Survivors Fund (SURF)
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Survivors Fund (SURF) gives priority to Rwanda, so a request that shows direct work with survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, or with vulnerable people there, is the clearest fit with its stated purpose.
- Its typical grants fall between £1,000 and £79,000, with a median of about £21,000, and it has made only 8 grants to organisations, so a modest request is the safest starting point.
- The charity publishes no application process, so the contact shown on its website is the place to start, and the annual report's account of partners helping it set priorities suggests a short conversation first is sensible.
- No exclusions or eligibility conditions are stated, so no organisation should be ruled out on that basis.
Overview
Survivors Fund (SURF) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1065705).
Survivors Fund (SURF) is a charity registered in England and Wales that works to rebuild the lives of survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It began when a return to the UK led to support for survivors through the establishment of SURF. Its programmes range from healthcare to house building, education to entrepreneurship. Its themes include livelihoods and enterprise, education and training, trauma counselling, older people's care, violence prevention, survivor organisation capacity and legal representation. It paid £290,097 in its latest annual report.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Survivors Fund (SURF) works to rebuild the lives of survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and related vulnerable people and their dependants. It works with survivor-led partner organisations, building their capacity and providing technical support for holistic programmes. Its stated work includes helping survivors and vulnerable people find long-term work, supporting income-generation and entrepreneurship, and providing education for orphaned survivors and children born of rape, with a focus on technical and vocational training. It also helps vulnerable people access trauma counselling, older people's care and violence prevention, and works on survivors' rights and legal representation. Its approach is long-term, independent in responding to survivors' priorities, and supports sustainable activities integrated into mainstream planning. Partners help it identify which vulnerable groups to prioritise.
Themes
- Livelihoods and enterprise
- Education and training
- Trauma counselling
- Older people's care
- Violence prevention
- Survivor organisation capacity
- Legal representation
Geographic Focus
Priority: Rwanda.
How to apply
No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Rwanda
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 8 grants in year to 31 December 2025 by size
Median £34,973 (year to 31 December 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Reaching Rwanda Project£78,743year to 31 December 2025
- Good Gifts Project£66,004year to 31 December 2025
- Community Counselling Initiative (CCI)£54,379year to 31 December 2025
- Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP)£49,184year to 31 December 2025
- Community Projects (Shelter)£20,762year to 31 December 2025
- Foundation Rwanda£14,050year to 31 December 2025
- Counselling Extension Response Project£5,955year to 31 December 2025
- Network for Africa Entrepreneurship Project£1,020year to 31 December 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £740,134 | £611,851 | £455,669 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £730,911 | £797,055 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £536,431 | £630,600 | £473,389 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £557,389 | £520,412 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £402,912 | £473,631 | £290,097 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2023: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants paid out in the year.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- survivors-fund.org.uk
- survivors-fund.org.uk/about/our-mission · read on 24 October 2026
- survivors-fund.org.uk/about/our-work · read on 24 October 2026
- survivors-fund.org.uk/about · read on 24 October 2026
- survivors-fund.org.uk/contact-us · read on 24 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 24 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Survivors Fund (SURF)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Applying to Survivors Fund (SURF)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required