Small grants programme

The Lipman-Miliband Trust is open for applications for the current round ending on 31 January 2025.


Please scroll down to read the application guidelines

Aims

The Lipman-Miliband Trust exists to fund:

“study and research into socialist ideas and practice and other allied fields and the dissemination of the results thereof to the public, and educational activities that raise public awareness and understanding of struggles and movements for peace, human rights and co-operation and a more equal, diverse, cooperative and democratic society.”

We have a broad interpretation of these aims but they are at the heart of what we do. All applications must demonstrate how the project furthers these aims.

How much money is available?

You can apply for any amount up to and including £3,000.

Who is eligible?

Organisations of any structure (e.g. charity, community interest company, limited company, unincorporated association etc., grassroots group etc.).

Individuals.

Who is not eligible?

Organisations/individuals based outside of the UK.

Organisations or individuals who have received a grant from the Trust in the last two years.

What we fund

Entire projects.

Small parts of bigger projects.

Projects that will have a wide outreach and will contribute to transformative change.

Projects that demonstrate clear engagement with their proposed audiences and that promote active outcomes.

You can find some examples of previously funded work at the end of this page.

What we do not fund

Any element of undergraduate or postgraduate studies or research e.g. tuition fees, costs of carrying out research for an assignment or dissertation or living costs while studying.

Projects focused primarily on service provision rather than educational activities. For example, an application by a foodbank or homelessness charity where the main focus is providing support to service users, rather than carrying out educational activities related to our aims. We appreciate that in some cases these things can be linked and encourage you to contact us ahead of applying if you’re unsure about which category your project falls into.

Projects connected to political parties, or with party political aims; or projects that do not adhere to Charity Commission guidance on campaigning and political activity.

Retrospective costs (i.e. applications cannot be made for expenditure that has already occurred or will occur before the grant is received).

What makes a good application?

Please try to write as clearly and straightforwardly as possible. Even if one or more of our trustees is familiar with your work, we can only make decisions based on the information provided in the application.

You must ensure that your application clearly outlines how your project furthers the aims of the Lipman-Miliband Trust. Applications that do not make this clear will not be considered for funding.

We are interested in applications that demonstrate clear engagement with their proposed audiences and that promote active outcomes. We would like your project’s audiences to be as large and as diverse as possible, but we know this depends on your project. We fund small scale projects where audiences might necessarily be small but we want you to show us that you have worked at reaching out and engaging. We like big projects as well, of course.

We are looking for diversity in our applicants and in their projects. You may be an individual, a member of a small group or part of a larger organisation. You may be just getting going or well established. You may work in a university or for an NGO; you may be a volunteer or work freelance.

We want to fund projects all over the UK, so we actively encourage applications from areas outside of London and the South-East of England.

We are looking for applications that demonstrate how the project will contribute to transformative change.

Please make sure you double-check the numbers given in your budget breakdown! We need to see that you can understand and manage a small budget.

How long does the application process take?

We try to keep our application form as concise as possible. You can read through the questions on the application form here. You need to apply online though.

There are three application rounds per year. The deadlines are:

31st January

31st May

30th September

You will receive a decision within 8 weeks of the application deadline. Grants are then distributed within 4 weeks of the decision being communicated.

Please take this timeline into account when planning your project, to ensure that your project start date is realistic.

Examples of previously funded work

Socialist research and education can take many forms and cover many areas of activity, so this list is not exhaustive or prescriptive. If you convince us that your application fits our aims and your project is well thought out, we will be interested.

Publications: We have funded all sorts of print and digital publications including books and magazines.

Websites: We have supported groups building, rebuilding or expanding their websites, or making them more accessible.

Audio and video: We have supported organisations/groups seeking to reach a wider audience or work with a specific community through films, videos or podcasts.

Conferences: We have supported conferences that have aimed to generate new ideas or engage with new audiences. We want them to be open and politically dynamic. We will sometimes fund travel expenses to enable people to attend.

Educational events: we have supported a number of organisations/groups putting on workshops and facilitating seminars.

Research projects: we have funded projects that bring new ideas or reinvigorate long-standing socialist discussions. We like to see research that is participative and has a good strategy for dissemination. University-based projects should show how they engage with people beyond the institution’s walls.

Archives: we have funded projects that preserve working class and socialist histories, which are so often ignored. We are looking for those projects that aim at engaging with the widest audiences, perhaps via a website, and that inspire for the future as well as preserving the past.

Art installations: we have funded street art and exhibitions where artists want to get a political message across and reach a wide audience.

Theatre productions: we have funded a number of theatre productions: small and large, local and national. We like to support high quality productions that actively engage with their audiences and we are keen to see spin-offs like podcasts or education packs.

Enquiries

If you have any questions about applying for funding from The Lipman-Miliband Trust, please contact us here.