Ockenden International

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £125,000 (in prizes)
• Success Rate: 2.6% (2025: 5 winners from 194 applications)
• Decision Time: 3-4 months (November deadline to March announcement)
• Grant Range: £25,000 per award (fixed amount)
• Geographic Focus: International (plus new UK-specific prize from 2025)

Contact Details

Website: www.ockendenprizes.org

Email: enquiries@ockendenprizes.org

Phone: 020 7597 6000

Address: FAO Company Secretarial, 20 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7AN, United Kingdom

Overview

Ockenden International (Charity Number 1053720) was founded in 1951 by Joyce Pearce, Margaret Dixon and Ruth Hicks to help children in displaced persons' camps in post-war Germany. Named after Pearce's family home 'Ockenden' in Woking, Surrey, the organisation became a registered charity in 1955. For over 70 years, Ockenden has supported refugees and displaced people globally, becoming best known for its major role in resettling Vietnamese boat people in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s. Since 2010, Ockenden International has operated purely as a grant-making body, administering the annual Ockenden International Prizes and funding the Joyce Pearce refugee studies fellowship at Oxford University's Lady Margaret Hall. With total income of £326,762 (year ending June 2024), the organisation focuses its resources on awarding £125,000 annually in prizes that reward the most effective self-reliance projects for refugees and displaced people worldwide.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Ockenden International Prizes - £25,000 per award (5 awards annually, totalling £125,000)

• Four international prizes for projects anywhere in the world
• One UK Prize (launched 2025) for projects in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland
• Unrestricted grants to further project ambitions or contribute to core costs
• Annual application cycle: deadline end of November, winners announced by end of March
• Applications submitted via online entry form on website

Joyce Pearce Refugee Studies Fellowship - Amount not publicly disclosed

• Junior research fellowship at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University
• Not open to public application

Priority Areas

Ockenden seeks projects that:

• Advance self-reliance among refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), or UK asylum-seekers
• Are led by or involve high participation from displaced people themselves
• Provide education, legal assistance, and/or livelihood support
• Demonstrate measurable evidence of positive outcomes leading to real improvement in lives
• Are locally-based and/or refugee-led organisations working directly with refugees (small-scale local organisations valued for being agile, well-targeted and highly cost-efficient)
• Have been operational for minimum six months before the March preceding the prize announcement

What They Don't Fund

• Personal applications (only registered not-for-profit organisations)
• Organisations without high standards of financial and administrative governance
• Projects where supporting refugees/displaced people is merely an ancillary benefit rather than the primary focus
• Previous prize winners (ineligible for three years following their award)
• Multiple entries from same organisation in same year

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Governance and Leadership

Current Trustees

Judith Ingham - Chair of Trustees

Consultant and former Partner at Withers Worldwide

Vin Ray - Trustee

Media Consultant and veteran TV news manager, former BBC World News Editor

Dr. Kirsten McConnachie - Trustee

Senior Lecturer in Law, University of East Anglia

Solomon Mugera - Trustee

Regional Editor, BBC Africa

Decision-Making Process

Entries are reviewed by three Ockenden Trustees who create a shortlist for consideration by an independent judging panel. The judging panel comprises experts in their respective fields and varies annually. Recent panels have included academics, broadcasters, and previous prize winners. For example, the 2025 panel included 10 members such as Dr Dawn Chatty (Emerita Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration) and Robert Hakiza (Co-Founder & Executive Director of YARID and 2016 Ockenden Prize winner).

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted annually via an online entry form available on the Ockenden International website (www.ockendenprizes.org). The application process is open to all eligible organisations worldwide.

Application Requirements:

• Completed entry form in English
• Latest audited accounts for the entered project
• Financial information in USD or GBP
• Two third-party, external referees (relevant external observers, not internal stakeholders)
• Evidence of registration as a not-for-profit organisation with relevant official national/local government bodies
• Demonstration of high standards of financial and administrative governance

Application Method: Rolling annual cycle with fixed deadline

Deadline: End of November (midnight GMT, typically November 30)

Decision Timeline

• Application deadline: End of November
• Winner announcement: By end of March (following year)
• Decision timeframe: Approximately 3-4 months from deadline to announcement

Winners are publicly announced on the Ockenden International website and through partner networks.

Success Rates

The Ockenden International Prizes are highly competitive, with success rates consistently between 2-4%:

• 2025: 5 winners from 194 submissions (2.6% success rate) - record number of applications
• 2024: 4 winners from 174 submissions (2.3% success rate)
• 2023: 4 winners from 169 submissions (2.4% success rate)
• 2020: 4 winners from 141 submissions (2.8% success rate)
• 2019: 4 winners from 100+ submissions (≤4% success rate)

Applications have grown from 56 countries in recent years, demonstrating increasing global competitiveness.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful organisations are welcome to reapply in future years with no restrictions or waiting periods. Organisations may submit one entry per year. However, winners of Ockenden International Prizes are ineligible to enter for the following three years.

Application Success Factors

Based on Ockenden International's documented selection criteria and recent winning projects, successful applications demonstrate:

1. Clear Evidence of Self-Reliance Outcomes

Ockenden emphasises “measurable evidence of outcomes that have led to real improvement in the lives of refugees.” Winning projects provide quantifiable data showing how their interventions enable refugees to become self-sufficient. For example, the 2025 winner MAGUFINA (Malawi) provided mobile phone repair training leading to enterprise development, while Asylum Access Malaysia offered employment dispute resolution enabling refugees to secure and maintain lawful employment.

2. Direct Service Delivery by Local/Refugee-Led Organisations

Ockenden explicitly seeks “locally-based and/or refugee-led organisations that work directly with refugees” because they “have the ability to be agile, well-targeted and highly cost-efficient.” Recent winners include refugee-founded organisations and local community groups with deep connections to the populations they serve.

3. Focus on Education, Legal Aid, or Livelihoods

Analysis of winning projects shows strong emphasis on three intervention types:

• Education: Alsama Project's secondary education in Lebanon's refugee camps; Nest Global's early childhood education in Mexico
• Legal assistance: Asylum Access Malaysia's employment dispute program
• Livelihood support: MAGUFINA's vocational training; Free Yezidi Foundation's Enterprise and Training Center in Iraq

4. Addressing Specific Vulnerable Groups

Many winning projects target particularly vulnerable populations within refugee communities: women (Happy Baby Community's support for pregnant refugees and new mothers; Free Yezidi Foundation's women-focused enterprise center), refugees with disabilities (MAGUFINA), and single-parent families (Nest Global).

5. High Standards of Governance and Financial Management

Applications must include audited accounts and demonstrate “high standards of financial and administrative governance.” Prize funds are only distributed to organisational bank accounts, never personal ones, reflecting Ockenden's emphasis on institutional credibility.

6. Operational Track Record

Projects must have been “up-and-running” and “operational for a minimum of six months” before the eligibility cut-off date, demonstrating proven delivery rather than proposed ideas.

7. Strong Third-Party Validation

Two external referees who are “relevant external observers” must support the application, providing independent verification of the project's impact and organisational credibility.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Competition is intense: With success rates around 2.6%, applications must demonstrate exceptional impact. Focus on providing compelling quantifiable evidence of outcomes rather than general descriptions.

• Self-reliance is the central criterion: Every aspect of your application should demonstrate how the project enables refugees to become independent and self-sufficient, not dependent on ongoing aid.

• Local and refugee-led organisations have an advantage: Ockenden explicitly values organisations that are locally-based or refugee-led for their agility and cost-efficiency. Highlight local leadership and community connections.

• Measurable outcomes are essential: Provide specific data, statistics, and evidence showing real improvement in beneficiaries' lives. Vague claims of impact will not suffice given the competitive nature.

• Six-month operational requirement means early planning: Ensure your project has been running for at least six months before the March eligibility date (approximately 14 months before you'd receive the prize if successful).

• Unrestricted £25,000 is substantial for small organisations: The prize can be used for project expansion or core costs, making it particularly valuable for under-resourced local organisations. Frame your application to show how this funding would multiply impact.

• Unsuccessful applicants should definitely reapply: With no restrictions on reapplication and one entry allowed per year, organisations should refine their applications based on winning project profiles and try again.

References

• Ockenden International Official Website -
• Ockenden International - Charity Commission Register -
• 2025 Entry Rules - Ockenden International -
• 2025 Prize Winners - Ockenden International -
• 2024 Prize Winners - Ockenden International -
• Trustees - Ockenden International -
• Ockenden International: the remarkable story of a Surrey refugee charity - Surrey County Council -
• Ockenden International - Wikipedia -
• About Ockenden International -