What is the St John International Small Grants Fund?
St John International has created a £1M fund for making small grants. The fund is open to applications from any Establishment, Priory, Association or Commandery.
The intention of the fund is to provide direct short term funding support that can catalyse activity in every Establishment, whether large or small. The small grants fund is a way for St John to deal with the unique needs, both difficulties and opportunities, that emerge from the wide variety of contexts that we work in.
Access to the fund is a direct benefit that the Order of St John offers to Establishments around the world. It is part of how the Order is creating a supportive environment for Establishments to utilise and succeed in.
Main Conditions
- The project must cost between £10,000 and £50,000
- The project must be implemented within 6 months of receiving the grant.
- To provide funds for otherwise unaffordable activities delivered by Establishments that support or enable the delivery of the St John Mission.
What will the fund, fund?
- A new recruitment drive
- Piloting a new community programme
- New training kit and supplies
- Training for staff and volunteers
This list is not exhaustive!
How will the funds be allocated?
We will allocate this fund using a Community Management approach.
A standardised process: St John International will develop standardised application forms and budget templates. All proposals must use standard templates. Examples will be provided also. A standardised evaluation criteria will be developed, and training can be provided for Establishments.
Funding decisions made by St John people: Around 40 people from any and all Establishments will be identified and trained up to assess applications. When an application is received, 6 of the trained assessors will meet to make a decision on the application and whether to award funding.
Establishment will then implement: If funding is awarded, then the Establishment will receive funding promptly, and will then have 6 months to implement the project. A standardised report will be presented to SJI upon completion. TEC will periodically review the effectiveness of the fund in increasing activity and engagement across the Order, and ensure there is equity of access for all Establishments.
How can I get involved?
St John International need to identify around 40 people from around the St John world to become trained assessors for the small grants fund.
Assessors will be trained to assess the value that proposals to the fund could bring to the Order’s operations. This is done by interrogating 5 distinct issues: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability.
When a proposal is sent to SJI, trained Assessors will be asked to volunteer to join an evaluation committee for the proposal. 6 volunteers will be invited to an online meeting, normally lasting between 1-2 hours.
Meetings will be facilitated by St John International staff. A series of prepared questions will guide discussion through the 5 areas before the evaluation committee members vote on whether to award funding or not.
Who can be a Small Grants Assessor?
- Open to any person from the “middle management” in any St John Establishment
- Responsible for managing a team or department budget
- Responsible for delivering operational activity
- Must be prepared to undertake annual SJI training
- Must be prepared to join a minimum of 2 proposal assessment meetings per year.
Why have you chosen a Community Management approach?
- Proven method from other sectors
- Transparency
- Speed
- Allows Governance to focus on the bigger picture
- Better outcomes – knowledge sharing
- Creates awareness of each other
- Fits St John’s decentralised global model
How is this fund, funded?
The small grants fund is initially funded through donations and legacies that have already been secured by St John International. As the fund is utilised, SJI’s fundraising team will use the successful stories and global impact of the fund to secure further donations.
The fund is a general “pooled fund” for St John around the world. The value of a pooled fund approach is that it removes the need to “matchmake” specific projects to specific donors. By demonstrating that donors can contribute to a fund that can help St John all around the world, we provide a route for supporters who believe in the concept of St John and the value we have in communities around the world.
Do TEC sign off on the grants?
TEC, (Trustees Executive Committee – the board of SJI and a committee of Grand Council) do officially need to sign off each grant award due to audit and charity regulation in the UK. However, TEC would only over-rule the recommendation made by the volunteer assessment committee in extreme situations where there is a contradiction to the Order’s values or regulatory requirements.
How long would I be a Volunteer Assessor for?
SJI aim to maintain a database of around 40 active volunteer assessors. A volunteer is asked to commit for a period of a year, and to be available for at least two assessment meetings in that year. In order to ensure fresh thought and perspectives, SJI plan to limit volunteer assessors to 2 year terms.
How many times can a St John Establishment apply for funding in one year?
An Establishment may apply up to 3 times in one calendar year (Jan-Dec). However they may only receive funding once in a year. There must also be at least 8 months in between successful applications.
This all sounds brilliant! How do I apply/find out more?
We will be opening our application process for Assessors in March 2026. You can find out more information in our Assessors’ Pack.
The deadline to apply is Friday 3rd April.
We will launch applications for funding on Tuesday 7th July 2026.
When launched, all information will be hosted on our St John Resource Hub.
