Nation of Sanctuary Croeso Fund

The Nation of Sanctuary Croeso Fund provides vital support for people displaced by conflict and/or persecution from foreign countries, who are seeking sanctuary* in Wales.

*The City of Sanctuary prefers the term ‘people seeking sanctuary’ in most contexts, as this focusses on people first as opposed to their immigration status. It emphasises that people are seeking sanctuary (safety and protection), not specifically asylum and so has a broader application.

This fund is also a fundraising fund intended to support people seeking sanctuary now and into the future. All donations to this fund will support Welsh charities, community groups and organisations already working with people seeking sanctuary in Wales, to provide vital aid and help to settle them into their new surroundings.

We will prioritise applications from groups who can demonstrate a strong knowledge and understanding of working within in this field longer term. This Fund cannot support groups working within already established and settled minority communities or groups looking to work with people seeking sanctuary that do not have a track record of doing so.

Our learning has highlighted the most urgent and increased needs for people seeking sanctuary are:

Addressing the trauma they face by providing emotional support to improve mental health and wellbeing Support with integration and a sense of belonging Therefore, the Nation of Sanctuary Croeso Fund accepts applications from groups already working with people seeking sanctuary to provide support services to address these issues. For example:

• Befriending services
• Interpreter/language services
• Community/hub activities for people seeking sanctuary and their families to come together
• Trauma/emotional support
• Additional frontline support to address an increased demand (this list is not exhaustive, it is meant to demonstrate the type of projects this fund will support.)

Grants Available

Organisations can apply for grants of up to £50,000 per annum to support costs related to work supporting people seeking sanctuary within the identified themes above.

Please note that the amount you are applying for should not be more than 20% of your annual turnover in the latest set of published accounts.

We recognise how important it is for groups to be able to plan for the future and that having secure funding can give you the confidence and reassurance to develop your project over the long-term. Nation of Sanctuary Croeso Fund offers groups the opportunity to apply for single year or multi-year funding of up to 3 years.

To be considered for a three-year grant please complete the additional section of the application form, indicating how you plan to develop your project over the period of funding being applied for. Your application will still be considered for one year funding if you are not successful with a multi-year award.

We cannot currently fund

• Bursary projects that provide onward grants/cash/equipment to individuals
• Groups who only work with BAME beneficiaries and not specifically people seeking sanctuary – we have a separate fund for BAME groups which you can read about here
• Food/supplies/equipment/clothing projects where items are distributed to individuals/families – we have other funds that will, please look at our grants page here for information on other funding available
• Projects that replicate statutory services

Who can apply?

This Fund is open to constituted community-based charities and organisations specifically working with people seeking sanctuary in Wales. These include:

• Constituted Groups
• Registered Charities & Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO)
• Companies Limited by Guarantee
• Community Interest Companies
• Social Enterprises