We always receive more applications than we are able to fund so we have to make difficult decisions to spend our funds as effectively as possible.

We use these overriding criteria in assessing applications:

• Degree of need – areas of societal need where law as tool to bring about positive change and to prevent harm is under-resourced and under-developed, and where the Foundation has a distinct role to play. We will also consider here the size and resources of the organisation applying.
• Degree of benefit – where the applicants have the potential to use the law to bring about significant positive change and/or to prevent harm in ways that are sustainable.

In deciding which applications to shortlist, we particularly value the following qualities in organisations:

1. Lived experience at the heart of strategy and leadership.
2. Accountability to communities served by the organisation.
3. Connections between everyday injustice and advocating for change (locally, regionally or nationally).
4. A commitment to learning, including a reflective approach to improving their own practice.
5. Supportive, inclusive environments for staff and volunteers.

We acknowledge that organisations have different approaches and definitions of lived experience. We expect to see organisations being thoughtful about how it is meaningfully incorporated in their area of work.