The A B Charitable Trust

The Criminal Legal System and Penal Reform (Open Programme)

The A B Charitable Trust's Open Programme funds small to medium UK registered charities working wholly or mainly with people in the criminal legal system, or at imminent risk of coming into contact with it, towards an equitable system focused on harm prevention, holistic support and rehabilitation. It funds services, policy advocacy and influencing, campaigning, narrative change, community organising and use of the law for social change, with particular interest in people at the sharpest end of sentencing (such as joint enterprise and IPP) and those subject to state injustice. 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. In 2024/25 this priority received 101 applications and made 21 grants; the next deadline is 23 October 2026, with further 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
For this priority your work should be with people within the criminal legal system or at imminent risk of contact with it, or supporting their resettlement, and the trust aims for impact on the most marginalised and excluded communities, particularly racialised communities
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

Work with individuals and communities who are in contact with the criminal legal system, or at imminent risk of coming into contact, particularly work focused on harm prevention, with a clear intent to bring about change and equity at the centre:

Organisations supporting individuals (and their families) within the criminal legal system at any stage, from prevention to police to courts and prison
Support for people upon release, to resettle successfully in the community
Organisations working with those on the sharpest end of sentencing (including joint enterprise and IPP)
Work with those subject to state injustice (such as miscarriages of justice, or deaths in custody)
Delivering services
Policy advocacy and influencing
Campaigning
Narrative change work
Community organising
Use of the law as a tool for social change, to address injustices at individual and systemic levels
Organisations actively working to promote a just and equitable system, and shining an independent light on the system and holding the state to account
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)

How to apply

Read the four-step guidance for this priority on the trust's website (Eligibility, What we fund, Statistics, Making the application)
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
Download the Grant Application Questions and Guidance PDF (linked from the Apply page) to prepare your answers in advance
Choose one priority to apply under (if your work spans more than one, choose the most appropriate; this does not affect your chances)
Complete the online application form (about four pages) and attach your supporting documents in the final session before submitting
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)
Applications are checked for eligibility, then go through a two-stage longlisting by the ABCT team, then a shortlisting meeting with two Board Members
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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