GrantRadar

Home Office

Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund 2027-28

Home Office funding for organisations giving advocacy and practical support to people claiming through the Windrush Compensation Scheme, at any stage from before a claim to accepting a decision or requesting a review. Bids are per region: £10,000 to £60,000 per region in England, Scotland and Wales, and £5,000 to £10,000 per sub-region in Northern Ireland. Outside Northern Ireland you must already be providing a Windrush Compensation advocacy service; Northern Ireland applicants need an advocacy service of any kind. This round funds 2027/28 only.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£5,000 – £60,000
Deadline
22 days left
4 December
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • UK-based unincorporated charities or community organisations, community interest companies, companies with a charitable purpose, registered charities, grassroots organisations, and organisations (or consortium members) funded in Year 1 or 2
  • You must have secure systems to store, save and destroy claimants' data, and demonstrate you are a trusted member of your community
  • In England, Scotland and Wales you must already be providing a Windrush Compensation advocacy service; in Northern Ireland, an advocacy service
  • Charities, CICs and community organisations also need a governing body with at least 3 members
  • First-time and previously unsuccessful applicants are welcome; earlier grant holders' performance is reviewed
  • Joint bids are not allowed, and overseas organisations cannot apply
  • Bids are made by region across the UK, which is split into ten regions (Scotland; Wales; North West including the Isle of Man; North East; Yorkshire & Humber; East Midlands; West Midlands; Outer London and South West; Inner London and South East; Northern Ireland, itself split into six sub-regions: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone)
  • You can bid for several, and must deliver across the whole of each region you win, not just your locality

What it funds

Advocacy and support for Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants who need additional help, which can include:

  • Helping claimants explain their story and evidence in their claim form
  • Helping claimants check if a claim has already been made on their behalf to the Home Office
  • Supporting claimants to complete and submit a claim to the Home Office
  • Taking part in a three way "warm handover" between the claimant, Home Office caseworker and advocate
  • Providing up to five hours additional support after the warm handover, including further three-way calls and responding to additional information requests
  • Supporting claimants to complete paperwork to accept a decision or request a review
  • Taking part in a further warm handover between the claimant, Home Office Tier 1 Reviewer and advocate where requested

A bid is made up of start-up costs (cap of £3,000 or 5% of the bid, whichever is lower; £500 or 5% in Northern Ireland), administrative and travel costs (combined cap of £9,000 or 15%; £1,500 or 15% in Northern Ireland) and advocacy hours, capped at a chargeable rate of £50 per hour. Up to 40% can be used for acceptance and/or review support. Training will not be provided.

What it will not fund

  • Advice and guidance outside the purpose of the scheme, including entitlement advice on the Windrush Compensation Scheme
  • Immigration advice or any activity that constitutes regulated immigration advice or services
  • Legal representation or advice in relation to the Windrush Compensation Scheme
  • Funded advocacy support post warm handover, in excess of the 5 allocated hours per claim
  • Procurement of IT equipment (including laptops and phones)
  • Projects that look to provide an opportunity for a political platform
  • Activities which conflict with the purpose of the Fund
  • Activities 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
  • Payment of statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties
  • Activities of an exclusively religious nature

How to apply

  1. Download and read all the documents on the Find a Grant page, including the Guidance for Applicants, FAQ and draft Grant Agreement
  2. Optionally join a virtual information session on 17 November 2026 at 10:00am or 19 November 2026 at 1:00pm
  3. Send any clarification questions by 25 November 2026 to WCSAdvocacySupportFund@homeoffice.gov.uk, using the template provided
  4. Choose your region(s) or sub-region(s) and complete the funding toolkit for your nation; bids that differ materially between regions need separate applications
  5. Select 'Start new application' on Find a Grant and submit with all attachments by 5:00pm on 4 December 2026

Every scored question needs at least 60, the total at least 400 and the funding toolkit 100 (it scores only 0 or 100, on whether the funding rules are met), or the application fails. Applications are ranked to fund at least one organisation per region, so some regions may go unfunded. There is no appeals process.

Have ready

  • Completed application form
  • Funding toolkit (one version for England, Scotland and Wales, another for Northern Ireland)
  • Privacy policy (evidence of how claimants' data is handled)
  • Valid governing document
  • Audited accounts for the most recent financial year or, where not available, an income and expenditure statement with evidence your governing body approved it
  • Charity Commission registration number (registered charities)
  • Current bank statement dated within the last two months and projected cashflow for your next financial year, approved by your governing body (grassroots organisations)

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