The Allen Lane Foundation Grant

Their aims are to fund work within each of their funding programmes which:

• will make a lasting difference to people’s lives rather than simply alleviating the symptoms or current problems
• is aimed at reducing isolation, stigma and discrimination, and
• encourages or enables groups that experience marginalisation and/or discrimination to share in the life of the whole community

The total amount they can offer is up to £15,000. This can be over three years, two years, or a single grant.

However, most grants they make are for much less than this amount, with the average grant size being £5,000 to £6,000.

They aim to help organisations to become sustainable, supporting running and core costs to enable them to have flexibility, security and longevity. They can contribute to project costs or salaries.

Six of their funding programmes are focused on funding for adults only and are:

• Asylum seekers and refugees
• Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communties
• Offenders and ex-offenders
• Older people
• People affected by violence and/or abuse
• People with mental health issues

The Young People’s Programme can support people aged approx 12-21 from across a broader range of backgrounds.

They fund organisations which are registered charities, and also other organisations which are not charities, such as constituted voluntary groups or Community Interest Companies (CICs) for example. They would only consider applications from CICs towards the costs of projects that must be wholly charitable. They would expect that governing boards have a minimum of three unrelated members.

They do not fund bodies such as schools, colleges, universities, NHS bodies or town/city/county councils.

They do not make grants to individuals.

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.

The 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 (within our six beneficiary group programmes we only fund adults. See the Young People’s Programme for details on what it covers)
• 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
• Particular medical illness or conditions
• 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; or organisations that work to support one single nationality only
• Sports and recreation
• University or post-graduate education
• Vehicle purchase
• Work which Trustees believe is rightly the responsibility of the state
• Work which will already have taken place before a grant is agreed