Allen Lane Foundation grants
The Allen Lane Foundation is a national grant-maker giving around £735,000 to small charities and voluntary groups in its latest year, with a typical grant of £5,200.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
The Allen Lane Foundation is a general foundation with an income of around £761,000, funding small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Grants are usually up to £15,000, though most awards are smaller, averaging £5,000 to £6,000, and can be spread over up to three years. Trustees meet three times a year - generally in February, June and October - to consider applications.
What they fund
The Allen Lane Foundation supports general charitable purposes, funding small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations.
Who and where
It supports children and young people, elderly people and other defined groups, through organisations working throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Allen Lane Foundation says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
Who they say they'll fund
“The Allen Lane Foundation funds small registered charities, voluntary groups, and charitable organisations.”
Source: allenlane.org.uk — Funding – The Allen Lane Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“The total amount we can offer is upto £15,000. This can be over three years, two years, or a single grant. However, most grants we make are for much less than this amount, with the average grant size being £5,000-£6,000.”
Source: allenlane.org.uk — Funding – The Allen Lane Foundation →
Income limits they mention
“If you work across a local area such as a village, estate or town, to be eligible you will need to have income/expenditure of less than £100,000. At the other end of the spectrum, if you work across the whole of the UK you will need to have income/expenditure of less than £250,000.”
Source: allenlane.org.uk — Funding – The Allen Lane Foundation →
Deadlines they mention
“Our Trustees meet to discuss grant applications three times a year, generally in February, June and October.”
Source: allenlane.org.uk — Applying for funding – The Allen Lane Foundation →
What a typical grant looks like
| Typical (median) grant | £5,200 |
|---|---|
| Middle half of grants | £4,501 – £7,450 |
| Grants published openly | 131 |
| Most recent published grant | 2025 |
Recent grants
- SupportED£10,000 single grant towards running costs of support and peer groups for people affected by eating disorders across Scotland£10,000November 2025
- Kincardine and Deeside Befriending£9,000 over three years (£3,000 pa) towards running costs of this charity supporting older people across southern Aberdeenshire£9,000November 2025
- Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline£9,000 over three years (£3,000 pa) towards running costs of supporting people affected by domestic abuse in Hertfordshire£9,000November 2025
- Folio Theatre£8,162 single grant towards a creative programme with asylum seeking/refugee women in Wiltshire£8,162November 2025
- Embracing Age£8,000 over two years (£4,000 per annum) towards costs of the Hampshire project supporting older people in care homes£8,000November 2025
- Physical Empowerment CIC)£8,000 over two years (£4,000 pa) towards the delivery of empowerment courses for women who have experienced domestic abuse in west Wales£8,000November 2025
From grants Allen Lane Foundation publishes openly via 360Giving (the UK open grants-data standard), used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To or towards or for the benefit or in furtherance of such charitable objects charitable purposes charitable institutions or charitable foundations as the trustees determine.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does the Allen Lane Foundation typically give?
Based on 131 recorded grants to 2025, the typical (median) grant from the Allen Lane Foundation is £5,200, with the middle half of grants falling between £4,501 and £7,450. The foundation says its maximum grant is £15,000, though most awards are for less, averaging £5,000 to £6,000.
What does the Allen Lane Foundation fund?
The Allen Lane Foundation supports general charitable purposes, funding small registered charities, voluntary groups and charitable organisations.
Who can apply to the Allen Lane Foundation?
Eligibility depends on the size of the organisation's reach: those working in a local area such as a village, estate or town need an income or expenditure below £100,000, while those working across the whole UK need an income or expenditure below £250,000.
How do I apply to the Allen Lane Foundation?
Applications can be made via the foundation's website (www.allenlane.org.uk); its Charity Commission number is 248031. Trustees meet to discuss applications three times a year - generally in February, June and October - though schedules can change, so it is worth checking current dates with the foundation.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Allen Lane Foundation.