Grants, generally for between £5,000 and £10,000 per year for up to 2 years, are available to smaller UK charitable organisations working to support asylum seekers, refugees and penal affairs in the UK and/or overseas.
The Hilden Charitable Fund has recently reopened to applications with a renewed focus. Previously, the charity supported UK charitable organisations working in the fields of:
- Asylum Seekers and Refugees.
- Community Based Initiatives for Disadvantaged Young People Aged 16 to 25.
- Homelessness.
- Penal Affairs, and
- Overseas development, particularly where it benefits women and girls through community development, education and health initiatives (the Hilden Charitable Fund's website has a separate section for overseas applications).
The Fund now offers grants in the following 2 areas:
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
The charity states that “Asylum Seekers and Refugees continue to face hostility, challenge and isolation which prevents them being able to fully integrate into society; while some face considerable levels of poverty due to being unable to work or use their skills. We want to support organisations and projects which provide essential services; which help meet their needs; and which support their integration within the wider community”.
Penal Affairs
Under this category the charity’s website comments that “Whilst custodial sentences are often very damaging for all of those affected, research by the Prison Reform Trust shows that women are often more greatly impacted, especially where they have children or other caring responsibilities. During the Pandemic, for example, family visits to prisons were curtailed and many children did not see their parent for over a year. We want to support work "through the door" where organisations go into prisons with projects and support to help prisoners (especially women) cope and/or maintain family bonds and to be better able to resettle positively when released. Equally we welcome applications for post-release projects which support positive resettlement and a reduction in the likelihood of reoffending”.
Applicants must meet the following criteria in order to apply for grant support:
- Be able to demonstrate that they have a UK charitable purpose.
- Have adequate insurance and safeguarding policies and procedures for their service users, volunteers and employees, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) screening if necessary.
- Have an income (from all sources) of less than £250,000 in each of the last 3 financial years.
- Have a project that meets the Foundation's priority areas, and
- Hold less than 12 months spending in cash reserves.
Grants, which can cover project and core costs, can be for up to £10,000 per year for a period of 2 years. Most grants are for between £5,000 and £7,000. Although there is no specific requirement for matched funding, applicants are encouraged to show what other funding has been sought and secured.