Windrush Community Fund Phase 2: Grants Up To £25K
PHASE 2 OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE WINDRUSH COMMUNITY FUND IS NOW OPEN
The Windrush Community Fund is open to charities, community organisations and/or grassroots groups to bid for financial assistance to help ensure that organisations and groups can raise awareness and support engagement among those eligible for the government’s Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme.
The Home Office fund has been designed with the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group and will be administered by Voice4Change England (V4CE). V4CE has no role or connection with the Windrush Scheme or Windrush Compensation Scheme, but is focused on assisting community groups who apply for the fund. Final decisions on funding will be made by the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group and the Home Office.
Phase 2 of applications is now open and will close on 30 June 2021. Apply now or to make enquiries please email windrushenquiries@voice4change-england.co.uk.
V4CE will also be hosting two more free online information sessions so you can find out more about the Windrush Community Fund or receive guidance on your application. The events will be on 21 April 2021 at 2-4PM (book here) and 13 May 2021 at 10-12PM (book here).
More about the Windrush Community Fund
The fund has been set up in particular to encourage applications from those organisations that are led by affected communities or work mainly with affected communities. Affected communities are those that faced difficulties in demonstrating their lawful status in the UK, depending on when they arrived, and those who therefore suffered losses in proving their right to work, finding a place to live, accessing healthcare or some other impact.
This covers people who settled in the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1 January 1973, and people of any nationality who were settled before the end of 1988.
The successful organisations will raise awareness of the Windrush schemes, and support engagement of victims of the Windrush scandal in several potential ways including:
- Promotional and outreach events within a community
- Production and distribution of marketing materials
- Communication campaigns, both online and in person
- Accessing and using communication channels such a social media or the local radio
Applications are welcomed from organisations that are led by or work mainly with people from affected communities. Applications from several organisations coming together as a consortium will also be considered. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/homeoffice/windrush-community-fund.
About Windrush Scheme
The Windrush Scheme (documentation) was launched in May 2018 to help people who were not able to prove their right to live and work in the UK, to get a document to prove their lawful status. Members of the Windrush generation can apply free of charge for documentation confirming their lawful status, including British citizenship if eligible, under the Windrush Scheme.
About Windrush Compensation Scheme
The Windrush Compensation Scheme was launched in April 2019. It ensures that members of the Windrush generation and their families are properly compensated for the losses and impacts they have suffered as a result of not being able to demonstrate their lawful status.
On December 14th 2020, the minimum award was raised from £250 to £10,000 for anyone who can show an impact on their life under the terms of the scheme. The maximum award an individual can receive for an impact on their life was also raised from £10,000 to £100,000 (with options for even higher awards in exceptional circumstances).
About Windrush Cross-Government Working Group
The Windrush Cross-Government Working Group was founded in June 2020 and brings together community organisations with government representatives to support the delivery of practical solutions to address challenges affecting the Windrush generation and their families.
The purpose of the group is to:
- provide strategic input into the Home Office’s response to the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned Review
- support the design and delivery of practical solutions to address the wider challenges that disproportionately affect people from Black and wider BAME backgrounds – this will include programmes on education, work and health
- advise on the design and delivery of the Windrush Schemes Community Fund
About Voice4Change England
Voice4Change England is a national advocate for the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community sector (BAME VCS). As a national membership organisation dedicated to the BAME VCS, the charity and infrastructure support body speaks up to policymakers on the issues that matter to the sector, brings the sector together to share good practice and develops the sector to better meet the needs of disadvantaged communities. Its members are from the BAME community organisations and charities, with interests ranging from criminal justice to migrant rights. For more information, go to: voice4change-england.com.
If you have any enquiries or require further information, please contact info@voice4change-england.co.uk