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Pro Bono Costs Orders
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Pro Bono Costs Orders
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Pro Bono Costs Orders

Our Grants

Grants support the provision of legal advice and representation

Grants rounds

The Trustees generally expect to hold two grants rounds a year with deadlines in May and September. Each round will be announced on our website. The trustees may also exercise their discretion to distribute funds outside of these grants rounds on an invitation only basis.

May deadline: The Foundation will usually consider applications from national infrastructure organisations and for strategic projects that may lead to national developments.

September deadline: Applications will usually be accepted directly from local organisations to support local or regional provision of services or the establishment of new services where none exists. The Foundation will work closely with the appropriate Legal Support Trust(s) to ensure the Foundation maintains its strategic focus.

  • Grants Criteria
  • Distribution Principles
  • Final Application Checks

Our Criteria

Our grants round for national projects is now closed. 

Distribution Principles

Please note that these distribution principles are subject to the discretion of the trustees and may be changed at any time. The trustees do not accept any duty or liability to any person seeking funding.

What we look for:

  • The Trustees will only consider requests for funding from organisations which provide, organise or facilitate the provision of legal advice or assistance provided free of charge to people who are in charitable need.
  • The Trustees may also provide funding to organisations which further access to justice more broadly.
  • The Foundation will not fund individual litigation (including disbursements).
  • Pro bono work is not a substitute for legal aid. The Foundation will not provide funding for services for which public funding is available.
  • Engagement in and involvement with existing local advice communities.

Specific criteria will be published on the website for each grants round.

Final Application Checks

  • You have submitted your request for funding in the format set out within the Grants Criteria
  • You have submitted your application in advance of the relevant deadline published on the Foundation’s website.
  • You have provided any additional information requested, for example annual accounts.
  • You have read our distribution principles available here.

NOTES:

  1. The Foundation is primarily established to provide “financial and other support (including such financial support as is envisaged by section 194 of the Legal Services Act 2007 as amended or re-enacted from time to time) to persons who provide, or organise or facilitate the provision of, legal advice or assistance (by way of representation or otherwise) which is free of charge (that is, otherwise than for or in expectation of fee, gain or reward) and which is provided directly or indirectly to people who are in need of such advice or assistance by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage”. (Memorandum of Association paragraph 3.1)
  2. The Foundation is secondarily established to promote “such other purposes aimed at improving access to justice being exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales as the Trustees may from time to time determine”. (Memorandum of Association paragraph 3.2)
  3. Monies received from a pro bono costs order may only be applied “to provide financial support to persons who provide, or organise or facilitate the provision of, legal advice or assistance (by way of representation or otherwise) which is free of charge”. (Section 194(10) Legal Services Act 2007, and Memorandum of Association paragraph 3.1)
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About us

The Access to Justice Foundation, PO Box 64162, London WC2A 9AN. enquiries@atjf.org.uk

The Access to Justice Foundation is a company limited by guarantee (No. 6714178) and a Registered Charity in England and Wales (No. 1126147) and Scotland (no.(No. SC048584). Registered office: The National Pro Bono Centre, 48 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1JF.