Financial Fairness Trust

£10k - £200k grants available. We fund research, campaigning and policy work to contribute towards strategic change which improves financial well-being in the UK. Our funding programmes focus on income, spending and assets.

More specifically the work we support examines and promotes measures to:

• Increase incomes for those on low-to-middle incomes.

• Ensure people have an adequate safety net, building savings and assets.

• Reduce the cost of living, making sure those on lower incomes are not paying more.

• Address issues related to spending and borrowing, particularly where it becomes problematic.

Our key objectives are to:

• Fund strategic work, including policy work, campaigning and research, which has the potential to improve financial well-being at a national scale.

• Develop partnerships, encouraging collaborative working and a more joined-up approach, convening where we can add value.

• Share learning, knowledge and evidence widely, becoming a key organisation working in the field.

Each year we intend to award over £2 million in funding. We aim to be an open and engaged funder that offers more than money, working closely and in partnership with those we fund.

Who can apply

We fund organisations undertaking charitable activities. You don’t need to be a registered charity. Organisations we fund must have a governing body with at least three non-executive directors/trustees (at least three who are not employees of the organisation or affiliated to it in any other way). We will fund a wide range of organisations including voluntary organisations, think tanks, campaigning groups, research bodies and universities.

We are also able to partner with other funders, government, employers and regulators in jointly funding relevant work.

Eligible expenditure

We will fund a range of strategic work. This is work that benefits more than individuals and has the potential to benefit large numbers of people within the UK. This work must aim to create a step change in policy, practice, attitudes and/or behaviour. It includes policy work, campaigning, research, public attitudinal work, and improving practice and design.

We are interested in funding issues, where we can add value. In particular, where there is limited funding available and there is a clear niche for the Foundation. We do not fund direct delivery of services for individual beneficiaries, unless this is testing and evaluating a new approach which has significant potential to lead to wider change and be of benefit for many people. We will also fund evaluations of existing initiatives that have not been evaluated.

Funding will usually be for a specific project and sometimes for on-going costs. This includes staff salaries and overheads. We encourage organisations to include a reasonable amount of core costs to cover their overheads when they apply for funding. See our website for examples of projects we are funding, however please be aware that we are unlikely to fund a project which is very similar to something we are already funding.

How to apply

Outline application

To apply you need to submit an outline application. Details of this are on pages 15-16 and an electronic template is also available to download from our website. This should be emailed to:

applications@financialfairness.org.uk

Closing dates

• 5th June

Applications must be received by 1pm on the closing date.

You may submit your application at an earlier date, but it will not be considered until the next closing date. Please check our website in case there have been any alterations to the closing dates.

Shortlisting

Once a closing date has passed we will read and consider all the applications we have received. On some occasions we may contact you for further clarification regarding your proposed work.

We will contact you within two months of the relevant closing date to let you know whether you have been shortlisted. Please avoid contacting us during this period to find out about your application as this takes up our time and resources. We aim to provide feedback if your application is unsuccessful.

If you are shortlisted you will be contacted by us to discuss your application in more detail. We will aim to meet you in person but this will not always be possible and on occasion this will be via telephone or video conference. If we visit, an additional member of staff or one of our trustees may also attend.

The visit will normally be at the place where you deliver your activities, but we may ask you to come to our offices in Edinburgh or London. We normally ask to meet with the main person who will be involved in the proposed work, the person leading the organisation and a relevant trustee.

The discussion will explore your application in more detail, focussing on the work of your organisation and the project you are seeking funding for. We aim to offer constructive advice and support to help you put your best application forward and address any key issues. It’s important to remember that not all organisations that we visit will receive funding.

Full application

If we agree to take forward your proposal, we will ask you to complete a full application. This will be based on your original submission but gives you an opportunity to make further changes. We will ask for more information about your organisation and project for which you are seeking funding. Details of how to complete the full application will be sent to you and discussed at the visit.

For more information, and to apply, visit: https://www.financialfairness.org.uk/en/funding