Gypsy and Traveller Communities

The Allen Lane Foundation is a grant-making trust which was established in 1966. We award funding for charitable purposes across the UK. Our focus is on funding ‘unpopular causes’ and we currently make grants towards seven specific beneficiary groups. Our overall aims are to: make a lasting difference to people’s lives; reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination; and to encourage or enable unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.

The Foundation funds Gypsy and Traveller groups, and also organisations that work directly with, and provide support to, Gypsy and Traveller communities.

We are keen to 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. Over recent years grants have been made towards providing advice and advocacy; building the capacity of community groups; supporting victims of domestic abuse; law and policy reform; inclusion projects and work aimed at changing attitudes. These are only examples and we are open to receive enquiries about other areas of funding – please contact us if you are unsure about applying.

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.

You can apply anytime – we process applications all through the year, and will come back to you within a couple of weeks with our initial thoughts.

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

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.