Diversity and equality

Browse our list of funders that specialise in diversity and equality

As with any charitable project, it’s worth considering the funders that will fund a wide variety of projects.

This page is updated annually. Spotted an error? Please let us know.

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation

“Ensuring a fairer future” is one of the three objectives of this fund, which offers grants of at least £30,000 to organisations with a turnover of at least £100,000. The specific goals under this objective are:

Injustice and structural inequality is challenged and changed.
A new inclusive generation of leaders and artists.

The foundation will cover project and unrestricted core costs. Most grants are for three or more years.

A B Charitable Trust

Grants typically from £10,000 to £20,000 for UK registered charities with an annual income between £150,000 and £1.5m that defend human rights and promote respect for vulnerable individuals whatever their circumstances. Projects should address at least one of the following categories:

Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Criminal justice and penal reform.
Human rights, particularly access to justice.

Deadlines are quarterly.

Allen Lane Foundation

Grants of £500 to £15,000 are available to small charitable organisations (typically with an annual income below £100,000, or £250,000 for national organisations) for work that aims to reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination. Projects should make a difference to people’s lives as opposed to simply alleviating the symptoms or current problems, and should target one or more of the following groups:

Asylum seekers and refugees (but not groups working with a single nationality)
Gypsies and Travellers
Migrant communities
Offenders and ex-offenders
Older people
People experiencing mental health problems
People experiencing violence or abuse

Meanwhile, its new Social Cohesion Programme focuses on breaking down barriers and tensions between different groups and promoting the inclusion of marginalised groups and individuals to build more cohesive and inclusive communities.

Ashworth Charitable Trust

Grants of up to £5,000 are available for registered charities involved in supporting humanitarian causes. These include addressing the situation of those at the margins of society and ensuring that everyone should be able to share the fruits of and be empowered to participate in the construction of a just, prosperous and sustainable society.

Baring Foundation – Strengthening Civil Society

Grants of up to £40,000 for charities and other non-profit entities to embrace law- and human rights-based approaches as effective tools for achieving change for individuals and communities. This fund is currently closed following a funding round to respond to Covid-19. Visit the website for the latest information.

Barrow Cadbury Trust – Economic Justice Programme

Grants for national programmes that strive to ensure fairness in economic systems. Its objectives include influencing national economic policy, enabling healthy local economies, giving a voice to people on low and no wages, and supporting campaigning organisations.

Barrow Cadbury Trust – Migration Programme

Grants for national organisations for projects that promote promoting an immigration system that is fair to both migrants and established residents, and for projects facilitating a policy and public debate on migration and integration based on shared values as well as evidence.

Feminist Review Trust

Grants of up to £15,000 for individuals and organisations for projects that transform the lives of women. The Trust is particularly interested in applications covering the following areas:

Lesbian and transgender rights
Violence against women and girls
Disabled women and girls
Refugee women and girls

There are three deadlines per year; the next ones are 31 January, 30 April and 10 September 2021.

Henry Smith Charity – Strengthening Communities

This charity funds running costs of community organisations working in deprived areas to help people make positive changes to their lives. Grants of £20,000 to £60,000 per year for up to three years are available to small charitable organisations with an annual income below £550,000.

Hilden Charitable Fund

Supporting asylum seekers and refugees is one of the themes for this fund, which offers grants averaging £5,000 to UK registered charities.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust – Rights and Justice Programme

Grants for any organisation or individual doing charitable work that promotes racial justice and equality of opportunity as a basis for a harmonious multi-racial, multi-ethnic society in the UK. The Trust also has a Peace and Security fund, which focuses on the creation of a peaceful and just world by various means including challenging systemic racism.

Lush Charity Pot

The cosmetics retailer’s charitable fund has three objectives including “Human Rights (including social justice, peace and equality)”. It offers grants of £100 to £10,000, with most falling between £2,000 and £4,000. It prefers to support grassroots groups, including start-ups.

Rosa: Justice and Equality Fund

Grants of between £25,000 and £200,000 for women’s organisations in the UK to increase access to support, signposting and expert legal advice for victims and survivors of sexual harassment and abuse. This fund is not currently open; sign up to their newsletter for updates.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Shared Ground Fund

Grants of £30,000 to £400,000 for projects that address challenges in the area of migration and integration. Its four objectives are:

Influencing migration system reform
Improving access to support services
Strengthening civic participation
Informing public understanding

The Pilgrim Trust

Grants for UK registered charities and organisations that are exempt from registration for various themes including “improving the life chances of vulnerable women and girls [by] supporting early interventions that address their needs before these become too deep-seated.”