🎓 UK Find a Grant: New & Changed Grant Watch

Turn the UK government's 'Find a government grant' service into a seed-zero, deterministic delta feed. First run seeds a private baseline and emits zero alerts; later runs emit one delta per newly listed grant, per changed grant, and per removed grant (removals only after a complete enumeration). Keyed on the source-native grant label. No historical dump, no inferred amount or eligibility.

Output is one uk_grant row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one grant change (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.05 per grant change plus one $0.10 source check per run that reads the source).

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out.

Who buys this

• Grant-seekers & bid consultants — catch new non-dilutive funding the day it is listed and see when an existing scheme's amount, deadline, or eligibility changes.
• Public-sector / charity funding teams — monitor the whole board for a sector.

Use with

UK Find a Grant Watch → your funding CRM / alerting → an LLM eligibility summarizer. Complements procurement watchers such as UK Find a Tender: Tender-to-Award Watch (this is grants / non-dilutive funding, a different surface).

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run qHerqbh3YJTQCmpYl on build 0.1.16 (2026-09-17), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

label	composite_key	grant_id	grant_name	grant_funder	grant_application_open_date
trees-woodlands-and-forestry---woodland-creation-planning-grant-1	trees-woodlands-and-forestry---woodland-creation-planning-grant-1	6MvwC00QORdMaAulvusshe	Trees, woodlands and forestry - Woodland Creation Planning Grant	Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs / Forestry Commissio	2015-12-01T00:01
community-and-environment-fund-cef-and-business-and-local-economy-fund	community-and-environment-fund-cef-and-business-and-local-economy-fund	3PjewIEIHhoZzrRmziiwaa	Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and Business and Local Economy Fu	HS2 Ltd	2017-03-08T00:01
england-woodland-creation-offer-ewco-1	england-woodland-creation-offer-ewco-1	54LJN3mjYQ2HNuvhyoKs14	England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs / Forestry Commissi	2021-06-01T00:01
electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grant-for-renters-and-flat-owners-1	electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grant-for-renters-and-flat-owners-1	4mJOnVCWqJil0lbrzfz9B3	Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Renters and Flat Owners	Office for Zero Emission Vehicles	2022-04-01T00:00
electric-vehicle-chargepoint-and-infrastructure-grants-for-landlords-1	electric-vehicle-chargepoint-and-infrastructure-grants-for-landlords-1	4jrxkJNTzCTQZEoWoXfYOa	Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for residential landlords	Office for Zero Emission Vehicles	2022-04-01T00:01
workplace-charging-scheme-2	workplace-charging-scheme-2	76yMNuJu5mSL0ZzQJ5ghFK	Workplace Charging Scheme	Office for Zero Emission Vehicles	2022-04-01T00:01
boiler-upgrade-scheme-1	boiler-upgrade-scheme-1	6v4dovGBsjWliXXiBpq4I5	Boiler Upgrade Scheme	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	2022-05-23T00:01
commissioned-rehabilitative-services-general-grant-scheme-1	commissioned-rehabilitative-services-general-grant-scheme-1	73hgZW8dKpO9bHTTh6X5BJ	Commissioned Rehabilitative Services General Grant Scheme	Ministry of Justice	2022-07-22T12:00

The run finished with the status message: CAPPED: cap_reached(maxPages 1 reached (12 pages / 112 grants available); capped_units=maxPages:1); emitted=10; dates_complete=1/2

✅ What you get

One of three record types, discriminated by record_type: uk_grant, uk_grant_delta, or source_receipt. Every item carries source_url and observed_at.

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_type (string) — Discriminator.
• label (string/null) — Source-native grant label (composite key).
• composite_key (string/null) — Composite key = grant label.
• grant_id (string/null) — Source-native grant id.
• grant_name (string/null) — Grant title.
• grant_funder (string/null) — Funding body.
• grant_maximum_award (number/null) — Maximum award (GBP), null when display-only.
• grant_maximum_award_display (string/null) — Official maximum award display string.
• grant_minimum_award (number/null) — Minimum award (GBP).
• grant_minimum_award_display — e.g. £1,500
• grant_total_award_amount (number/null) — Total scheme award budget (GBP).
• grant_total_award_display — e.g. £708,607
• grant_application_open_date (string/null) — Applications open date.
• grant_application_close_date (string/null) — Applications close date.
• grant_applicant_type (array/null) — Eligible applicant types (preserved).
• grant_location (array/null) — Eligible locations (preserved).
• grant_short_description (string/null) — Short description as published.
• detail_url (string/null) — Public grant detail page URL.
• parse_warnings (array/null) — Non-fatal parse warnings.
• source_url (string) — Exact public 'Find a grant' request URL supporting this item.
• observed_at (string) — RFC3339 UTC time after shape validation.
• source_hash (string/null) — SHA-256 over buyer-visible grant fields.
• delta_type (string/null) — uk_grant_delta only.
• changed_fields (array/null) — Changed grant fields on an update.
• qualification_reasons (array/null) — Why this delta was emitted.
• terminal_state (string/null) — source_receipt only.
• canary_passed (boolean/null) — Whether the source-shape canary passed.
• enumeration_complete (boolean/null) — Whether every page enumerated (gates removals).
• reason_code (string/null) — Stable terminal reason code.

What you get

• uk_grant_delta (watch mode) — delta_type (NEW_GRANT / GRANT_UPDATED / GRANT_REMOVED), label (= composite_key), grant_name, grant_funder, min/max/total award (amount + official display), open/close dates, applicant types, locations, short description, changed_fields, detail_url.
• uk_grant (snapshot mode, watchMode=false) — same record shape without diffing.
• source_receipt — per-page terminal, enumeration_complete flag, request counters, canary status. Always pushed, never billed.

Every run also writes a RUN_RECEIPT record to its key-value store with the source checks it made and the counts it charged — diagnostics never land in the paid dataset.

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "maxPages": 1,
  "watchMode": false
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 10 × $0.05 grant_change + 1 × $0.10 source_check = $0.62 on the Free tier — every delivered row was billed.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "maxPages": 1,
  "watchMode": false
}

A bounded run for checking the field shape before scheduling.

3. Watch mode on a schedule

{
  "maxPages": 1,
  "watchMode": true
}

The first run seeds a private baseline and emits zero deltas; every later run emits one row per change, billed at $0.05 each plus the $0.10 source check; billed deltas are capped at 500 per run.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run qHerqbh3YJTQCmpYl, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_type": "uk_grant",
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "label": "trees-woodlands-and-forestry---woodland-creation-planning-grant-1",
  "composite_key": "trees-woodlands-and-forestry---woodland-creation-planning-grant-1",
  "grant_id": "6MvwC00QORdMaAulvusshe",
  "grant_name": "Trees, woodlands and forestry - Woodland Creation Planning Grant",
  "grant_funder": "Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs / Forestry Commission – Defra Trees Programme",
  "grant_maximum_award": 30500,
  "grant_maximum_award_display": "£30,500",
  "grant_minimum_award": 1500,
  "grant_minimum_award_display": "£1,500",
  "grant_total_award_amount": 708607,
  "grant_total_award_display": "£708,607",
  "grant_application_open_date": "2015-12-01T00:01",
  "grant_application_close_date": "2030-04-01T00:00",
  "grant_applicant_type": [
    "Personal / Individual",
    "Public Sector",
    "Non-profit",
    "Private Sector"
  ],
  "grant_location": [
    "England",
    "North East England",
    "North West England",
    "South East England",
    "South West England",
    "Midlands"
  ],
  "grant_short_description": "The Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) offers funding of up to £30,500 for the production of a UKFS-compliant woodland creation design plan. Landowners, land managers and public bodies can apply. WCPG is open for applications year-roun",
  "detail_url": "https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/trees-woodlands-and-forestry---woodland-creation-planning-grant-1",
  "parse_warnings": [],
  "source_url": "https://www.find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants?page=1",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-17T18:03:46Z",
  "source_hash": "c52e7e07d58d900ab8ee5d3560e2cfb40c74fdccfbb437aaec6d9dd248c3185c"
}

🔧 How it works

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy.

Watch semantics. Snapshot mode (watch_mode: false) returns a preview. Watch mode keys every record on a source-native id, stores a private baseline in a named key-value store, and on each later run emits one delta row per change (new / changed / removed). A blocked fetch is never diffed, so a source outage cannot show up as a mass removal.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each grant change is charged at the moment it is pushed (grant_change); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count. One source_check is charged per run that actually read the source.

Limits & compliance

• Source: public, logged-out GOV.UK 'Find a government grant' service. No key, no login, no CAPTCHA; politely self-throttled.
• Amounts and eligibility are preserved exactly as published (integer + official display string); a missing value stays null, never guessed. A blocked or partial enumeration never emits a removal.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

⏰ Set it on a schedule

A single run is a snapshot. The value is the feed: open the actor in Apify Console → Schedules → Create new, add this actor with input 3 above (watch_mode: true), and pick a cadence:

• Daily — 0 7 * * * (07:00 UTC): catch changes within a day.
• Weekly — 0 7 * * 1: a Monday digest.

Each run is independent; keep the same input on the schedule so the results stay comparable. Schedules can also POST results to a webhook (Console → Integrations).

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Grant change (grant_change)	$0.05	$0.04	$0.04	$0.03
Grants page check (source_check)	$0.10	$0.09	$0.08	$0.07

Worked at the live Free-tier price (watch mode, one delta per change):

• 8 grant changes: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 8 × $0.05 = $0.52
• 25 grant changes: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 25 × $0.05 = $1.37
• 100 grant changes: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 100 × $0.05 = $5.12

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee plus the $0.10 source check (the source was read and reported empty). A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 512 MB.

Yield on the sample run: CAPPED: cap_reached(maxPages 1 reached (12 pages / 112 grants available); capped_units=maxPages:1); emitted=10; dates_complete=1/2.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public data only. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, identifies itself, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input (in watch mode the first run always seeds the baseline and returns zero deltas); BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee plus one source check.

Q: What does watch mode remember between runs?
A: A private baseline of source-native record ids in a named key-value store. Each later run diffs the live source against it and emits only changes.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs except the watch baseline. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other grant and research-funding watches actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers UK Find a Grant: New & Changed Grant Watch. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

Q: Are there rate limits?
A: The actor paces itself against the source; there is no per-buyer limit beyond your Apify plan's concurrency.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Fewer rows than expected → the source had fewer items in scope → widen the input.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.
• First watch run shows no deltas → expected: it seeds the baseline; changes appear from the second run.

🔗 Related Actors

• SBIR/STTR Award Intelligence — One structured fundingintelligence per record from the robots-permitted sbir.gov HTML award search (cross-agency, all participating agencies). Public…
• UK 360Giving Dataset Publication Watch — UK grantmakers publishing and republishing their grants data to the 360Giving Standard: who published, what changed, the licence, and a direct link t…
• UK 360Giving Funder Grant Watch — New grants from ONE named UK grantmaker, read from that funder's own published 360Giving file - the grant identifier, recipient, amount, award date a…
• UKRI Principal Investigator Award Watch — New UKRI awards to the principal investigators you name. Sourced from the public UKRI Gateway to Research API, logged-out, no key
• UKRI New Research Project Award Watch — Newly awarded UKRI research projects as Gateway to Research publishes them, bounded to a real start-date window rather than the far-future studentshi…
• UKRI Organisation Award Watch — New UKRI awards to the research organisations you name. Sourced from the public UKRI Gateway to Research API, logged-out, no key
• 🏢 About NexGenData — NexGen Watch is NexGenData's fleet of 256 public monitoring and lookup actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

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