How much can you get from the Paul Hamlyn Youth Fund?

Up to £50,000 a year for three years, so up to £150,000 in total. Paul Hamlyn Foundation says it prefers to fund at the maximum amount and term and does not make Youth Fund grants of less than £30,000 a year.

How long does a Paul Hamlyn Foundation decision take?

Generally around four months from application to decision. For the Youth Fund, it says it usually takes 4 to 6 months, and you should hear within 8 weeks of submitting your written application.

Can an unincorporated group apply to Paul Hamlyn Foundation?

In most cases the Foundation is unlikely to fund unincorporated groups and recommends you talk to it first. The main exceptions are the Migration Fund and the Ideas and Pioneers Fund, which accept applications from unincorporated groups.

Does Paul Hamlyn Foundation fund buildings or equipment?

Not as the main purpose of a grant. Its general exclusions rule out proposals that are mainly about property, buildings or equipment, although some overhead or facility costs can sit in a budget for core funding.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation Grants: A Practical Guide

Q: Does Paul Hamlyn Foundation fund organisations outside London?

Yes. The Foundation says it actively seeks to fund work outside London and across the UK.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) is an independent funder that is unusually clear about what it wants. It funds work in arts, education and learning, migration and young people, and it says it actively seeks to fund work outside London and across the UK. This guide explains which funds are open, who each one is for, what PHF will not fund and how long a decision takes. All the details come from the Foundation's own website, checked on the date shown on this page.

What Paul Hamlyn Foundation funds

PHF describes four funding principles. It wants to support organisations and individuals who:

challenge systemic injustice by focusing on structural change and shifting power
are actively inclusive and anti-racist
centre people experiencing injustice in leading and designing solutions
are generous and collaborative, sharing learning with others

Those principles shape every fund. If your work is mainly direct service delivery with no wider aim, PHF is unlikely to be the right funder, however good the service is. It helps to read our guide on how funders assess grant applications before you start, because PHF's assessors look hard at the change you are trying to make, not only at the activity.

The funds that are open

At the time of checking, PHF listed these funds as open:

Fund	Amount	Length	Deadline
Youth Fund	Up to £150,000	3 years	Rolling
Migration Fund	Up to £60,000 a year for 3 to 4 years, or up to £50,000 a year for 5 years	3 to 5 years	Rolling
Arts-based Learning Fund	£30,000 to £300,000, up to £100,000 a year	1 to 4 years	Rolling
Teacher Development Fund	Up to £165,000	Two academic years	11 November 2026, 12 noon
India Fund	Set in rupees	1 to 2 years	Rolling, assessed twice a year

The Arts Fund and the Ideas and Pioneers Fund were not taking applications when we checked. PHF says some funds open at set points in the year, so check the funding page before you plan around them. It also has invitation-only funds, such as Awards for Artists, which you cannot apply to.

You can see the PHF programmes we list, with live deadlines, on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation funder page, including the Youth Fund, the Migration Fund, the Arts-based Learning Fund and the Teacher Development Fund.

The Youth Fund in more detail

The Youth Fund is open all year to youth organisations across the UK, so it is worth setting out its rules. It funds organisations working with young people aged 14 to 25 who experience systemic inequity, to drive change so that future generations can thrive.

PHF says it only funds:

the full three years, at the amount appropriate to your plans
organisations where at least 50% of the focus is on work with and for 14 to 25 year olds
not-for-profit organisations, including charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profit companies, with an annual income between £100,000 and £2 million in the most recently completed financial year

Grants are up to £50,000 a year for three years, so up to £150,000 in total. PHF says it prefers to fund at the maximum amount and term, and does not make grants of less than £30,000 a year. The money covers core operating costs, such as salaries, organisation and delivery costs, to grow the impact of work you already do. It is not for new or untested projects.

The fund has its own exclusions on top of PHF's general ones. These include newly registered organisations that have not yet produced independently examined or audited accounts, project-based work with no scope for impact beyond your immediate beneficiaries, and work focused only on pathways to employment or further and higher education.

For other youth funders, our youth grants page lists programmes that are open now.

What PHF will not fund

PHF publishes a set of general exclusions that apply across most of its funds. In summary, it does not fund:

work that has already been delivered, or work due to start within four months
activity that is not legally charitable, or that only benefits one individual
general fundraising appeals, the advancement of religion, or loan and deficit repayments
organisations working with children, young people or adults at risk that do not have a safeguarding policy and active procedures in place, or cannot show they are working towards this
proposals that are mainly about property, buildings or equipment
academic research, scholarships, bursaries and student fees
websites, publications, events or seminars, unless they are part of a wider proposal
work that is a statutory responsibility, such as education services, social care or library services

It also lists conditional exclusions, where it recommends you talk to it before applying. These include asking for more each year than your annual turnover, for-profit organisations, unincorporated groups (the Migration Fund and Ideas and Pioneers Fund are the main exceptions) and proposals declined in the last 12 months. In most cases you need to wait 12 months after a decline before applying again.

If your organisation is not yet incorporated, our guide to host organisations and accountable bodies explains your options.

One grant at a time

PHF does not usually fund the same organisation twice at once. Its exclusions say that if you currently hold a grant, you would be highly unlikely to be accepted for another from the same fund or a different PHF fund in the same period. If you already have a PHF grant, it asks you to speak to your grant manager first rather than applying directly. That conversation can help you plan the timing so there is no gap in funding.

How to apply and how long it takes

You apply through PHF's online portal. For each fund, PHF publishes a sample application form, so you can see every question before you start. Download it, draft your answers offline, and get someone outside the project to read them.

Generally, PHF says its funds take four months from application to decision. The Youth Fund gives more detail. It is a two-step process:

A written application through the portal, with your strategic, business or organisational plan and your safeguarding policy.
If the application meets the criteria, an online interview. At this point PHF asks for more on finances and fundraising, governance and impact.

After moderation, PHF decides whether to take your application to its grants panel. There are five panels a year, made up of trustees and advisors. For the Youth Fund, PHF says it usually takes 4 to 6 months from written application to final decision, and you should hear within 8 weeks of submitting.

If PHF's online portal is not accessible to you because of disability, it offers an access support bursary of up to £750 to help you apply.

How to write a strong application

PHF's questions are about change. A few practical points help:

Explain the root cause. PHF asks why something is happening to the people you work with. A short, evidenced statement of need that names the barrier, not only the symptom, is a good start.
Show how people with lived experience lead. Give examples of decisions that young people, migrants or teachers have shaped, not only consulted on.
Describe the wider change. Training other professionals, influencing policy or sharing practice all count. A simple theory of change helps you show the steps.
Match the amount to your plans. For the Youth Fund, PHF prefers the full term and amount, so ask for what the work needs. Our guide on how much to ask for covers the arithmetic.
Have your policies ready. A current safeguarding policy is a condition, not a nice extra. Our guide to safeguarding policies for grant applications explains what funders look for.

PHF also asks applicants to complete a diversity, equity and inclusion monitoring form. Our guide to equality, diversity and inclusion in grant applications explains what that kind of form asks and how to prepare.

Is Paul Hamlyn right for you?

PHF is a good fit if your work is charitable, focused on one of its four areas, and aims for change beyond the people you directly support. It is a weaker fit for one-off projects, capital work or organisations without accounts yet. If that is you, look at charitable trusts more widely and at funders in our charity grants listings.