2026/2027 Community Engagement Fund

1. The Applicant must have at least two years’ experience, within the past three years, delivering Windrush related community engagements. 

2. The Applicant must deliver the community engagement events without the requirement to purchase new fixed assets (e.g. laptops/mobile phones etc).

3. The Applicant must deliver at least one in person event is part of your project proposal.

You can apply if you are:

·       An unincorporated charity or community organisation, a community interest company, or a company with a charitable purpose.

·       A grassroots organisation.

·       A registered charity.

·       A consortium or partnership (with a lead organisation that is one of the above).

Unincorporated charities, community organisations, community interest companies and companies with a charitable purpose.

You can apply if you:

·       Were established for charitable and public benefit purposes.

·       Have a governing body with at least 3 members.

·       Can provide a valid governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.

·       Can provide audited accounts for the last 2 financial years or an income-expenditure statement for two years if you were established after April 2023.

Grassroots organisations

You can apply if you can support your application with:

·       A governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.

·       A copy of your 2024/25 accounts and current bank statement (dated within the last two months) and projected cashflow statement for 2025/26.

Registered charities

 You can apply if:

·       You can provide a valid registration number issued by the Charity Commission.

·       Have a governing body with at least 3 members.

·       Can provide a valid governing document for your organisation with a set of rules on how your organisation is structured and its purpose.

·       Can provide audited accounts for the last 2 financial years or an income-expenditure statement for two years if you were established after April 2023.

Your details on the Charity Commission website will be checked as part of the due diligence assessment process.

Consortiums or partnerships

You can work with other organisations on a project and apply as a group. There is no limit on the number of organisations that can be involved in a consortium.

You can apply if you have:

·       A lead organisation that meets one of the above criteria for eligibility.

·       Details of the lead organisation and how it is structured.

·       Details of partners you plan to work with and their role in your project.

Audited accounts will need to be provided for the lead organisation. Any funding awarded will be paid directly to the lead organisation.

What you can get funding for

 Examples of how funding could be used include, but are not limited to:

 ·       Holding events, for example cost of venue, refreshments, and other related costs.·       Creating and sharing marketing materials, for example leaflets and posters.·       Running communications campaigns both in person and online.·       Accessing and using communication channels, for example social media or local radio.·       Getting support from corporate partners, public figures, or advocates.

Funding can also be used to cover costs for staff time to work specifically on the project (you will have to clearly justify this).

What you cannot get funding for

The Community Engagement Fund will not support:·       Projects that look to provide an opportunity for a political platform.·       Organisations whose objectives conflict with the Fund.·       Organisations that seek to provide immigration advice and services, which are not regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.·       Where the organisation has objectives or runs services that are contrary to the principles of openness, tolerance, and respect.·       Costs for fundraising activities.·       Loan repayments or costs covered by other funding sources.·       Input VAT reclaimable from HMRC.·       Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual.·       Payment of statutory fines, criminal fines, or penalties.·       Activities that promote religion. ·       The purchase of mobile phones and laptops.·       Projects that rely on one single large event as the entire project activity. At least one distinct event must be delivered.

The following are not eligible to apply:

·       Local authorities

·       Individuals

·       Private companies (i.e. organisations that do not meet the above criteria and are seeking a profit)

Further prohibited purposes of the Fund are set out in clause 8.3 to 8.5 and Annex E of the draft Grant Agreement.

 The Authority will only fund project activities that meet the above criteria.

The purpose of the Community Engagement Fund 2026-27 is to:

a.) Raise awareness of and address any misinformation about the Windrush Compensation Scheme and Windrush Documentation Scheme with a focus on continuing to support Windrush generation communities, from both non-Caribbean and Caribbean backgrounds and encouraging them to apply to these Schemes.

b.) Build on the insights and learning taken from our existing work on Windrush (e.g. the Windrush Community Fund and Windrush national communications campaigns) to understand:

                                 I.         why individuals are not applying for the Windrush Compensation Scheme and/or the Windrush Scheme (Documentation); and

                               II.         how to encourage eligible individuals to apply to these Schemes. Windrush is a high priority of the new administration and a further commitment of funding for 2026–2027 has been given.

                              III.         to reach a wider audience from the Caribbean and non-Caribbean communities; 

                             IV.         to identify how to encourage eligible individuals to apply to these Schemes; and

                               V.         to increase applications from individuals that may not previously have applied.

Indicative Timings are:

14/04/2026 – Launch of competition

14/04/2026 – Clarification period opens

21/04/2026 & 23/04/2026 – Information awareness days

05/05/2026 – Clarification period closes

07/05/2026 – Final response to Clarifications issued

12/05/2026 – Deadline for applications

May/June 2026 - Application Evaluation, Moderation, Due diligence on winning applications

July 2026 – Applicants notified of award decisions

August 2026 - Project delivery begins

31/03/2027 – Funding window closed

To apply, you will need to register an interest in the 2026/2027 Community Engagement Fund via the 'Find A Grant' advert providing the information as requested.

The application pack includes an online Application Form, Guidance for Applicants and a 2026/2027 Frequently Asked Questions as well as some additional background and supporting information.

Please find the following links / documents which should be downloaded to assist with the application process.  

1. Guidance for Applicants

2. CEF Funding Toolkit Template

3. CEF FAQs

4. Applicant Clarification Question Submission Template

5. Statement of Outcomes

6. Draft Grant Agreement

7. Find A Grant Guide

8. Find A Grant Walkthrough- Introducing Find a Grant for grant applicants

9. Code of Conduct for Grant Recipients

Please ensure you have watched the short video and have read all the documents before completing the Application Form.

Please ensure you have signed up to receive notifications for updates during the application window, as shown in the Find a Grant Walkthrough video.

The deadline for applications is 4pm on 12th May 2026. 

Information sessions will be held for organisations who are interested to learn more about the Community Engagement Fund and how to submit an application. These virtual sessions will be held on Tuesday 21st April from 14.00 -15.30pm and Thursday 23rd April from 11.00 -12.30pm. The presentation will be available to all applicants after each session.

To register your attendance, please e-mail: communityengagementfundcompetition@homeoffice.gov.uk

Email Title: Email Title: Info Session [Date]: 190 Community Engagement Fund [Applicant Name]

- at least 48hrs (working) in advance of the relevant session,

- confirming which session you wish to attend

- the names of 2 attendees (maximum)

• Organisation name

It is important that Applicants read all the documents before completing their application, and fully understand what is required as part of the application process. The Authority expects grant activities to commence once the Grant Agreement has been signed.

Clarification Process

The Authority will not enter into discussions directly with Applicants regarding the Project requirements except in the manner described below.

Applicants may seek clarification from the Authority about any technical aspects of the competition process, associated documentation, or grant requirements by submitting questions to CommunityEngagementFundCompetition@homeoffice.gov.uk. The Authority will not answer questions directly relating to associated policy or political matters. Please refer to the Guidance for Applicants for further information.

NOTE: The close date/time for submission of Applicant clarification questions is 4pm, 5th May 2026.

Please note your email may not be directly acknowledged however the Authority will endeavour to ensure all clarification responses are published / disseminated within 3 working days of their receipt. The Authority will endeavour to publish / disseminate the complete and final list of clarification question responses by 4pm, 7th May 2026.