Deadline: 05-Oct-2026
The Racial Diversity UK Fund supports research that improves understanding of racial diversity, inequality, discrimination, and intergenerational change in the United Kingdom. The 2026 priority theme focuses on inter-generational changes, continuities, and challenges in a racially diverse UK. Grants range from £15,000 to £500,000, with project durations typically lasting from six months to three years.
Overview
The Racial Diversity UK Fund is accepting applications to support research on racial diversity, inequality, and disadvantage in the UK.
The fund supports projects that contribute to public understanding, policy development, practice, and debate on racial inequalities.
It encourages research that helps the UK better understand and respond to its growing racial diversity, while recognising the country’s colonial past and changing institutional, policy, and political environment.
Purpose of the Fund
The purpose of the Racial Diversity UK Fund is to support research that explores racial diversity and racial inequality in meaningful, evidence-based ways.
The fund aims to generate knowledge that can help address discrimination, disadvantage, exclusion, and unequal life chances.
It also supports work that identifies pathways toward a UK that is more comfortable with, responsive to, and strengthened by racial diversity.
Key Focus Areas
The fund focuses on racial diversity, racial inequality, discrimination, disadvantage, intergenerational change, racially diverse communities, colonial history, institutional change, policy environments, political participation, identity, belonging, exclusion, aspirations, values, civic engagement, life chances, lived experience, public debate, policy influence, and community-led research partnerships.
2026 Priority Theme
The priority theme for 2026 is inter-generational changes, continuities, and challenges in a racially diverse UK.
This theme explores how different generations experience, understand, and respond to racial diversity in the UK.
The fund is especially interested in how generational shifts affect the opportunities and challenges shaping the UK’s racially diverse future.
What the 2026 Theme Covers
The 2026 theme may include research on:
- Generational differences in identity
- Belonging and exclusion
- Aspirations and values
- Civic participation
- Political participation
- Life chances and experiences
- Racial inequality across generations
- Continuities in discrimination or disadvantage
- Changes in community outlooks and social conditions
- The influence of the UK’s colonial past
- Institutional, policy, and political change
- The future of racial diversity in the UK
Projects should clearly explain how their research contributes to understanding intergenerational experiences in racially diverse communities.
What the Fund Supports
The Racial Diversity UK Fund supports research projects that generate useful knowledge and practical insights.
Supported projects may include research that:
- Examines racial inequalities in the UK
- Explores discrimination and disadvantage
- Studies intergenerational change within racially diverse communities
- Investigates identity, belonging, and exclusion
- Looks at civic and political participation
- Analyses aspirations, values, and life chances
- Builds partnerships with racially minoritised communities
- Contributes to public debate
- Supports policy and practice change
- Identifies pathways toward a more inclusive UK
Projects should be designed to produce research that is relevant, accessible, and useful beyond academic audiences.
Funding Amount
Grants range from £15,000 to £500,000.
Applicants should request a funding amount that matches the scale, duration, and ambition of the proposed research.
Project Duration
Projects typically last between six months and three years.
Applicants should design a realistic timeline that allows enough time for research, community engagement, analysis, outputs, and dissemination.
Who Is Eligible?
Applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The fund particularly encourages applications from:
- Individuals from racially minoritised communities
- Organisations led by racially minoritised communities
- Researchers working in partnership with racially minoritised communities
- Community-based organisations
- Research institutions
- Civil society organisations
- Partnerships between academic and non-academic groups
Partnership applications are strongly encouraged, especially where researchers and racially minoritised communities work together to explore challenges and develop solutions.
Why Partnership Applications Matter
Partnership applications help ensure that research is grounded in real community experience.
The fund encourages collaboration between researchers and racially minoritised communities because these partnerships can strengthen relevance, trust, impact, and practical value.
Strong partnerships may support:
- Community-led research questions
- Shared decision-making
- Lived experience perspectives
- Better access to participants
- More useful findings
- Stronger policy and practice recommendations
- Greater public and community engagement
Why It Matters
Racial diversity is shaping the UK’s social, cultural, economic, and political future.
However, racial inequalities, discrimination, and exclusions continue to affect people’s life chances, civic participation, sense of belonging, and access to opportunity.
This fund matters because it supports research that can help explain how racial inequalities persist or change across generations.
It also helps identify practical pathways toward a more inclusive UK that recognises, values, and benefits from racial diversity.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a clear research proposal that explains the research question, relevance to the 2026 theme, methodology, partnership model, expected impact, and budget.
Step 1: Confirm Alignment with the Fund
Applicants should first confirm that the proposed research addresses racial diversity, inequality, discrimination, or disadvantage in the UK.
For the 2026 call, the proposal should connect clearly to intergenerational changes, continuities, and challenges in a racially diverse UK.
Step 2: Define the Research Question
The proposal should include a clear research question.
Strong research questions may explore:
- How racialised experiences differ across generations
- How identities and belonging change over time
- How racially minoritised communities experience institutions
- How civic and political participation varies by generation
- How aspirations and life chances are shaped by racial inequality
- How colonial history affects present-day experiences
- How policy and political changes influence racial diversity
Step 3: Explain the Research Context
Applicants should explain why the issue matters in the UK today.
This section should describe:
- The racial diversity context
- The communities or groups involved
- The intergenerational dimension
- The policy or social relevance
- The gap in existing knowledge
- The potential contribution to public debate or practice
Step 4: Build Meaningful Partnerships
Applicants should consider partnerships with racially minoritised communities, community organisations, or researchers with relevant lived or professional experience.
The application should explain:
- Who the partners are
- Why the partnership is important
- How partners will contribute
- How decisions will be shared
- How communities will benefit
- How findings will be communicated back to participants or communities
Step 5: Design the Research Methodology
The application should clearly explain how the research will be conducted.
This may include:
- Interviews
- Surveys
- Participatory research
- Community workshops
- Archival research
- Policy analysis
- Case studies
- Comparative research
- Mixed methods
- Co-produced research methods
The methodology should be appropriate for the research question and respectful of the communities involved.
Step 6: Explain Expected Impact
Applicants should describe how the research will contribute to understanding, policy, practice, or public debate.
Expected impact may include:
- New evidence on racial inequalities
- Policy recommendations
- Community resources
- Public engagement outputs
- Practice guidance
- Academic publications
- Briefings for decision-makers
- Tools for civil society organisations
- Pathways toward reducing discrimination or disadvantage
Step 7: Prepare the Budget
Applicants may request between £15,000 and £500,000.
The budget should be realistic and clearly linked to research activities, staffing, community engagement, dissemination, and partnership costs.
Step 8: Submit the Application
Applicants should submit a complete application with the research plan, budget, timeline, partnership details, and expected outcomes.
A strong application should be clear, relevant, community-aware, and focused on producing useful knowledge.
Selection Considerations
Applications are likely to be assessed based on relevance, quality, feasibility, and potential impact.
Key assessment areas may include:
- Alignment with the 2026 priority theme
- Contribution to understanding racial diversity and inequality
- Strength of the research question
- Quality of the methodology
- Meaningful involvement of racially minoritised communities
- Strength of partnership working
- Potential to influence policy, practice, or public debate
- Feasibility of the timeline and budget
- Clarity of expected outputs
- Contribution to tackling racial inequalities and disadvantage
Tips for a Strong Application
A strong proposal should clearly connect research, lived experience, and practical impact.
Applicants should:
- Align closely with the 2026 intergenerational theme
- Define the racial diversity issue clearly
- Show why the research matters now
- Include racially minoritised communities meaningfully
- Use appropriate and ethical research methods
- Explain how findings will be useful beyond academia
- Include clear policy or practice relevance
- Provide a realistic project timeline
- Prepare a budget that matches the project scale
- Show how the research will contribute to a more inclusive UK
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid submitting proposals that are too broad or weakly connected to the fund’s priorities.
Common mistakes include:
- Not clearly addressing racial diversity or inequality
- Ignoring the 2026 intergenerational priority theme
- Treating racially minoritised communities only as research subjects
- Providing weak or unclear partnership arrangements
- Failing to explain practical relevance
- Not connecting the research to policy, practice, or public debate
- Using vague research questions
- Providing an unrealistic budget
- Proposing a timeline that is too short or too ambitious
- Not explaining how findings will be shared with communities
FAQ
1. What is the Racial Diversity UK Fund?
The Racial Diversity UK Fund supports research that advances understanding of racial diversity, inequality, discrimination, and disadvantage in the United Kingdom.
2. What is the 2026 priority theme?
The 2026 priority theme is inter-generational changes, continuities, and challenges in a racially diverse UK.
3. How much funding is available?
Grants range from £15,000 to £500,000.
4. How long can projects last?
Projects typically last between six months and three years.
5. Who is encouraged to apply?
Applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged, especially individuals and organisations from racially minoritised communities.
6. Are partnership applications encouraged?
Yes. Partnership applications involving researchers and racially minoritised communities are strongly encouraged.
7. What should funded research contribute to?
Funded research should contribute to understanding, public debate, policy, and practice aimed at tackling racial inequalities, discrimination, and disadvantage in the UK.
Conclusion
The Racial Diversity UK Fund provides important support for research that explores racial diversity, inequality, and intergenerational change in the UK. With grants of £15,000 to £500,000, the fund encourages research that can deepen public understanding, influence policy and practice, and support pathways toward a more inclusive and racially diverse future. Applicants should present clear, community-informed proposals that align with the 2026 priority theme and demonstrate meaningful potential to address racial inequalities and disadvantage.
For more information, visit Nuffield Foundation.