Help destitute refugees and asylum seekers in London
Leviticus 19:18: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself; I am the Lord."
The LCRF Autumn Grants Round is now OPEN for Applications via the Grants Page.
The application closing date is Monday, 27 October to be sent to grants@lcrf.org.uk
Watch the recording of Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin's powerful talk at the LCRF Speaker Event 2025
Watch Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal’s talk at the 2024 LCRF Annual Speaker Meeting. Or read the transcript
About LCRF
What we do
LCRF makes grants of up to £1,000 every Spring and Autumn to multiple front-line refugee projects in London. Our grants are used by the projects to purchase phone credit, travel cards, hygiene items, nappies, food, and emergency payments, to give to the thousands of destitute asylum-seekers in London who come to them for help. All the work of the charity is undertaken voluntarily (we have no staff and no office) so nearly every penny we raise goes directly towards our grant-making. To date, we have raised and distributed over £500,000.
Why we do it
We were set up in 2007 at the request of a network of refugee charities in London. We are an ecumenical Christian-based organisation and inspired by the gospel, but support the relief of destitution among refugees regardless of creed or colour. You can read more about their situation further down this page, under "About the need".
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Who we are
LCRF is run by voluntary trustees and an hon. Treasurer who between us do all the work. Our admin costs are almost nil.
Our patrons are Min Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte, Revd Dr Jonathan Dean, Rt Revd Patrick Lynch, Revd Dr Andrew Prasad and Revd Phil Barnard.
Click below to read more about our aims, objectives, governance and trustees.
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About the need
The UNHCR reported record levels of forced displacement in 2024 with nearly 123 million people forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution by the end of June. Conflicts in Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine and DRC, to name just a few, fed into the numbers of people seeking safety.
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The increase in global displacement is reflected in the UK picture, with 84,000 applications for asylum. At least 76 people died trying to cross the English Channel including a number of children. Despite the increase in applications, the backlog in the asylum system fell, but the percentage of grants of refugee status at first instance fell from around 75% in 2023, to just over 50%, and the backlog in the appeals system increased considerably.
Once in this country, vulnerable people face a bewildering system of bureaucracy often referred to as the "hostile environment".
The 'lucky' ones may receive benefits known as asylum support while their claim is processed, including a roof over their head and just £49.18 a week to live on. Many can wait years for their case to be decided, meanwhile they are forbidden to work and often live in fear of detention and deportation.
Others fall through the cracks completely and end up utterly destitute. Simply put, this is the need we address: by making small grants to front line charities, we seek to relieve destitution among refugees and asylum seekers living in London.
'destitute, adjective:
without money, food, a home, or possessions'
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Cambridge English Dictionary
Donate
Ways to donate
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We'd really love you to make a small donation each month, which needn't be a major commitment. Just £10 per month will mean we recognise you as a Foundation Donor. Of course, if you can give more than that, even better!
You can make either regular donations online through Paypal, or by standing order. It really helps us to know that we have money coming in regularly.
Don't forget to Gift Aid your donation if you are able! Your £10 a month will become £150 a year to us with Gift Aid. Click the button to download the GA Form.
One-off or regular donations online
Click the red button to donate with a card or Paypal account. Also supports Gift Aid.
Set up a standing order
Download and complete the form and return it to the address shown on it.
One-off donations by post
Make cheques payable to "London Churches Refugee Fund". Be sure to enclose your contact details, including an email address if possible, so we may acknowledge your gift. To use Gift Aid, download the form and send it with your donation.
One-off donations by BACS
For our bank account details please see the Standing Order form or email davebond144@hotmail.co.uk for info. To Gift Aid a BACS donation you still need to download the form and send it separately.
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The Separated Child Foundation (SCF) distribute arrival packs for children and young people who often arrive with only the clothes they stand up in. The arrival pack is a duffel bag containing toiletries, a towel, a hoodie and joggers, a weatherproof jacket and hat, gloves and scarf, socks, tops, underwear and sliders and a notepad and pen. “A lot of the young people we see arrive dirty, with few or no belongings. At a time when this country becomes more and more hostile to the most vulnerable people in need of safety, it means a lot to show these children that they are not alone, they are cared for and welcomed.”
From a case study in our 2024 Annual Report
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'Your support enables the Fund to make grants that support front-line services. I cannot exaggerate the benefit your donations make for someone, man, women, a parent and child who is reduced to total dependence on other fellow human beings.’
​​Simon Lovett, Chair
We'd love to add you to our email supporter list which we use for sending out occasional updates and appeals.
To be added to the list, and for all other enquiries, please complete this webform and click Send.
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By clicking the button to be added to our email list, you give consent to the use of your name, address and other personal data by the London Churches Refugee Fund (LCRF) for the purposes of keeping you informed, fundraising, or processing your donations. Your consent may be withdrawn at any time. LCRF complies with GDPR 2018 and will not pass on your data to any other party. See our full data privacy notice.
