Grants are available to small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations in the UK for work that makes a difference to people’s lives as opposed to simply alleviating the symptoms or current problems and should aim to reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination.
The Foundation makes single grants, or grants split over two or three years.
One-off grants of between £500 and £15,000 are available. The average grant is between £5,000 and £6,000.
Grants repeated for more than one year vary from around £500 per annum up to £5,000 per annum, for a maximum of three years.
Small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations in the UK can apply.
Registered charities are eligible to apply as well as other organisations which are not charities, but which seek funding for a charitable project. This could include, for example, constituted voluntary groups or Community Interest Companies (CICs).
To make sure its grants have an impact, the Foundation will not fund larger organisations. If an organisation works in a relatively local area – a village, or estate or small town – to be eligible it will have an income of less than about £100,000. At the other end of the spectrum, an organisation which works across the whole of the UK will be eligible if it has an income of not more than about £250,000.
To be eligible, the work must directly benefit adults from the following groups, or generalist work which includes significant numbers from more than one such group:
The following focus on adults only:
- Asylum seekers and refugees – support work to benefit refugees, asylum seekers, and refused asylum seekers, including those held in detention. The focus is on women only. The focus is on those women who are seeking asylum in the UK, and female refugees who have been through the asylum system; rather than people who arrive in the UK through community sponsorship or via resettlement schemes.
- Offenders and ex-offenders – support for penal reform and fund groups working with offenders in prison and out in the community. The focus is solely on organisations supporting female offenders, and those in prison for violence against women.
- Older People – funding is focused on projects that benefit isolated elderly people (generally aged 70+) including those with dementia. There will now be a greater focus on specific areas of work for the elderly especially for those in rural and more deprived areas.
- People affected by violence or abuse – work that supports both men and women who are, or have in the past been, affected by violence or abuse. This includes projects supporting people affected by rape and sexual abuse, domestic abuse, stalking, trafficking, prostitution and modern slavery, honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation, and forced marriage. The funding can also support work with perpetrators aiming to lessen isolation and prevent the risk of further abuse.
- Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities – support groups within these communities and organisations that work to benefit them. Funding can support work that raises awareness of the issues Gypsy and Traveller communities face, and work to combat hate crime, stigma, discrimination and inequalities, including the lack of appropriate accommodation or other service provision.
- People with mental health issues – support for mental health charities and projects that benefit people with moderate or severe mental health issues.
In addition, there is funding for work with:
- Young people – aged 12-21 years who are vulnerable, socially excluded or marginalised with a focus on those who are persistently absent from school; school leavers with no qualifications; and young people in/leaving care. The priority is on those aged 12-21 who are disengaged from education or work, vulnerable to exploitation or high-risk behaviours, or socially excluded or marginalised; whose experiences can be hidden or less well known; and whose voices are often erased or ignored.
The following types of activities are eligible for support:
- Provision of advice or information.
- Advocacy.
- Arts activities where the primary purpose is therapeutic or social.
- Befriending or mentoring.
- Mediation or conflict resolution.
- Practical work, such as gardening or recycling, which benefits both the provider and the recipient.
- Self-help groups.
- Social activities or drop-in centres.
- Strengthening the rights of particular groups and enabling their views and experiences to be heard by policy-makers.
- Research and education aimed at changing public attitudes or policy.
- Work aimed at combating stigma or discrimination.
- Work developing practical alternatives to violence
Grants may be used for start-up, core or project costs, for example:
- Volunteers’ or participants’ expenses.
- Venue hire.
- Part-time or sessional staffing costs.
- Work aimed at strengthening the organisation such as trustee or staff training.
The Foundation is particularly interested in unusual, imaginative or pioneering projects which have perhaps not yet caught the public imagination.
Applications can be made at any time and are considered three times a year, generally in February, June and October.
Processing an application and making a grant usually takes between two and six months. Groups should apply as soon as they are ready as applications are processed ‘all the time’.