GrantRadar

The A B Charitable Trust

The Human Rights Framework (Open Programme)

The A B Charitable Trust's Open Programme funds small to medium UK registered charities whose work is wholly or mainly about upholding, enhancing and implementing the UK's human rights protection framework as a whole, defending civic space and holding the Government to account. It funds campaigning, advocacy and influencing, legal and narrative change work across the whole framework, but not single-issue or single-right campaigns or human rights work focused on particular groups. Grants are usually £10,000 to £40,000 a year for one to four years, mostly unrestricted (core costs are welcome), for charities with annual income between £150k and £1.5m. The next deadline is 23 October 2026, with further quarterly deadlines in January and April 2027.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£10,000 – £40,000
Closes in
5 days left
23 October
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • UK registered charities only: registered with the Charity Commission (England and Wales), OSCR (Scotland) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, and delivering work in the UK
  • Your mission, aims and objectives must align with one of the trust's four priority areas (The Human Rights Framework, Access to Justice, The Criminal Legal System and Penal Reform, Migrants and Refugees), and this must be the sole focus or the majority of your work; the trust is unlikely to fund organisations with a broader remit and asks you to contact it before applying if your work is broader
  • Annual income must be between £150k and £1.5m, and this applies to your most recent signed accounts and the two subsequent financial years (including draft figures and forecasts); if you are slightly under on one of those years, contact the team to explore whether an application could be accepted
  • You must have operated for at least a year and be able to provide a full year's audited or independently examined accounts
  • Projects within a larger charity, and subsidiaries of larger 'parent' charities, are considered case by case (the whole organisation must meet the criteria) but are unusually prioritised
  • University legal clinics are generally not accepted (invitation only)
  • Organisations whose constitution includes the promotion or advancement of religion, or whose work promotes religion, are not eligible
  • Organisations can hold only one Open Programme grant at a time, and declined applicants can reapply 12 months after their application date
  • The trust's Special Initiatives and Anchor Programme are by invitation only; this record covers the Open Programme, which anyone eligible can apply to

What it funds

To support a robust legal and policy framework that protects and upholds human rights in the UK, covering the framework as a whole:

  • Advocacy and campaigning around human rights legislation and its application in the UK
  • Legal representation and litigation for victims of human rights abuses
  • Supporting individuals, communities and statutory bodies to understand their human rights
  • Work to defend civic space and hold the Government to account around human rights protections
  • Narrative change work
  • By exception, organisations that support an enabling environment for human rights (a small, narrowly defined proportion of grants; contact the trust before applying under this strand)
  • Core costs and unrestricted funding (project funding with a budget is also possible)

What it will not fund

  • Individuals
  • The promotion of religion
  • Capital appeals
  • Academic research
  • Charities working outside the UK
  • Organisations that are not registered charities
  • Projects or legal clinics within universities (generally not accepted; invitation only)
  • Single issue or single right campaigning work (e.g. work around freedom of expression)
  • Human rights work focused on particular groups or communities (e.g. organisations supporting the human rights of women), unless captured by the trust's other priorities

How to apply

  1. Read the four-step guidance for your chosen priority on the trust's website (Eligibility, What we fund, Statistics, Making the application)
  2. Check your eligibility using the trust's online eligibility steps; if you are unsure, or your work is broader than the priority areas, contact the team on 020 7243 9486 or mail@abcharitabletrust.org.uk before applying
  3. Download the Grant Application Questions and Guidance PDF to prepare your answers in advance
  4. Choose one priority to apply under (if your work spans more than one, choose the most appropriate; this does not affect your chances)
  5. Complete the online application form (about four pages) and attach your supporting documents in the final session before submitting
  6. Submit by the application deadline: 23 October 2026 (decisions January 2027); later deadlines are 29 January 2027 (decisions April 2027) and 30 April 2027 (decisions July 2027)
  7. Applications are checked for eligibility, then go through a two-stage longlisting by the ABCT team, then a shortlisting meeting with two Board Members
  8. Shortlisted applications get a more in-depth review, including a phone call or meeting, before decision at the Grants Committee

You do not specify a grant amount on the form; if your application progresses you can explain to the grant manager if you seek a particular amount.

The form can be saved and resumed via a link within 30 days, but attachments are not saved between sessions; keep copies locally.

Only complete applications through the online form are accepted, though it is sometimes possible to apply by email if you have difficulties with the online form.

If a grant is offered, details of the grant and your organisation are published as open data via 360Giving.

Have ready

  • Completed online application form (organisation details, funding request and financial information)
  • A Word/PDF document of 2 to 2½ pages about your work (background, aims and objectives, activities and achievements, who you work with, values and approach); existing material such as your annual report narrative can be reused
  • Latest certified accounts, signed by the Trustees and the auditor/independent examiner
  • Draft accounts/final figures for your most recent financial year if signed accounts are not available
  • Forecast/projected income, expenditure and surplus/deficit for the current financial year
  • Governing document/constitution
  • Safeguarding policy

If you want restricted/project funding, include a project budget; no budget is needed for unrestricted funding. If your financial year ends within the next 4 months, also provide projections for the following financial year.

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