ARE is delighted to announce that we have funded another six grassroots organisations following our second tender round as part of our three-year Windrush Justice Programme. We’re also very pleased to have expanded our support into Scotland.
Through the Windrush Justice Programme, supported by a collective of funders, we’re providing funding to advocacy groups supporting people applying to the Windrush Compensation scheme – including work to regulate their status before being able to access the fund.
The following groups have now been awarded £22,000 across two years, with £16,500 being funded in December or February with the remaining 25% being paid in twelve months’ time. :
- African Caribbean Leadership Company
- Fair Justice System for Scotland Group
- Genisys ARCt
- Liverpool Advocates for Windrush
- Mandala Community Services Ltd
- Nishkam Civic Association
A previous twelve organisations have already been funded on the Windrush Justice Programme, which launched in June 2022.
Round One funded groups
- African Caribbean Community Development Forum Ltd (ACCDF)
- Claudia Jones Organisation
- Croydon African Caribbean Family Organisation UK
- Derby West Indian Community Association
- Northamptonshire Rights and Equalities Council
- Nu Dawn
- Pilgrim Charitable Trust
- Preston Windrush Generation Descendants UK
- United Legal Access
- Windrush Legal Advice Clinic
- Windrush Defenders Legal CIC
- Windrush Movement UK
Third Round: now open for applications
If you’re based in the UK and provide advocacy support to those wishing to access the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including work to regulate their status before being able to access the fund, you may be eligible to apply for our third, rolling funding round.
To be eligible you must be:
- An organisation where at least 51% of your Trustees/Governing body are Black, Asian or mixed heritage.
- You are already providing advocacy support to those seeking to access the Windrush Compensation Scheme
- Your organisation is based in the UK
- Your organisation has at least three unrelated individuals responsible for the governance of your organisation
- Your organisation has a bank account in its name, requiring two independent signatories.
We are particularly keen to hear from advocacy organisations based in:
- Bristol and the South West
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
- The Home Counties
- Yorkshire
It is critical we encourage more people from the Windrush Generation to apply for compensation with the support of trusted organisations to access justice and deal with the onerous bureaucracy of the Home Office.”
Professor. Patrick Vernon OBE, Windrush Justice Programme advisor
The small grants of £22,000 (across two years) can be used to pay for case workers, cover administrative costs, venue costs, awareness raising events (please note events cannot be the only work you do around Windrush) and staffing costs. The advocacy we expect you to be carrying out, is the close relational approach that supports an individual with understanding and collating evidence required, listening to their story and fully supporting them to make a Windrush claim. [1]
There are several short stages to this application. If you can proceed to the next stage, you will be notified by the ARE team.
To find out more please see Windrush Justice Programme or contact Tara Shah, Project Support Officer: Tara@Actionforraceequality.org.uk
[1] The fund cannot be used to fund lawyers; however, it can cover travel and subsistence for any pro bono work lawyers are doing that connects the work your organisation is doing. We will also not be funding any organisations who only do awareness raising, without providing some level of advocacy support.