The Allen Lane Foundation Grants

The Allen Lane Foundation aims 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.

Grants up to £15,000 for VCSE organisations working to support: asylum seekers and refugees; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; people with mental health issues; offenders ex-offenders; older people; young people; people affected by violence or abuse.

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-£6,000.

The Allen Lane Foundation 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.

Size of organisation?

To make sure the grants have an impact, The Allen Lane Foundation fund relatively small 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.

Type of organisation?

The Allen Lane Foundation 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.

All applications received until Friday 6 December are likely to be considered in the current round, leading up to the Trustee meeting in February 2025.