Deadline: 30-Nov-2024

Entries are now open for the Ockenden International Prizes.

Ockenden seeks to support locally-based and/or refugee-led organisations that work directly with refugees and displaced people to advance self-reliance. Small-scale local organisations have the ability to be agile, well-targeted and highly cost-efficient. However, external funding can be hard to access, and is often tied to a particular project. Refugee experiences are varied and complex, so Ockenden seeks to allow prize-winners to direct the award according to their own priorities rather than ours.

The prizes are unrestricted grants and will be awarded on the basis of initiatives that promote self-reliance among refugees and/or displaced people, with measurable evidence of outcomes that have led to real improvement in the lives of refugees or displaced people. Sound financial governance will also be a factor.

Prize Information

• The five winning organisations will each receive GBP25,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• The five Ockenden International Prizes are open to not-for-profit organisations, registered with their relevant official national and/or local government bodies.
• All entries – and supporting documentation, including financials and accounts – must be in English and USD or GBP.
• Organisations may submit one entry only in each prize year. Unsuccessful organisations are welcome to reapply in future years.
• Winners of Ockenden International Prizes are ineligible to enter for the following three years.
• The not-for-profit organisation must be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of its entered program/project, preferably with measurable evidence of positive outcomes.
• The project/program entered must be up-and-running before March 1, 2024: i.e. it must have been established and operational for a minimum of six months.

Selection Criteria

• The judges will, in particular, look for:
  • Projects that promote self-reliance among refugees and/or displaced people.
  • These may be projects that are led by or have a high level of participation from displaced people themselves; projects providing education, legal assistance and/or livelihood assistance; or any other programs that help refugees and/or displaced people build stable, independent lives.
  • Projects that have proved to be highly effective in improving the lives of refugees and/or displaced people.
  • Projects that have led to real change in the lives of refugees and/or displaced people.
  • Effective initiatives, with measurable evidence of outcomes.

For more information, visit Ockenden International.