About the CROWN UK Fund
The CROWN UK Fund is now closed to applications. Thank you to everyone who applied. We were phenomenally excited by the huge response of applications we received.
The panel have now chosen the successful funded partners and they will be officially announced in the coming months.
The CROWN UK Fund is investing £170,000 during 2021 with the aim of supporting the Black Community in the UK through grants to Black-led grassroot organisations and projects who are working to eliminate barriers to progress for Black women and girls and driving for long-term systemic change.
Background
The fight against systemic racism needs action, not just words. Of those we polled, an astounding 63% of Black adults have experienced hair discrimination in the UK and more than 50% of UK children have been sent home from school due to wearing their hair naturally or in a protective style.*
Dove believes no young person should be held back from reaching their full potential. Therefore Dove is accelerating its work to help eradicate race-based hair discrimination and support and empower all generations through the CROWN UK Fund to drive real and actionable change.
Supporting Black-led initiatives to end hair discrimination
Halo Collective
In December 2020, The Advocacy Academy launched the Halo Collective with a mission to end hair inequality for good. Led by 30 young Black activists and supported by well-known organisations such as the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, Race on the Agenda, Runnymede, gal-dem and Black Ballad, the Halo Collective is working to create a future without hair discrimination and has introduced the Halo Code as the UK’s first Black hair code for schools and workplaces. Dove is the first brand to support the Halo Collective. Dove’s parent company, Unilever, is also the first employer to adopt the Halo Code.
Hair discrimination petition
Dove is also supporting the mission of activists Zina Alfa (creative producer, presenter and founder of Ub Hair) and Emma Dabiri (writer, academic and broadcaster), who are calling for us all to sign a petition for hair discrimination to be made illegal in the UK under the UK Equalities Act.
Dove Self-Esteem Project and new CROWN UK educational resources
In 2004 Dove set up the Dove Self-Esteem Project to help support parents, mentors, and teachers in ensuring the next generation of women grow up to be happy and content, free from the burden of beauty stereotypes and self-doubt. By 2030, Dove will have helped ¼ of a billion young people build self-esteem through its educational programmes.
Dove has developed a new workshop via the Dove Self-Esteem Project to support teachers in discussions about hair discrimination and help young people to combat hair related appearance pressures. The programme, which has been developed in association with educators and experts, will provide guidance and downloadable resources for teachers looking to run workshop sessions educating children about this issue. The resources will be available from February 2021 with an aim to reach over 35,000 lives within one year.
CROWN Coalition
Since 2019 Dove has been making progress in the USA to end hair discrimination by co-founding the CROWN Coalition, to advance anti-hair discrimination legislation called The CROWN Act.
The CROWN Act is a law that prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and style, specifically towards natural hair and protective hair styles. With help from the CROWN Coalition and multiple representatives, the bill has been passed by the House of Representatives and made a law in seven states.
CROWN Fund Details
During early January 2021, the CROWN UK Fund invites organisations and change-makers in the UK who share the CROWN vision to apply for grants of up to £20,000. If your organisation is passionate about and capable of eliminating barriers to progress for women and girls in the Black community and empowering the next generation, read on.
Eligibility & Criteria
Dove is keen to receive applications from any organisations that have an innovative and creative approach to the way they engage Black women and girls in their community. The projects funded should meaningfully involve the women and/or girls they support to reach their full potential and break down barriers to success. Dove is not looking for the best written application but the most compelling.
- UK-based grassroot organisations and/or programmes that are led by people who identify as Black/Black-mixed race.
- Funding must be used to help create lasting change in the lives of Black women and/or girls.
- Projects funded should aim to celebrate and empower Black women and/or girls and eliminate barriers to success.
- Address one or more of the following issues/needs: Appearance based prejudice and discrimination / Education and vocational training / Emotional or psychological health / Empowerment / Individual growth and success / Leadership and career planning / Mentorship / Advocacy
- Organisations must already be established as a social enterprise, charity or community project and be engaged in impactful work in their community.
- Organisations must be able to demonstrate the impact of the funding and their methods and ability to monitor and evaluate the project.
Funded Partner Evaluation Process
Applicants who meet the basic eligibility of the CROWN UK Fund will have their applications evaluated by a representative and expert panel. This panel will discuss the applications and evaluate the successful organisations who will receive the fund.
We will prioritise organisations that have a strong focus on the empowerment of Black women and girls. However, we will consider organisations that are not women-centric but that are actively engaging in projects/initiatives that will directly impact the advancement of Black women and/or girls.
Please contact the CROWN UK Fund team at crownfund@wearefutures.com if you have any questions. Please note that applying does not guarantee funds.
*BCW/OnePoll Crown Coalition survey conducted in October 2019 – a poll of 500 UK Black adults aged 18+ with Afro hair and UK Black children aged 11-17+ with Afro hair.
We are Futures, Unilever and third-party agencies acting on their behalf, may collect personal information in relation to this application in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data privacy laws. Except where authorised on the application form and agreed with the organisation, we will only use your information for the purposes of administering this fund.
Please refer to the privacy policy and general terms for full details on how your information is used by We are Futures on the We are Futures website: https://nationalschoolspartnership.com/privacy-policy/, and by Unilever on the Unilever website: https://www.unilevernotices.com/united-kingdom/english/privacy-notice/notice.html.