Allen Lane Foundation

About the funder

The Allen Lane Foundation 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. Its endowment was valued at £12 million at the end of March 2009, and the Trustees awarded grants totalling around £756,000 in the financial year 2008/2009.

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, and
• encourages or enables unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.

Funding Strands

The Foundation is interested in funding work which benefits people in the following groups, or generalist work which includes significant numbers from more than one such group.

• asylum-seekers and refugees
• gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender people
• gypsies and travellers
• offenders and ex-offenders
• older people
• migrant workers
• people experiencing mental health problems
• people experiencing violence or abuse

If the beneficiaries of your work do not include a significant proportion of people from one or more of these groups it is very unlikely that your application will be successful.

If you do work with one or more of the above groups, you still need to check through the list of Exclusions to ensure your work is not outside the Foundation’s remit.

Groups working with BME communities are encouraged to apply within the above priorities.

What we don’t fund

The Foundation will not generally fund work relating to the following beneficiaries or activities. This may be because other sources of funding are more readily available than for the work which the Foundation makes a priority; or it may be work where small grants are unlikely to make a significant impact; or it may be beyond the Foundation’s resources to make grants in these areas.

• academic research
• addiction, alcohol or drug abuse
• animal welfare or animal rights
• arts or cultural or language projects or festivals or events
• children and young people or families
• endowments or contributions to other grant-making bodies
• health and healthcare
• holidays or holiday play schemes, day trips or outings
• housing
• hospices and medical research
• individuals
• museums or galleries
• overseas travel
• particular medical conditions or disorders
• physical or learning disabilities
• private and/or mainstream education
• promotion of sectarian religion
• publications
• property purchase, building or refurbishment
• refugee community groups – unless they are open to everyone, regardless of nationality or area of origin
• restoration or conservation of historic buildings or sites
• sports and recreation
• therapy e.g. counselling
• vehicle purchase
• work the trustees believe is rightly the responsibility of the state work outside the UK
• work which will already have taken place before a grant is agreed
• work by local organisations with an income of more than £100,000 per annum
• those working over a wider area with an income of more than £250,000.

Grant enquiries

Phone or email us on: 01904 613223, enquiries@allenlane.org.uk

Allen Lane Foundation
90 The Mount
York
YO24 1AR

Or visit our website: www.allenlane.org.uk

Additional information:

Guidelines for applicants: www.allenlane.org.uk/guidelines.html