Trust for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

The Trust for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, an independent UK charity (registered number 1179275) established in 2018 by supporters including founding donors David and Elaine Potter, exists to sustain the charitable mission of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Chaired by Sir David Bell, it promotes high-impact investigative reporting that strengthens democracy, holds power accountable, and fosters public understanding and civic participation. Guided by values of independence, integrity, and public good, the Trust uniquely safeguards editorial independence while funding journalism that exposes corruption, malfeasance, power abuse, public policy failures, and issues affecting civil society or vulnerable groups, such as human rights, migration, health, environment, and global crises like Yemen abuses or Ukraine coverage.

It supports evidence-based projects, core funding, and capacity building for not-for-profit media and charitable organisations, benefiting the UK public and global communities by enabling charities and civil society to drive advocacy and systemic change. Beneficiaries include established medium-to-large entities with proven investigative capacity, focusing on UK-wide and international stories of public interest.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, with no geographic base restrictions but a preference for organisations demonstrating scale and impact; unsolicited applications are not accepted, as funding is directed at the Bureau and select strategic partners at Trustees' discretion, without deadlines, open calls, or published processes. Typical grants range from £25,000 to £300,000 for major projects.

Distinctively, the Trust avoids general media grants, capital, or emergency funding, prioritising mission-aligned work that sparks debate and reform without influencing content, setting it apart as a specialist funder for democracy-enhancing journalism.