The Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund and Relief Grants provide relief to individuals and/or their families who have been persecuted for their conscientiously-held beliefs, providing they have not used or advocated violence. All recipients of the fund should have performed an act of conscience which led to their persecution.

Grants are given for relief and rehabilitation purposes including food, clothing, furniture, equipment, travel costs and medicines. Grants also cover more expensive items such as family reunion costs, resettlement expenses, international protection in conjunction with Peace Brigades International and costs of re-qualification to help refugee professionals convert existing qualifications while in exile.

Applicants must be referred by an approved third party referral agency in the UK or overseas. Current referral agencies include the Writer’s in Prison Committee of English PEN, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). As a rule, grants are not made retrospectively.

Awards are up to UK£500 for general relief purposes and larger requests are considered on a case by case basis.

For further information contact:

The Grants Officer
Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund
PO Box 36789
London SW9 9XF
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7738 7511
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7733 7592
E-mail: info@prisonersofconscience.org