Hilden Charitable Fund

Overview

UK Programmes

Organisations can apply for up to two years’ funding with grants awarded usually between £5,000 – £7,000 in value per year. 

They offer Unrestricted Grants; or Project Funding.

You can choose which of these to apply for, however please note that to be eligible for Unrestricted funding all the activities of your organisation must meet their criteria. For example, if you were a general community group where only some of the work you did was with refugees then you could not apply for unrestricted funding as your other work would not meettheir priorities. All unrestricted grants must be used for charitable purposes only.

If you do not meet the criteria for an Unrestricted grant you can apply for a Project grant. You are welcome to include full-cost recovery (i.e. a relevant contribution to central overheads, typically 15-20% of the total request).

They have 2 programmes for funding in the UK – your project must address one of these:

Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Asylum Seekers and Refugees continue to face hostility, challenge and isolation which prevents them being able to fully integrate into society; and some face considerable levels of poverty due to being unable to work or use their skills.

They want to support organisations and projects which provide essential services; which help meet their needs; and which support their participation within the wider community. 

Please note that there is a difference between asylum seekers, refugees and migrants with the latter, in most cases, not a priority for their funding. This link provides more information on the differences. If your work includes services to migrants you must clearly demonstrate on your application the scale of the benefit of your proposal to asylum seekers and refugees.

Penal Affairs

Whilst custodial sentences are 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.

They want to support work “through the door” where charitable 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 they welcome applications for post-release projects which support positive resettlement; re-stablishing family bonds; and a reduction in the likelihood of reoffending.

Please note that job-search/employment agency projects are not a priority for their funding.

Eligibility

To be eligible to make an application your organisation must be based in the UK and be one of the following:

• Registered Charity
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Charitable Company (NB you must be registered both as a charity and a company)
• Excepted Charity (see Excepted charities – GOV.UK for more information on these)

To be eligible to apply, your total annual income as shown in your most recent accounts should be no more than £200,000.

If your income is above that in your latest accounts but your average income over the most recent three years is under £200k then you can still apply – this is to allow for one-off “good” years.

They are keen to support small organisations and their preference is to fund those already established rather than new ones (though these are still eligible).

Please note: Accounts provided must be independently examined whether or not they are required to be by your regulatory body.

Good Governance/Practice

Whilst you may be eligible to apply and your proposal meets their criteria, priority will be given to organisations which demonstrate good governance and good practice. For example:

• having a history of returning accounts and documents to your regulatory body (e.g. Charity Commission) on time
• having at least four Trustees/Directors on your Board who are unrelated to each other.
• having robust policies and practices on safeguarding, equalities, financial management, etc.

They will also prioritise organisations which have a significant number of people on their boards and/or staff team who have lived experience of the issues they are addressing.

Overseas Funding

Overseas Programme - This is now closed for applications following a recent opening period. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their request by the middle of June 2024. The next opening period will be in February 2025.

You can apply for any amount up to a maximum of £5,000 per year and for up to two years.

They fund work in the following countries only: Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

Their preference is to fund organisations based in the country where the work is to be delivered and, as such, you should be registered as an NGO in that country.

Eligibility

If you are an “in-country” organisation you must be:

1. Registered with one of the following:

i. The Register General (with approval from the Ministry of Justice) – Malawi

ii. The Ministry of Health, Community Development, Etc – Tanzania

iii. The National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations – Uganda

2. Have an annual income (as shown in your most recent accounts) of no more than £250,000 (approximately $275,000)

3. Have been operating for at least one full year and be able to provide accounts for at least one full year

4. Have at least three trustees/board members. Trustees should not be related to each other or to any employees of the organisation

5. Be able to provide the name and contact details of a previous or current funder who we can contact for a reference

If you are a UK-registered organisation but with a significant presence in-country you must be one of the following:

• Registered Charity
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Community Interest Company (CIC) (NB must be limited by guarantee, not by shares)
• Charitable Company (NB you must be registered both as a charity and a company)
• Excepted Charity (see Excepted charities - GOV.UK for more information on these)

And you must also meet the criteria in 2-5 above. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to be able to demonstrate how your work empowers local people/communities to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on your organisation.

What they fund

Your project must meet at least one of their priorities, which are:

• Projects which support access to education for women and girls (please note – we will not fund individual bursaries or scholarships)
• Projects which enable rural and/or displaced communities to become more self-sufficient

You can apply for any amount up to a maximum of £5,000 per year and for up to two years.

(If you have been previously funded by them you must wait at least 6 months from the date you submitted your final report on your most recent grant before you can apply again.)