Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust

Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust grants

Grants from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust (JRRT), a non-charitable funder, for research, advocacy and campaigns that strengthen UK democracy and tackle political inequality at national level. Its five priorities are money in politics, voter participation and election system reform, political rights (free expression and protest), disinformation, and checks and balances. Small grants of up to £10,000 can be applied for at any time; larger grants go to quarterly rounds (the average application in 2024 was £54,000, and grants over the last five years ranged from a few thousand pounds to around £300k). JRRT prefers to fund organisations that are not charities and does not accept unsolicited applications from charities: a charity must contact JRRT first.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £10,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Organisations of any legal type working UK-wide for change at national level (for example unincorporated associations, companies and community interest companies); JRRT says there is no legal restriction on whom it can fund
It favours small and medium-sized organisations that struggle to get funding elsewhere because of the challenging nature of their work, and says most grants go to small and medium-sized campaigning organisations
As a non-charitable funder it prefers organisations that are not charities: it does not accept unsolicited applications from charities or for work that could be funded charitably, so a charity must contact JRRT before working on an application
Individual campaigners or researchers need a host organisation
Organisations based outside the UK are only considered if the work is wholly UK-focused
Posts it funds should pay at least the real Living Wage
Successful applicants need an organisational bank account (or a hosting arrangement)

What it funds

Research, advocacy and campaigns that improve the resilience of UK democracy, including short to medium-term policy or legislative goals and work laying the foundations for deeper system reform, under five priorities:

Money in politics: tightening rules on political giving and transparency, exposing abuses, curbing cash for honours, scrutinising gifts, second jobs and improper lobbying, and building an alternative system of political finance
Voter participation and election system reform: Automatic Voter Registration, Votes at 16 and wider franchise extension, countering voter suppression, and raising registration and turnout of low-voting groups
Political rights: protecting freedom of assembly and expression and the right to protest, and ensuring the policing of protest is proportionate and accountable
Disinformation: monitoring and regulating bots, deepfakes and paid fake commentators, penalties for officials who spread disinformation, platform regulation, and tools that help citizens judge information
Checks and balances: electoral integrity and Electoral Commission independence, parliamentary scrutiny of the executive, independent public appointments, effective inquiries, and a functioning freedom of information regime
Work to monitor, expose and hold accountable bad actors, where it is part of an application under one of the priorities above
Staffing (at the real Living Wage or above), day-rate posts and consultants, direct project costs such as printing, venue hire and travel, and a proportion of overheads

JRRT particularly welcomes applications at the intersection of racial justice and democracy.

Most grants are project funding. Multiyear and core funding is ordinarily by invitation; contact JRRT first before an unsolicited core or multiyear application.

What it will not fund

Organisations based outside the UK, unless the application's focus is wholly within the UK and satisfactory due diligence can be done
Individual campaigners or researchers without a host organisation
Local campaign groups without clear national impact
Work that has already taken place
Legal fees or costs
Personal support for individuals in need
Educational bursaries
General appeals
Unsolicited applications from charities, or for work that can be funded from charitable sources
Contingency or unallocated budget amounts
Unlikely to fund (contact JRRT first): academic research without clear campaign impact; movement building; films, podcasts, theatre productions or other arts-based projects

How to apply

Read What we fund, What we don't fund and the JRRT Democracy Priorities Funding Guide 2025, and check the Important dates if asking for more than £10,000
Email an outline proposal (maximum two sides of A4, Word or Open Doc) to info@jrrt.org.uk giving your organisation's name and legal status (with company number if any), the amount and duration, and what you want to do, why and what you aim to change; JRRT aims to reply within three working days on whether you can proceed
If given the go-ahead, write a full application of up to six pages using the 'Writing your JRRT application' headings, plus a budget on JRRT's template; the Programme Manager (Grants) gives feedback on drafts
Once the Programme Manager has approved your final application and budget, submit it through the online form on the 'Apply online to JRRT' page (do not submit before you have explicit permission)
For grants over £10,000, you may be invited (within two weeks of the closing date) to a 35-minute Zoom meeting with three directors; this is not a decision meeting and not everyone is invited

Grants of £10,000 or less can be applied for at any time. Larger grants follow quarterly deadlines: outline by 10am Mon 2 Nov 2026 and final application by 10am Mon 9 Nov 2026 (decisions 11 Dec 2026); then outline 8 Feb / final 15 Feb 2027; outline 17 May / final 24 May 2027; outline 23 Aug / final 31 Aug 2027; outline 1 Nov / final 8 Nov 2027. Outline deadlines are indicative, so send yours well ahead.

Charities, and anyone planning a core, multiyear or much-larger-than-average (£54,000) request, should contact JRRT before starting an application.

Access support (for example a Personal Assistant or Sign Language Interpreter) is available to blind, deaf, disabled and neurodivergent applicants, with an Access Payment of up to £500.

Have ready

Outline proposal (up to two sides of A4)
Full written application (up to six pages of A4)
Grant budget on JRRT's budget template
Most recent annual report or accounts
CV, if applying as an individual

The online form also asks for organisation details, legal status and registration number, board or steering group details, campaign title, summary and outcomes, grant dates and length, and whether you pay the real Living Wage.

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