About us

The Allen Lane Foundation is a grant-making trust which was established in 1966.  The founder was Sir Allen Lane, who set up the publishing company Penguin Books.  His family are involved in the running of the trust – two of his granddaughters are Trustees.

We award funding for charitable purposes across the UK.  Our focus is on funding ‘unpopular causes’ and we currently make grants through seven specific funding programmes.   

Within those programmes, our overall aims are to: make a lasting difference to people’s lives; reduce isolation, stigma and discrimination; and to encourage or enable unpopular groups to share in the life of the whole community.