General Grant

The Ashley Family Foundation is an independent family Trust Fund set up in 1986, in memory of Laura Ashley, the designer, who died the year before.

The Foundation awards funding to charities and community groups for good small-scale arts and community projects in England and Wales that fit with the Foundation's ethos of protecting rural communities and encouraging participation in the arts.

It welcomes proposals from community museums, organisations, farms and gardens for funding for arts subjects

Funding is available for small-scale arts and/or community and social welfare projects in England and Wales.

The Foundation favours revenue proposals over capital requests and focuses its funding on on supporting five main themes:

• Wales - Half of its funding goes to projects in Wales and it continues to maintain strong links with communities in mid-Wales.
• Rural - It is especially interested in projects that open up opportunity in areas where it might not otherwise exist and that help alleviate the isolation and other hardships that can affect rural communities.
• Arts - It wants to help bring art to those people that it can help, and help those who will go on to bring art to the people. It supports organisations that provide a wide range of educational and creative activities, including applied arts and crafts, music, drama, and textiles. It also funds arts education with a focus on helping promising young Welsh talent.
• Community - It is attracted to projects that bring people together, to help each other out and make their community a better, more joyful place. Support is available for a range of community and social welfare projects, including those focused on helping people who suffer from isolation, mental health problems and financial and/or social disadvantage.
• Charity entrepreneurs - The Foundation has an affinity with small charities, the ones set up by people who are driven by love and kindness to help better the lives of those around them.