Asylum Seekers and Refugees

The Allen Lane Foundation funds small registered charities, voluntary groups, and charitable organisations.

We fund work with refugees, asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers, including those held in detention.
The Foundation is interested in funding work that promotes the inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, and helps with their integration and settling into life in the UK. We fund organisations that work with asylum seekers and refugees regardless of where they originate from – we do not fund refugee community organisations (that work with single nationalities).

We aim to assist with the provision of relevant advice, information or advocacy; with social or therapeutic activities aimed at lessening isolation; and work to help change public attitudes or policy in relation to immigration issues. We also fund practical and emotional support; English classes; destitution support; hosting/accommodation projects; and drop-in costs.

Our maximum grant is £15,000. The average grant size is around £5,000-£6,000.

While recognising (and being willing to support) on-going, tried and tested projects, we are also particularly interested in unusual, imaginative or pioneering projects which have perhaps not yet caught the public imagination.

If you have any queries about making an application you are encouraged to either phone or email us for clarification. Applications are processed continuously. Processing an application and making a grant usually takes between two and six months. If further information is needed this will be requested and a visit may be arranged where the application can be discussed in more detail. Our Trustees meet to discuss grant applications three times a year, generally in February, June and October.

Funding aims and criteria: *We aim to help organisations to become sustainable, supporting running and core costs to enable them to have flexibility, security and longevity. *We focus on work with adults (not children or young people). *We are interested in funding charitable causes which we believe to be unpopular both in society, and with other funders. If you believe your work to be an unpopular cause, both in society generally, and with other funders, and something you think the Foundation may be interested in funding, please email us to tell us more.
*To make sure our grants have an impact, we only fund smaller organisations. If you work across a local area such as a village, estate or town, to be eligible you will need to have an income of less than around £100,000. At the other end of the spectrum, if you work across the whole of the UK you will need to have an income of less than around £250,000. *We fund organisations which are registered charities, and also other organisations which are not charities but which seek funding for a charitable project. (Such as constituted voluntary groups or Community Interest Companies for example.) *We do not make grants to individuals. *We make grants across the United Kingdom. The only exception is that we do not fund work within Greater London. Organisations which have their offices in London are eligible provided the people who benefit from their work are not only in London.

We do NOT fund: *Alcohol or drug misuse. *Animal welfare or animal rights. *Annual or one-off events or festivals. *Capital grants. *Children and young people. *Endowments or contributions to other grant-making bodies. *General arts or cultural or language projects. *General health or healthcare. *Holidays or holiday play-schemes or day-trips. *Individuals. *Medical research. *Museums or galleries. *One-to-one counselling or therapy. *Overseas travel. *Physical or learning disability. *Private and/or mainstream education. *Property purchase, building or refurbishment. *Publications. *Restoration or conservation of historic buildings or sites. *Single nationality community groups. *Sports and recreation. *University or post-graduate education. *Vehicle purchase. *Work which with Trustees believe is rightly the responsibility of the state. *Work which will already have taken place before a grant is agreed.