Borough of Sanctuary 2026 – Small Grants up to £1,500

We are offering small grants of up to £1,500 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 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 

This year, a diverse range of initiatives were funded to support sanctuary. Examples of funded projects include intercultural workshops exploring traditions such as tea ceremonies, therapeutic art sessions, music-making for children and young people, and career events supporting refugee women in health and construction. 

If you have any questions, or need more information, there is an online Q&A session open to all on Tuesday 16 Dec at 1pm to 2pm - Meeting link

Meeting ID: 318 189 037 072 88 
Passcode: NA3H829W

For further 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 11.59pm on Thursday 22 January 2026.

• see and download the information and the application questions in a word document