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The Noel Buxton Trust

The Noel Buxton Trust Penal Grants Programme

Grants for small registered charities in England, Scotland and Wales working with prisoners, former offenders and their families. The Trust funds projects and core costs, either as one-off grants or as grants over two to three years where an ongoing contribution helps a programme's sustainability. Experience of working in prison settings is essential. Applications are made online at any time.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £5,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Registered charities working in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) with prisoners, former offenders and their families
  • The Trust is small and funds small organisations; it has moved away from large campaigning organisations and does not fund CICs
  • Experience of working in prison settings is essential
  • The Trust also looks for practical direct support to offenders in prison and in the community, involvement of former offenders as mentors or peer supporters, involvement of volunteers, immediate and sustainable impact, and work with prisoners' families to keep contact going
  • It has a strong interest in offenders over-represented in the youth and criminal justice system (e.g. black or minority ethnic groups), offenders with needs not met by mainstream provision (e.g. disabled or older offenders), and projects that break down stigma and discrimination
  • The form asks whether you have safeguarding, EDI and volunteer management policies

What it funds

  • Projects and core costs
  • One-off grants for specific projects that help maintain relationships between prisoners and their families, or for work that supports the contributions volunteers make within the prison community
  • Grants over two to three years, particularly where a guaranteed ongoing contribution will make a difference to the sustainability of a programme or activity
  • Peer support and mentoring for offenders through times of difficulty
  • Making social connections with friends, family or local community, e.g. opportunities for serving prisoners to stay in touch with their children, or community circles of support for high-risk (ex) offenders
  • Skill-based activities through volunteering or training
  • Activities that both help rehabilitate offenders and help build bridges through various benefits to local communities

What it will not fund

  • Organisations that are not registered charities
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs)
  • Large campaigning organisations
  • Work to prevent young people becoming involved with crime
  • Work outside Great Britain

How to apply

  1. Read the Penal programme guidelines
  2. Prepare a two-page project description and your budget
  3. Complete the online Penal grant application form: contact and organisation details, charity number, last year's income, current funders, policies in place, a 100-word project summary, up to three measurable outcomes, and the amount requested for each of up to three years
  4. Upload the project description and budget and send the form

the proposal is stronger if it explains how you identified the need, your track record in related work, how you keep the people you support safe, and how you will track and monitor impact. If the form gives problems, email admin@noelbuxtontrust.org.uk.

Have ready

  • Project description giving more detail about your organisation and project (1-2 pages; doc, docx or pdf; max 1MB)
  • Budget: the current year's budget for your organisation, or next year's if about to start a new financial year (doc, docx, xlsx or pdf; max 1MB)
  • List of current funders and pending applications for funding

the guidelines page asks for a budget for this year and next.

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