OPSS community funding for product safety

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has responsibility for protecting people and places from product related harm and ensuring consumers can buy products with confidence.confidence.  

Community Contract funding

To empower more consumers to choose and use products safely we inviteare inviting organisations to bid to deliver community-based and/or consumer-focused product safety awareness and education projects.

Details

We are particularly interested in funding projects that:

• take place in-person at community settings, and/or
• make product safety messaging more accessibleaccessible.

Bid for funding

If you would like to apply for funding, please complete the relevant bid form, which contains information about how bids are assessed and our expectations.

Bids will be considered for projects valued under £10,000 excluding VAT that reach OPSS on or before, 23:59, Tuesday 1 September 2026, for activity to be delivered by 05 February 2027.

Any organisation can apply, and we welcome bids from voluntary groups, smaller charities, community groups and those looking to partner with the third sector.

This year we are funding:

Opportunity 1: Second-hand goods

We welcome proposals to deliver community-based and/or consumer-focused awareness and educational activity which addresses how to purchase and use second-hand goods safely. Projects can include advice on buying goods from online marketplaces and in-person purchases. 

Read OPSS guidance on buying second-hand goods, which we encourage bidders to follow.

Activity we will fund

We will fund activity that:

• improves consumer awareness and confidence about how to choose and use products safelysafely.
• provides product safety education or adviceadvice.
• empowers consumers to take action to protect themselves and others from product-related harmharm.
• falls within our remitremit.

We cannot fund bids about food, chemicals, medical products or vehicles.

Read further information about OPSS.

We are especially interested in funding proposals that focus on activities targeted at those who could be deemed to be more at risk of product-related harm, due to (but not limited to):

• age
• socio-economic circumstance (e.g. they are on a low income which impacts how they buy and continue to use products)
• having additional literacy needs such as English as an additional language
• low digital skills or being digitally excluded
• a medical condition or disability

Reporting

Successful bidders will need to submit a report to receive payment, including:

• a summary of the project objective and success criteriacriteria.
• details of the approach taken and how this was designed to meet objectivesobjectives.
• the reach and impact of the work in terms of consumer engagement (how many people attended the activity/what they learnt)learnt).

We can consider part payment in arrears for tangible activities delivered before the end of the reporting period. Bidders should highlight what those activities are and include a draft payment schedule.

Previous examples

To help you with your application, these are some examples of work we have funded previously:

• Local Citizens Advice Rushmoor ran a ‘Product Safety Community Awareness’ project. Fourteen workshops targeted at foodbank users, families, pensioners, people with additional literacy needs and community champions were held to raise product safety awareness. They also used OPSS assets to create accessible posters targeted to the needs of their community.
• CETMA ran a ‘Community Electrical Safety Campaign’ including a roadshow across West and South Wales, where targeted leaflets and advice were given to the community. They also attended foodbanks and added product safety information to food parcels.
• Milton Keynes Trading Standards ‘Toy Safety Matters’ campaign involved the creation of a video and targeted toy safety drop-in sessions held at Family Centres.
• Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s ‘E-bike and E-scooter Campaign’ involved creating targeted, accessible product safety materials for use at four face-to-face events attended by 700 people.
• Closha Associated Ltd in partnership with Bolton Deaf Society and Deafway developed a BSL consumer website to host product safety messages for deaf consumers. Three product safety videos in BSL promoting toy safety, button battery safety and electrical safety were created and hosted on the site along with five previously produced product safety videos in BSL.

Further examples can be found here.

Submit your bid

Please submit your bid using the online form here.

Or return as an attachment to OPSSconsumer@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Download the form for Opportunity 1 (ODT, 16.3 KB)

All bids must be submitted on or before 23:59 1 September 2026.

Organisations that have not previously received OPSS funding for consumer awareness activity will only be eligible to submit one bid this financial year.

If you have any questions, please contact OPSSconsumer@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

• Read information on the contracts awarded in 2025-2026.
• Read information on the contracts awarded in 2024-2025.
• Read information on OPSS grants.
• Read further information about OPSS.