Community Engagement Fund
The fund is intended to support grassroots and community groups to engage communities and raise awareness of and address any misinformation about the Windrush Compensation and Windrush Schemes, with a focus on non-Caribbean communities.
Provided by:
The Home Office
Funder website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office
Maximum value:
10000.00
Objective of fund:
The Community Engagement Fund (CEF) is a £150,000 grant fund to support grassroots and community groups to engage communities and raise awareness of priority Home Office policy areas and the support available.
The Community Engagement Fund (CEF) is a £150,000 grant fund to support grassroots and community organisations to engage communities and raise awareness of priority Home Office policy areas and the support available. The fund is offered by the Home Office.
Windrush is a high priority of the new administration and a further commitment of funding for 2026–2027 has been given.
The purpose of the Community Engagement Fund 2026-27 is to:
1) Raise awareness of and address any misinformation about the Windrush Compensation Scheme and Windrush Documentation Scheme with a focus on continuing to support Windrush generation communities, from both Caribbean and non-Caribbean backgrounds, and encouraging them to apply to these Schemes, including holding a minimum of one in-person event.
2) Build on the insights and learning taken from our existing work on Windrush (e.g. the Windrush Community Fund and Windrush national communications campaigns) to understand:
Why individuals are not applying for the Windrush Compensation Scheme and/or the Windrush Scheme (Documentation); and
How to encourage eligible individuals to apply to these Schemes.
To reach a wider audience from the Caribbean and non-Caribbean communities;
To identify how to encourage eligible individuals to apply to these Schemes; and
To increase applications from individuals that may not previously have applied.
3) Improve trust, confidence, and engagement with the Home Office by working directly with grassroots organisations to strengthen relationships and gather community-led insights.
Who can apply
The Applicant must have at least two years’ experience, within the past three years, delivering Windrush related community engagements.
The Applicant must deliver the community engagement events without the requirement to purchase new fixed assets (e.g. laptops/mobile phones etc).
The Applicant must deliver at least one in person event is part of your project proposal.
You can apply if you are:
An unincorporated charity or community organisation, a community interest company, or a company with a charitable purpose.
A grassroots organisation.
A registered charity.
A consortium or partnership (with a lead organisation that is one of the above).
Unincorporated charities, community organisations, community interest companies and companies with a charitable purpose.
You can apply if you:
Were established for charitable and public benefit purposes.
Have a governing body with at least 3 members.
Can provide a valid governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.
Can provide audited accounts for the last 2 financial years or an income-expenditure statement for two years if you were established after April 2023.
Grassroots organisations
You can apply if you can support your application with:
A governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.
A copy of your 2024/25 accounts and current bank statement (dated within the last two months) and projected cashflow statement for 2025/26.
Registered charities
You can apply if:
You can provide a valid registration number issued by the Charity Commission.
Have a governing body with at least 3 members.
Can provide a valid governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.
Can provide audited accounts for the last 2 financial years or an income-expenditure statement for two years if you were established after April 2023.
Your details on the Charity Commission website will be checked as part of the due diligence assessment process.
Consortiums or partnerships
You can work with other organisations on a project and apply as a group. There is no limit on the number of organisations that can be involved in a consortium.
You can apply if you have:
A lead organisation that meets one of the above criteria for eligibility.
Details of the lead organisation and how it is structured.
Details of partners you plan to work with and their role in your project.
Audited accounts will need to be provided for the lead organisation. Any funding awarded will be paid directly to the lead organisation.
Restrictions
The Community Engagement Fund will not support:
Projects that look to provide an opportunity for a political platform.
Organisations whose objectives conflict with the Fund.
Organisations that seek to provide immigration advice and services, which are not regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
Where the organisation has objectives or runs services that are contrary to the principles of openness, tolerance, and respect.
Costs for fundraising activities.· Loan repayments or costs covered by other funding sources.
Input VAT reclaimable from HMRC.· Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual.
Payment of statutory fines, criminal fines, or penalties.
Activities that promote religion.
The purchase of mobile phones and laptops.
Projects that rely on one single large event as the entire project activity. At least one distinct event must be delivered.
The following are not eligible to apply:
Local authorities
Individuals
Private companies (i.e. organisations that do not meet the above criteria and are seeking a profit)
Eligible Expenditure
Examples of how funding could be used include, but are not limited to:
Holding events, for example cost of venue, refreshments, and other related costs.
Creating and sharing marketing materials, for example leaflets and posters.
Running communications campaigns both in person and online.
Accessing and using communication channels, for example social media or local radio.
Getting support from corporate partners, public figures, or advocates.
Funding can also be used to cover costs for staff time to work specifically on the project (you will have to clearly justify this).
How to apply
To apply, please visit the following link:
https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/20262027-community-engagement-fund-1
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