Allen Lane Foundation

Background

The Allen Lane Foundation is a grant-making trust which was set up in 1966 by the late Sir Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, to support general charitable causes. The Foundation has no connection with the publishing company, but five of the Trustees are members of the founder's family.

Objectives of Fund

The Foundation makes grants to voluntary not-for-profit organisations in the UK for work which benefits groups of people who are under-represented in UK society.

Overall, the Foundation wishes to fund work 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.
• Encourages or enables unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.

Value Notes

The Foundation typically makes around 130 to 150 grants in a year with a total value of between £720,000 and £800,000.

The maximum grant is £15,000. This can be a single grant, or over two to three years.

The average grant is £5,000 to £6,000

Who Can Apply

Small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations in the UK can apply.

Registered charities are eligible to apply as well as other organisations which are not charities, but which seek funding for a charitable project. This could include, for example, constituted voluntary groups or Community Interest Companies (CICs).

To make sure its grants have an impact, the Foundation will not fund larger organisations. If an organisation works in a relatively local area - a village, or estate or small town - to be eligible it will have an income of less than about £100,000. At the other end of the spectrum, an organisation which works across the whole of the UK will be eligible if it has an income of not more than about £250,000.

Organisations whose work solely benefits people within Greater London cannot apply. However, if their work benefits people across a much wider area, then they may be considered.

Location

United Kingdom (but not for work within Greater London)

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Work within Greater London.
• Individuals.
• Schools, colleges, universities, NHS bodies or town/city/county councils.
• 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; or organisations that work to support one single nationality only.
• 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.

Eligible Expenditure

The Foundation aims to help organisations to become sustainable. The funding will support running and core costs to enable them to have flexibility, security and longevity.

The focus is on funding specific groups within the UK that experience marginalisation and/or discrimination.

The following focus on adults only:

• Asylum seekers and refugees – support work to benefit refugees, asylum seekers, and refused asylum seekers, including those held in detention. The focus has been changed to women only. The focus is on those women who are seeking asylum in the UK, and female refugees who have been through the asylum system; rather than people who arrive in the UK through community sponsorship or via resettlement schemes.
• Offenders and ex-offenders – support for penal reform and fund groups working with offenders in prison and out in the community. The focus now is solely on organisations supporting female offenders, and those in prison for violence against women.
• Older People – funding is focused on projects that benefit isolated elderly people (generally aged 70+) including those with dementia. There will now be a greater focus on specific areas of work for the elderly especially for those in rural and more deprived areas.
• People affected by violence or abuse – work that supports both men and women who are, or have in the past been, affected by violence or abuse. This includes projects supporting people affected by rape and sexual abuse, domestic abuse, stalking, trafficking, prostitution and modern slavery, honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation, and forced marriage. The funding can also support work with perpetrators aiming to lessen isolation and prevent the risk of further abuse.
• Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities – support groups within these communities and organisations that work to benefit them. Funding can 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.
• People with mental health issues – support for mental health charities and projects that benefit people with moderate or severe mental health issues.

In addition, there is funding for work with:

• Young people – aged 12-21 who are vulnerable, socially excluded or marginalised with a focus on those who are persistently absent from school; school leavers with no qualifications; and young people in/leaving care.

The following types of activities are eligible for support:

• Provision of advice or information.
• Advocacy.
• Arts activities where the primary purpose is therapeutic or social.
• Befriending or mentoring.
• Mediation or conflict resolution.
• Practical work, such as gardening or recycling, which benefits both the provider and the recipient.
• Self-help groups.
• Social activities or drop-in centres.
• Strengthening the rights of particular groups and enabling their views and experiences to be heard by policy-makers.
• Research and education aimed at changing public attitudes or policy.
• Work aimed at combating stigma or discrimination.
• Work developing practical alternatives to violence

Grants may be used for start-up, core or project costs, for example:

• Volunteers' or participants' expenses.
• Venue hire.
• Part-time or sessional staffing costs.
• Work aimed at strengthening the organisation such as trustee or staff training.

The Foundation is particularly interested in unusual, imaginative or pioneering projects which have perhaps not yet caught the public imagination.

How To Apply

Applications submitted up until early August are likely to be considered at the October 2025 Trustee meeting.

Applications can be made at any time and are considered three times a year, generally in February, June and October.

Processing an application and making a grant usually takes between two and six months. Groups should apply as soon as they are ready as applications are processed ‘all the time’.

The Foundation has an online application system. The first step is to go through the online eligibility quiz. Those who are eligible will be directed to the application form.

Groups with queries should contact the following people at the Foundation.

Contact Tim Cutts for enquiries or applications relating to the following beneficiary groups:

• Offenders and ex-offenders.
• Older people.
• Young people.

Contact Gill Aconley for enquiries or applications relating to the following beneficiary groups:

• Asylum seekers and refugees.
• Gypsies and Travellers.
• People experiencing mental health problems.
• People experiencing violence or abuse.