Ashley Family Foundation Grant

Our values:

The values of the Foundation are inspired by how Bernard and Laura ran their business. While Laura Ashley grew to be a global empire, it had its roots in mid Wales where Bernard and Laura set up the company and raised their family. They brought employment and opportunity to a deprived area and the family forged strong links with their employees, many of whom spent their working lives at the company, and the communities that they lived in.

What kind of grants do we make?

Although we have no set limit to the amount that can be awarded, we do favour requests that are below £10,000. Funding is awarded on the context of the project and we know that smaller awards of £500 can make a big difference to some recipients.

Our policy is to favour revenue proposals over capital requests. Funding is generally awarded to one off projects. We will however consider funding over a number of years (up to three) if the project requires it - subject to satisfactory monitoring and review.

Grants are made primarily for project costs to organisations registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and to unregistered organisations providing arts and/or community and social welfare projects when supported by a registered charity.

We are keen to fund good small scale arts and community projects in England and Wales and welcome proposals from community museums, organisations, farms and gardens for funding for arts subjects.

Please note, the Foundation does not fund:

• Individuals

• Business ventures

• Overseas projects

• Projects in the field of religion

• Direct funding toward schools

• Retrospective funding for activities that have already taken place.

We are also unlikely to fund:

• Sports focused projects

• Well supported causes (such as Cancer and animal welfare)

Where we focus our support :

The trustees look to fund projects that are true to these values. Our focus is on supporting five main themes:

• Wales – Half our funding goes to projects in Wales and we continue to maintain strong links with communities in mid Wales.

• Rural – We are especially interested in projects that open up opportunity in areas where it might not otherwise exist and that help alleviate the isolation and other hardships that can affect rural communities.

• Arts – We want to help bring art to those people that it can help, and help those who will go on to bring art to the people. As a result we support organisations that provide a wide range of educational and creative activities, including applied arts and crafts, music, drama, and textiles. We also fund arts education with a focus on helping promising young Welsh talent.

• Community – We are attracted to projects that bring people together, to help each other out and make their community a better, more joyful place. We support a range of community projects, including those focused on helping people who suffer from isolation and/or social disadvantage.

• Small Charities – The Foundation has an affinity with small charities, the ones set up by people who are driven by love and kindness to help better the lives of those around them.