Lewisham Council offers several microgrant programmes. These run annually for Tamil Heritage Month, Lunar New Year, LGBTQ+ History Month, International Women's Day, Windrush Day, Refugee Week, Borough of Sanctuary, East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, and Black History Month.
Small Grant Funds Open Now
Refugee Week 2026 – Small Grants up to £750
As the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, we welcome those fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries and protect the rights of all migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
Refugee Week 2026 will take place from June 15th to 21st, with the theme "Courage," and is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. We are offering small grants of up to £750 to support people living or working in Lewisham as well as local organisations to develop their own activities and events in their local community to celebrate Refugee Week.We expect to fund at least seven projects, perhaps more depending on the size of grants requested.
Here are some suggestions, though we also welcome new ideas!
- Organise a street party and encourage people to come together as a community.
- A community event such as a meal with a cultural activity
- Storytelling event
- Exhibition with art, photographs or oral history contributions
- Cultural activity – music, song, poetry, arts or crafts
- Gardening or nature activity
- Podcast, social media event / campaign
There will be an online Q & A session on Tuesday 10 March 2026 12-1pm. Please save to your calendar or use the following link on that day: Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/37017755307929?p=eLvIl6OZuy8615mKqb
Meeting ID: 370 177 553 079 29
Passcode: 9Mz65Un3
For further information and to apply, please see the application form. If you have read through the application document and have further questions, please contact BoroughofSanctuary@lewisham.gov.uk
Applications close 23:59 on Sunday 22 March 2026.
To see and download the information and the application questions in a word document, click here.
Windrush day 2026 – Small Grants up to £700
The HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks on 21 June 1948. The ship carried passengers from the Caribbean who disembarked the following day. It is a moment that helped define modern Britain and became known as Windrush Day. On 22 June 2026 we mark its 78th anniversary.Lewisham is home to many residents from, and descendants of, the Windrush generation. Following last year's lively celebrations, we're gearing up to mark Windrush Day again. It's time to celebrate their vast contributions to our culture and reflect on the enduring legacy of Windrush.We are offering small grants of up to £700 support people, living or working in Lewisham, to develop their own activities and events in their local community to that engage with and celebrate the Windrush story.Take inspiration from last year’s events or some of the ideas below:
- a community event such as a meal with a cultural activity
- intergenerational event bringing older and younger people from the community together
- storytelling event
- exhibition with photographs or oral history contributions Cultural activity - music, arts or crafts
- gardening activity
- podcast, social media event or campaign
- organise a street party and encourage people to come together as a community
We welcome any new ideas too. If you have an idea for an event or activity that celebrates the contributions, story or legacy of the Windrush generation and you meet the application criteria below, please apply.
For further information and to apply, please see the application form. If you have read through the application document and have further questions, please contact culturaldevelopment@lewisham.gov.uk
Applications close 11.59pm on Sunday 19 April.