Borough of Sanctuary - Small Grants 2025

We're offering small grants of up to £2000 to support individuals living or working in Lewisham and local organisations to develop their own projects to support this work.

We expect to fund at least seven projects, perhaps more depending on the size of grants requested. Applications must relate to one or more of the key Borough of Sanctuary objectives:

1. Reducing barriers to access and inequalities experienced by people seeking sanctuary (refugees, people seeking asylum and people with no recourse to public funds - NRPF)
   
   Examples of activities: food and gardening projects, access to clothes and essentials, training of interpreter volunteers and volunteers with lived experience, outreach work to encourage sanctuary seeker participation, support around digital exclusion and employability
   
   
2. Promoting belonging, connectedness and wellbeing of sanctuary seekers and solidarity between different communities
   
   Examples of activities: community meals and events, food growing, exercise and volunteering, cultural activities, trips, art and crafts, buddy systems, family activities, peer support groups
   
   
3. Promoting sanctuary seeker voice, educating Lewisham residents about issues relating to migration, forced displacement and sanctuary 
   
   Examples of activities: storytelling or poetry events, exhibitions, performances, lived experience forums, panels or surveys, inviting speakers with lived experience to your organisations

For more information and to apply, please see the application form. If you have read through the application document and have further questions, please contact BoroughofSanctuary@lewisham.gov.uk.

Applications close 23.59pm on Thursday, 13 February 2025.