Transparency, accountability and the protection of rights
We have revised our Fairer Systems funding guidelines below to reflect our wider charitable objects.
We fund charitable work that supports the sound development and administration of the law in a way which promotes transparency, accountability and the protection of human rights, including economic and social rights. This means that we fund organisations that hold government institutions and policy-makers to account to exercise power in the interests of communities and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms.
In recent years, the UK has been undergoing rapid legislative changes with significant impact on rights and the constitutional framework.
We work closely with civil society actors who work towards improving human rights protections and access to justice. We do this across the UK with organisations aiming to influence national, devolved and local governments. We particularly value community-led and lived experience-led approaches.
For an overview of all LEF grants, you can see our
360 Giving page. Past grants under Fairer Systems have focused on a wide range of policy activities including longer term work on: the UK’s constitutional settlement in the four nations of the UK, human rights developments, and community-led organising around specific rights or on access to justice more broadly.
In shortlisting, we will prioritise organisations with key qualities that we value. Read more about ‘
how we prioritise applications’.
We can fund most operating expenses including:
- Staff costs, whether new or existing posts
- Direct costs such as travel, subsistence or events
- Overheads
- Small capital items such as IT equipment
We are interested in the outcomes you would like to achieve and a broad pathway to getting there, so the grants we make under this programme are flexible. We encourage organisations to include a reasonable overhead contribution.
We welcome applications based on collaboration between organisations. We also recognise the valuable role of second-tier organisations (which provide support to other organisations, rather than to individuals).
Work with policy-makers needs to operate within the Charity Commission
guidance on campaigning and political activity by charities.
If you would like to apply for a grant, please use the buttons below to read about how we prioritise applications, what we will not fund, and the application process.
If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to arrange a time to speak to one of our grants team. Please contact us.
