Windrush Day Grant Scheme: Who Can Apply and How It Works

National Windrush Day on 22 June marks the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush and the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants to life in the UK. Each year the government funds community projects to mark it through the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, and searches for "Windrush Day grant scheme 2027" are common in the run-up to each round. The 2027 round has now closed, so this guide explains how it worked, who could apply and what the panel looked for, to help you get ready for any future round. Every fact here comes from Church Urban Fund's own scheme page, checked on the date shown on this page.

About the scheme

Church Urban Fund (CUF) runs the scheme through its Near Neighbours programme, on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. CUF says the scheme "brings communities together, across different ages and ethnic backgrounds, to raise awareness, build pride, and encourage and inspire young people" about the Windrush generation. The 2027 round was the latest after eight previous iterations, and CUF says the government has now committed £5.25 million to honouring the Windrush legacy, including £1 million towards the National Windrush Monument. CUF publishes stories from the 33 projects funded in 2026.

Who counts as the Windrush generation?

CUF defines the Windrush generation as people who emigrated from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom from the end of the Second World War, including the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush in June 1948, until the Immigration Act 1971, along with their descendants. The ship arrived at Tilbury on 21 June 1948 and its passengers disembarked the next day.

Key facts for the 2027 round

Who can apply

You were eligible for the 2027 round if your organisation was one of these:

• A registered organisation: a charity, exempt charity, community interest company, social enterprise or community benefit society.
• Another not-for-profit body that can show it is set up for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, has a governing body of at least three members and a governing document, and can provide accounts showing good financial health for each of the last two financial years.
• A local authority, applying as part of a consortium, not on its own. CUF encourages schools, libraries and other local authority bodies to bid with their council.

If your organisation fits neither of the first two groups, CUF suggests asking your local authority to include you in its bid. The same applies if you need less than £5,000. A community group constitution and a host organisation are two common ways smaller groups get bid-ready.

Past grant holders

Neither the applicant nor any consortium member can have received Windrush Day Grant Scheme funding more than once since 2022.

Consortium bids

Groups of organisations can bid together, with no limit on the number of partners, but the maximum for any bid is still £25,000. You need a lead partner and a named project lead, plus a memorandum of understanding setting out roles, responsibilities, the funding split and how performance will be managed. Our partnership agreements guide covers what to put in one.

What the scheme funds

CUF wants "unique, bold, creative, community-led, and culturally resonant" projects that engage with the Windrush story and Windrush communities. Some practical rules from the 2027 round:

• Dates. Hold your lead event on National Windrush Day (22 June) if you can, or between 19 and 27 June with a clear reason. Other activity must take place between 8 June and 31 July 2027.
• One core aim. Focus your application on one of the three aims: raise awareness, foster pride, or encourage and inspire young people. Extra aims are not scored more or less favourably.
• Local partners. Show how you will work with named local partners such as museums, libraries and schools.
• Staff costs. As a rough guide, keep project staff costs below 25% of the total cost.
• No past costs. Grants cannot pay for work that has already happened.
• Not core costs or wider programmes. Funding is for projects you could not otherwise deliver, and must not pay for political or extremist activity.
• Fees. You can charge entry or refreshment fees, but events must stay accessible to the local community.

Organisations that do not work directly with Caribbean-heritage groups can still apply, but the project must be created with, or informed by, the Windrush community.

What the panel means by innovative and culturally resonant

CUF's guidance explains three words that come up in the assessment, and they are worth reading closely:

• Innovative means doing something in a new or different way, such as a novel method, format or idea.
• Unique means standing apart from what else exists in the portfolio or the place, with a distinctive element you do not often see.
• Culturally resonant means meaningful and authentic to the Windrush story and community, so that audiences "learn something a little different" each year.

A project can be innovative without being unique, or unique without being especially innovative. CUF says the bids that stand out tend to be all three. It also notes that there is no requirement to spread delivery across the whole June to July window unless your objectives need it, and that you do not need formal contracts between consortium partners or with suppliers, though it recommends clear written records and agreements with suppliers where appropriate. Political activity, which CUF defines as using a grant for lobbying or to influence Parliament, government or legislation, is not funded.

How bids are judged

Bids are assessed against the selection criteria in the Guidance for Applicants, with a board of community stakeholders whose Windrush expertise guides decisions and funding levels. A final recommendation goes to the relevant MHCLG minister. CUF is candid that the scheme is oversubscribed and even strong projects can miss out. The panel also looks for a good geographic spread and a mix of events, organisations and ideas, and CUF encourages proposals from outside London. You may be offered less than you asked for.

Tips for your next bid

• Be specific. CUF says generic, templated proposals tend to score lower, and the panel values original thinking.
• Keep it realistic. A few elements done well can have more impact than many, so set out a step-by-step plan you can deliver.
• Line up partners early. The window for the 2027 round was four weeks, which is not long to agree a consortium and an MoU.
• Check your eligibility now. If you have been funded twice since 2022, or you need under £5,000, talk to your council about joining its bid.

Questions go to Near Neighbours at windrush@cuf.org.uk. For other funding for community celebrations and heritage projects, see heritage grants, small grants for community groups, grants for charities and funding in England, or read our first grant guide for community groups.