The Sheriffs' And Recorders' Fund

Charity Number: 221927

Annual Expenditure: £0.4M
Geographic Focus: Throughout London

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £394,736 (2025)
  • Success Rate: 100% for eligible applications
  • Decision Time: 2 weeks
  • Grant Range: £6,000 - £39,000 (organisational grants); £150 - £1,000 (individual grants)
  • Geographic Focus: Greater London (within M25)
  • Total Investment: Over £1 million in 20+ rehabilitation projects in the last 15 years

Contact Details

Address: Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EH

Secretary: Claire Ivey

Overview

Founded in 1808, The Sheriffs' and Recorders' Fund is one of London's oldest charities supporting prison leavers. Based at the Old Bailey, the Fund operates two distinct grant programs: individual grants to prison leavers (administered through probation services) and organisational grants to charities running rehabilitation projects in London prisons. With annual expenditure of approximately £395,000, the Fund has invested over £1 million in 20+ rehabilitation projects over the past 15 years. The charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations, legacies, and fundraising events from supporters including the City of London livery companies. The Fund's Presidents are the serving Sheriffs of London, with the Recorder of London as Vice-President. The charity's mission centres on the belief that “every person deserves a second chance” and focuses on reducing reoffending by supporting employment, education, and reintegration.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Organisational Grants for Prison-Based Rehabilitation Projects: £6,000 - £39,000

The Fund collaborates with prison-focused charities to support programmes in six London prisons that help prepare individuals for release, with particular focus on education and training to enhance employment prospects.

Individual Grants to Prison Leavers: £150 - £1,000

Small grants for essentials including clothing, household goods, training courses, and tools of trade. These are only accessible through referrals from probation officers or social welfare agencies (not directly applicable by organisations or individuals).

Priority Areas

For Organisational Grants:

  • Prison-based education and training programmes
  • Vocational skills development (barbering, fashion production, media/radio)
  • Employment preparation and job readiness
  • Projects in London prisons including HMP Brixton, HMP Wormwood Scrubs, HMP Wandsworth, HMP Downview, and HMP Isis
  • Programmes that enhance employment prospects for prison leavers
  • Skills development in creative industries and trades

Recent Funded Projects Include:

  • Making for Change (£39,000 total, 2024-2025): Fashion production training at HMP Downview, engaging 23 women with 13 achieving qualifications
  • National Prison Radio (£30,000, 2023): Training prisoner-producers in radio production at HMP Brixton, supporting up to 15 men
  • XO Barbers (£10,000, 2025): Vocational training in barbering at HMP Brixton
  • Chess in Prisons (£6,000, 2023-2025): Teaching problem-solving and logical thinking at HMP Brixton, Wormwood Scrubs, and Wandsworth
  • Women in Prison: Hub support in Elephant & Castle for clients across South London
  • Operation Elf (Prison Advice and Care Trust): Supporting parents in prison to give gifts to children at Christmas

What They Don't Fund

For Individual Grants (informational for understanding their focus):

  • Prison leavers outside the M25 area
  • Passports
  • Full driving licenses
  • Mobile phones, smartphones, or laptops
  • Cash requests

For Organisational Grants:

  • Projects outside London prisons
  • General operational costs unrelated to prison-based rehabilitation
  • Projects not focused on education, training, or employment preparation
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Governance and Leadership

The Fund is governed by a committee of 6 trustees. The Presidents are the serving Sheriffs of London, with the Recorder of London serving as Vice-President. No trustees receive remuneration or payments from the charity.

Key Staff:

  • Claire Ivey, Secretary of the Fund (primary contact for all enquiries)

The Fund operates with no employees earning over £60,000 and has no trading subsidiaries, maintaining a lean operational structure focused on maximizing grant-making capacity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Organisational Grants (Prison-Based Projects):

The Fund's website does not provide explicit details about a public application process for organisational grants. Based on the funded projects documented, the Fund appears to identify and support charities working in London prisons through a combination of approaches.

To enquire about potential funding for prison-based rehabilitation projects, organisations should:

  • Contact Claire Ivey, Secretary of the Fund: claire.ivey@sr-fund.org or 020 7192 2739 / 2734
  • Demonstrate focus on education, training, or employment preparation in London prisons
  • Be prepared to show how your project enhances employment prospects for prison leavers

For Individual Grants:

These can only be applied for by probation officers, social services caseworkers, or social welfare agencies on behalf of prison leavers. Individuals cannot apply directly. Applications are submitted online through a link requested via email.

Decision Timeline

Individual Grants:

  • Applications logged by Secretary
  • Administrator evaluates (usually within 2 weeks)
  • Cheque sent to probation officer/caseworker
  • All eligible applications are funded

Organisational Grants:

Timeline not publicly specified; contact the Fund directly for information.

Success Rates

Individual Grants: 100% - all eligible applications are funded

Organisational Grants: Not disclosed

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified. Given the Fund's supportive approach and multi-year funding for some projects (e.g., Making for Change received grants across multiple years), there appears to be openness to ongoing relationships with effective projects.

Application Success Factors

Project Location and Focus:

Projects must be based in London prisons. The Fund has documented relationships with HMP Brixton, HMP Wormwood Scrubs, HMP Wandsworth, HMP Downview, and HMP Isis. Projects focused on education, training, and employment preparation are prioritized.

Evidence of Employment Impact:

The Fund emphasizes “programmes in prisons that help prepare individuals for release, with a particular focus on education and training to enhance employment prospects of prison leavers.” Successful projects demonstrate clear pathways to employment or vocational qualifications.

Practical Skills Development:

Recent funded projects show preference for hands-on vocational training (barbering, fashion production, radio production) over purely theoretical programmes. Projects that result in recognized qualifications or marketable skills are particularly valued.

Addressing Reintegration Challenges:

The Fund understands that “50% of people released from prison have no settled accommodation” and “83% remain unemployed six weeks after release.” Projects addressing these realities with practical solutions are well-aligned with their mission.

Partnership Approach:

The Fund describes itself as “collaborating with other prison focused charities” suggesting they value organisations with experience in the prison rehabilitation sector. Demonstrating existing relationships with London prisons and the probation service would strengthen applications.

Measurable Outcomes:

The Making for Change project is described as having “23 women enrolled, 13 achieved qualifications” - suggesting the Fund values projects that track and report concrete outcomes.

Scale Appropriate to Setting:

Funded projects appear to be relatively modest in scale (supporting 15-23 participants) suggesting the Fund values quality, intensive interventions over large-scale programmes.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Two distinct programmes: Understand that organisational grants for prison projects are separate from individual grants to prison leavers - your application should focus on the organisational grant stream
  • London prisons only: Geographic restriction is absolute - projects must operate within London prisons, particularly the five named institutions where the Fund has established relationships
  • Employment-focused: Every successful project ties back to enhancing employment prospects - make this connection explicit in your application
  • No public application portal: Contact Claire Ivey directly to discuss your project and understand current funding priorities before submitting a formal proposal
  • Vocational over academic: Recent funding patterns show strong preference for practical skills training (barbering, fashion, radio) that lead to employment over purely academic or therapeutic programmes
  • Proven prison experience essential: All funded organisations demonstrate existing relationships and experience working within the prison system
  • Multi-year relationships possible: Making for Change received funding across multiple years, suggesting the Fund supports effective projects beyond single grants

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