represent 15% of the eligible applications and 7% of the overall applications.

As a result the Foundation will make a small number of multi-year donations from the fund to be handed to six of the 27 charities it has already selected.

All six “align with our purpose, had excellent applications and have high potential for future growth and impact”.

It explains that the six charities will receive £150,000 over three years.

The funding programme is part of its aim to donate more than £4m a year to charities. It says it will continue to meet this pledge in 2025.

“We recognise the funding challenge facing the charity sector and the considerable time and effort required by charities to apply for funds, alongside the time required by the Foundation team to review and administer the grants programme,” said the Foundation.

“We also recognise how valuable larger, multi-year and unrestricted grants are for charities.”

The decision does not impact support for charities based locally to its offices, who are urged to fill out an expression of interest for the Barratt Foundation Community Fund programme, which will be passed to the local office to be considered for a donation of £1,500.

The Foundation has donated more than £12m to good causes since it launched in 2021. Last year more than 500 good causes were supported through national partnerships, grants, local donations and match funding charities selected by its staff.

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