AB Charitable Trust (ABCT): Open Grants Programme
Overview
Their focus is on supporting the most marginalised and excluded groups in the UK, who are often from communities experiencing poverty and racial injustice.
Priority Areas
The Human Rights Framework
What would good look like?
A robust legal and policy framework that protects and upholds human rights in the UK.
The human rights framework in the UK, and corresponding protections which uphold democratic processes and the rule of law - are the foundation of all the work that we seek to support across our priority areas.
They support organisations that work to uphold, enhance and implement the human rights protection frameworks in the UK, defend civic space and hold the Government to account around human rights protections. Occasionally, they support organisations that support an enabling environment for human rights.
Their funding is focused on work across the whole human rights framework, and this does not include single issue or single right campaigning work, or human rights work focused on particular groups, unless these are captured by their other funding streams.
Access to Justice
What would good look like?
A fair and functioning justice system, where everyone has access to high quality legal advice, so they can realise their rights.
Access to justice is a fundamental concept that underpins democracy and human rights.
Many people experience multi-faceted problems that may have an unrecognised legal solution. They support organisations that promote access to justice through the provision of specialist legal advice and representation, by which they mean the delivery of specialist advice relating to the resolution of a legal problem where the advice is tailored to the individual’s circumstances, normally including end-to-end casework through to representation.
They also support work which focuses on defending and improving the system in which people can obtain justice, as an integral part of the rule of law.
They aim for their funding to have an impact on the most marginalised and excluded communities.
The Criminal Legal System and Penal Reform
What would good look like?
An equitable system, which considers individual needs and potential, places a focus on harm prevention, and prioritises holistic support and rehabilitation.
Individuals who come into contact with the criminal legal system, particularly those from marginalised and racialised communities, face multifaceted challenges, exacerbated by a system which is overcrowded and unable to meet their needs.
Civil society organisations play a key role supporting individuals, as well as shining an independent light on the system and holding the state to account.
They fund organisations that work with people either within the criminal legal system, or at imminent risk of coming into contact with the system, and that support individuals to resettle successfully in the community.
They particularly want to support organisations that are actively working to promote a just and equitable system.
They aim for their funding to have an impact on the most marginalised and excluded communities.
Migrants and Refugees
What would good look like?
A fair immigration system in which people who migrate to the UK, are refugees or seeking asylum are welcomed, treated with dignity, and supported to maximise their potential.
People who move to the UK often have to navigate a complex and hostile legal and policy environment, facing numerous barriers which undermine their ability to live with dignity.
They support organisations working to achieve a just and supportive environment for people who migrate to the UK, are refugees or people seeking asylum. This includes work to deliver services, policy, advocacy and influencing, campaigning, narrative change, and community organising.
They like to support organisations that acknowledge and address the systemic challenges being faced by those they work with, and those whose work is rooted in respect for people’s agency, acknowledges their strengths, and supports them to exercise their rights.
They aim for their funding to have an impact on the most marginalized and excluded communities.
Funding Level & Notes
Grants range in size, with most grants awarded being in the range £10,000 to £30,000.
The AB Charitable Trust is happy to provide funding for core costs.
Organisations working in their priority areas are often underfunded and overstretched. They give unrestricted multiyear funding when they can, and work with partners to identify gaps and opportunities to bring about change.
Their largest funding stream is the open programme. While special initiatives and the anchor programme are by invitation, organisations funded through these streams are sometimes already known to through through applications to the open programme.
Eligibility for Open Programme
To be eligible, your organisation will:
- Have a mission, aims and objectives aligned with one of their four priority areas. This must be either the sole focus, or the majority of your work and they are unlikely to fund organisations with a broader remit. If your work is broader, please contact them before applying.
- Be registered as a UK charity, delivering work in the UK
- Have an annual income between £150k and £1.5m (this applies to the most recent signed accounts and the two subsequent financial years - this would include draft figures and forecasts). See their FAQs for more detail
- Have operated for at least a year and be able to provide a full year’s audited or independently examined accounts.
See each priority area for further details.