How much funding can we apply for?
All successful applicants will receive a grant of £250,000 over five years (£50,000 per year). You don’t need to request a specific amount or submit a budget, we’ll award the same grant amount to every organisation we fund.
We’re not a led-by-and-for organisation but we support marginalised and minoritised communities, can we apply?
No. This fund is specifically for organisations led-by-and-for marginalised and minoritised communities. We recognise the importance of generalist domestic abuse services but this fund is focused on led-by-and-for organisations providing specialist domestic abuse support.
We are led-by-and-for women but we are not from a specific minoritised community. Can we apply?
No, this fund is specifically for organisations led-by-and-for marginalised and minoritised communities. This is in recognition of the intersections of need and the additional forms of structural inequality (racism, homophobia, Islamophobia etc), alongside the misogyny, sexism and violence which these communities face.
We are a national organisation, can we apply?
Yes. We understand that specialist led-by-and-for organisations often work across wide geographic areas especially outside of cities. We are happy to fund national organisations.
We’re a current grant holder can we apply? If yes, when would the grant begin?
If you are in the final year of a Henry Smith Foundation grant you can apply for funding. If you are unsure where you are in your grant cycle, please contact your Grants Manager. All grants will begin on the same date: 1st February, 2026.
We’re not sure if we meet the criteria, can we speak to someone?
Absolutely. If you’re unsure whether your organisation is a good fit, we’re happy to talk it through.
Call us on 020 7264 4970 or request a callback
You can also email us at saferfutures@henrysmith.foundation
Can I use AI to help with my application?
That’s up to you. We’re interested in understanding your work, your approach and the difference you’re making, so your application should reflect your voice and experience. If you choose to use AI we recommend using it to support your thinking or structure not write it for you.
We have noticed that AI-generated applications can include errors, so always check the accuracy of any information it provides.
Do you fund new work, projects or organisations?
No. This fund is designed to support organisations with an established track record. To be eligible you must have:
- three years’ experience delivering specialist domestic abuse services and
- published your organisation’s first annual accounts
We recognise the need for more specialist services across the UK, but this fund is focused on strengthening existing services and organisations and ensuring their long-term sustainability.
Why do we need three years' experience?
We want to fund organisations with an established track record of delivering specialist domestic abuse services.
Three years allows time to develop your service, and fully understand the impact of your support.
We offer short term support, are we eligible?
This fund is focused on ongoing relationship-based support.
We’re looking to fund organisations that are a steady, trusted presence which people can return to when needed.
We do understand that there may be some support (like counselling) which may be time-limited, that’s fine. What matters is your organisation offers, consistent, long term engagement overall.
How do you define a ‘short-term’ intervention?
We define a short-term as 12 weeks or less. While this kind of support can be valuable, this fund prioritises longer term, flexible support that adapts to people’s needs over time.
What’s the evidence that led-by-and-for services deliver improved outcomes?
Research from the Domestic Abuse Commissioner shows that survivors feel safer and more in control when supported by people from their own community.
Imkaan has also found that led-by-and-for organisations are more effective at supporting Black and minoritised women.
Despite this, more than 50% of specialist refuges for racially minoritised women have closed or been taken over in recent years. This fund is responding to that need.
How will you choose between equally fundable applications?
We’ll aim to fund a diverse range of communities and geographic areas. If we receive more fundable applications than we can support, we’ll prioritise those that help us achieve that balance.
We are a mosque/church/temple that conducts worship every week/day etc. and we also run a specialist domestic abuse service. Are we eligible?
We don’t fund organisations whose primary charitable objective is the advancement of religion, so we wouldn’t fund a mosque/church/temple.
We are happy to fund specialist domestic abuse services delivered by faith-based organisations, providing their primary purpose is supporting the community not promotion of faith.
For example, we would not fund a mosque delivering domestic abuse services, however we could fund a Muslim women’s group set up to support victims/survivors of domestic abuse, where worship was included in the support provided.
Our organisation in income is £500,000 – can we apply?
We welcome applications from organisations of all sizes. There are no minimum or maximum income thresholds.
We recognise that income impacts the capacity and resources of an organisation particularly when it comes to fundraising. We will take these factors into consideration when reviewing applications to ensure a fair assessment process.
We have applied to Henry Smith Foundation before but were declined, can we apply again?
Absolutely. If you’ve applied to the Foundation before but been declined this will have no impact on your application. If you’re unsure or have concerns about applying again, we encourage you to have a conversation with us beforehand.
Call us on 020 7264 4970 or request a callback
You can also email us at saferfutures@henrysmith.foundation