Civil Liberties Trust

The Civil Liberties Trust, established in 1993 as a registered UK charity, serves as a dedicated funding vehicle to advance human rights and civil liberties primarily in England and Wales, with occasional UK-wide reach. Created to support the charitable arm of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties), it enables Liberty's political campaigning while confining itself to lawful charitable activities like research, policy work, litigation, education, and legal advice. Its mission is to foster a society where rights are universally respected, emphasizing equality, rule of law, access to justice, and protection for the vulnerable through evidence-based efforts that eliminate infringements and drive systemic reform.

The Trust funds high-impact work addressing privacy and surveillance, freedom of expression, protest rights, equality and anti-discrimination, criminal justice, policing, immigration and detention, data protection, and challenges to unjust laws. It prioritizes beneficiaries at high risk—migrants, detainees, protesters, minority communities, and those facing discrimination or justice barriers—via strategic litigation (e.g., against mass surveillance or indefinite detention), research reports, public legal education, and advice services, all commissioned mainly through Liberty for broad national influence.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, though the Trust does not accept unsolicited applications and principally funds Liberty; rare exceptions require prior phone enquiry and Board review for work aligning closely with its mission that Liberty cannot undertake. No income thresholds are specified, but support targets established organizations delivering structural change. Typical grants are around £60,000 annually (e.g., £120,000 over two years recently), awarded via strategic/core commissioning with annual Board reviews in July and no fixed deadlines.

Distinctively, it offers no open rounds, project/capital/unrestricted grants, or funding outside Liberty-aligned strands, focusing exclusively on charitable public-benefit activities for lasting policy and legal impact rather than general sector support.