Racial Diversity UK | Apply for Funding

Fund information
Background and scope
What we will fund
Who should apply
Invitation to tender: Evidence review
Who we have funded

Fund information

Our Racial Diversity UK Fund (RDUK) supports research on racial diversity within the UK.

Grants from £15,000 to £500,000 are available and the priority theme for the RDUK autumn 2025 application round is migration, arrivals, and legacies.

There is one deadline a year for this fund, in the Autumn. Exact dates are announced in advance. Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates.

The next deadline is 6 October 2025.

In addition to the RDUK fund, the Foundation is separately commissioning an evidence review of racial demography and racial disparities in outcomes in the UK from 1948 to 2048.

Find out more

Background and scope

The UK’s racial composition has changed considerably since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, marking the beginning of the post-war settlement of citizens from Britain’s former colonies. Today, the UK’s growing racial diversity and continuing racial disparities bring both opportunities and challenges.

There is a substantial body of research evidencing racial inequalities in most areas of UK life; from health to housing, education to employment, crime and policing to criminal justice. There is less evidence for why some of the UK’s differential racial outcomes persist while other disparities have closed. Nor is there much evidence about what works to end racial disparities, nor of when, how or if policy and programme interventions are effective in achieving this, and little research has focused on the wider benefits and opportunities that racial diversity can bring.

This programme is funded by an endowment that supports work relating to the Commonwealth. As such, our interest is in the future of UK society as shaped by its colonial past, specifically by the migration of people from former British colonies to the UK. This migration and the accompanying dynamics of racialisation, resources and power have produced the UK’s distinct racial diversity and its patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Within this context we take a broad view of racial diversity as covering all racial or ethnic groups living in the UK, including White populations. 

What we will fund

The priority theme for the RDUK autumn 2025 application round is migration, arrivals, and legacies.

Our particular areas of interest within this theme are:

How colonial legacies and connections shape the UK’s racially diverse past, present and future

Patterns and experiences of migration, arrivals, settlements, and departures

Impacts of migration on places, opportunities, and outcomes for all communities, new and established

Migration and demographic projections and the future of a multi-racial UK

Rights and routes to residency and citizenship

We may also consider proposals for high-quality, innovative studies that are not included within these topics.

We expect the research we fund to:

Contribute to understanding, public debate, policy and/or practice on tackling racial inequalities, discrimination and disadvantage.

Map pathways towards a UK that is comfortable with and reaping the benefits of its growing racial diversity.

As for all our grant programmes, we welcome applications proposing any methodological approach, including applied methods and participatory research.

Read our Guide for Applicants

Who should apply

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, particularly from individuals and organisations from racially minoritised communities. We strongly encourage partnership applications which bring together researchers and racially minoritised communities to explore challenges and develop solutions.

Invitation to tender: Evidence review

In addition to the RDUK fund, the Foundation is separately commissioning an evidence review of racial demography and racial disparities in outcomes in the UK from 1948 to 2048.

The evidence review is commissioned by, and will help inform development of, the Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) programme. RDUK was launched in 2024 to fund research investigating the barriers and pathways to a racially just and inclusive society.

The evidence review will bring together quantitative data and analysis of the UK’s racial demography and racial disparities in outcomes, from the beginnings of colonial and ex-colonial migrations and settlements in the UK (roughly from 1948) to the present day, along with projections for the next few decades (roughly to 2048).

The evidence review will be seeking to answer these questions:
1. What do we know about racial diversity in the UK, in terms of both demography and outcomes? 
2. What are the historical trends and future trajectories? 
3. What don’t we know and where are the evidence gaps that the RDUK programme might seek to fill?  
The study should include data on racial demography (i.e. population size, composition, location etc) and racial differences in outcomes (to include education, employment/unemployment, income, wealth/poverty, health, crime and justice, housing). The final list of outcomes will be agreed with the contractor.
The deadline for submissions is 11am Friday 3 October 2025.

The deadline for clarification questions is 11am Friday 5 September.

Clarification questions should be sent by email to RDUK@nuffieldfoundation.org. Responses to clarification questions will be shared by all prospective bidders in regular email updates.

Proposals should be within the range of £40,000 to £60,000 (excluding VAT). Some additional budget may be available for exception proposals to deliver the required online research output.
We are seeking a suitably experienced researcher or research team to carry out this evidence review. We welcome bids from individuals, organisations, or consortia.

Proposals must be submitted using the Foundation’s application form. We will not consider proposals which are submitted in any other format.

To obtain an application form, please complete this Expression of Interest.

Application process
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FAQs

Application process

The application for funding is a two-stage process.

Before submitting an Outline application, check that our terms and conditions are acceptable to you and your host institution.

See Terms and Conditions

In addition to the RDUK programme, we welcome applications to our Main Grants Fund (the Research, Development and Analysis Fund) on building an inclusive society, which focus on or incorporate themes of racial inequalities, discrimination, and pathways to racial justice; particularly those that take an intersectional approach. Read more in the Guide for Applicants.

1

Outline applications submitted (October 2025)
2

Successful applicants invited to submit Full application (January 2026)
3

Peer review (January / February 2026)
4

Applicants respond to comments (March 2026)
5

Decisions on full applications made (May 2026)
6

Applicants notified (May 2026 / June 2026)
7

Earliest project start (July 2026)

Complete the application form

Applications will be via the Main Grants Fund form. Select Racial Diversity UK as your main focus at the start.

Start your application

Frequently asked questions

If you have further queries, email us at  RDUK@nuffieldfoundation.org.

We award grants to a wide range of organisations, including universities, research organisations, and voluntary sector bodies. Applicants should be employed by, or have formal affiliation with, a UK-based organisation.
Most grants we fund are below £300,000. Our largest grant awards are for a maximum of £500,000.
Outline applications are made online through our website. We have one deadline a year, in Autumn. You must read our Guide for applicants before submitting your application.

We have a two-stage application process. If your Outline application is shortlisted, you’ll be invited to submit a Full application to tell us more about your project.
Our team will be in touch to let you know the status of your application.
We operate a gathered field approach. Funding applications can be made at any time, through our website, but shortlisting takes place once a year – in Autumn.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full applications. If Foundation staff are satisfied that the Full application meets the quality threshold, it will be sent for external peer review. Shortlisted applicants will be notified of final decisions. Further information on the application timeline can be found in the Guide for applicants.
We offer constructive advice and support to those invited to submit a Full application. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are not able to give specific feedback on unsuccessful Outline applications, beyond that provided in the outcome letter.

Racial Diversity UK Fund

Contents

Fund information

The next deadline is 6 October 2025.

Background and scope

What we will fund

We expect the research we fund to:

Who should apply

Invitation to tender: Evidence review

Contents

Application process

Complete the application form

Frequently asked questions

Racial Diversity UK Fund

Contents

Fund information

The next deadline is 6 October 2025.

Background and scope

What we will fund

We expect the research we fund to:

Who should apply

Invitation to tender: Evidence review

Who we have funded

Racial equality since devolution: Divergences, outcomes and frontiers

Voices for equity: Moving from evidence to action

Better mixing: Supporting Scotland’s diverse future

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