A B Charitable Trust grants
The A B Charitable Trust is a national grant-maker giving around £8.3m to charities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in its latest year, with a typical grant of £20,000.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
The A B Charitable Trust is a family foundation that gave around £8.3m in grants to organisations in its latest year, on an income of around £8.8m. It supports work promoting human dignity and defending the human rights of marginalised and excluded people, funding registered charities throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its Open Programme typically awards grants of £10,000 to £40,000 a year, for periods of one to three years.
What they fund
The A B Charitable Trust supports general charitable purposes, with a particular focus on human dignity and the human rights of marginalised and excluded people.
Who and where
It funds other charities and voluntary bodies throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Who they help
Where they fund
What A B Charitable Trust says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
Who they say they'll fund
“Open programme grants can only be made to charities registered in the UK with either the Charity Commission (England and Wales), OSCR (Scotland) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
“A B Charitable Trust promotes human dignity and defends the human rights of marginalised and excluded people.”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
What they say they won't fund
“We generally do not accept applications from projects/legal clinics within universities. Where this is the case, it is via invitation only”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
“A B Charitable Trust does not fund 'the promotion of religion'”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
Grant sizes they mention
“Open Programme grants are usually between £10,000 to £40,000 per year”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
Income limits they mention
“be under the upper threshold of £1.5 million”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
“For our open programme we require three year's financial information, all three years need to be showing a minimum income of £150,000”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
Deadlines they mention
“The next application deadline is: 24th July 2026”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
How they say to apply
“are awarded from one to three years”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
“If your application is declined, then you can send in a new application for consideration 12 months following your application date.”
Source: abcharitabletrust.org.uk — The A B Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making organisation →
What a typical grant looks like
| Typical (median) grant | £20,000 |
|---|---|
| Middle half of grants | £10,000 – £25,000 |
| Grants published openly | 2,052 |
| Most recent published grant | 2026 |
Recent grants
- ClinksAn unrestricted grant of £65,000 (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 5 years). Clinks promotes, supports and represents the voluntary sector by working with people in the criminal legal system and their families.£65,000April 2026
- OasisAn unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 3 years). Oasis Cardiff whose vision is that all people seeking sanctuary who come to Wales have a warm Welsh welcome and get everything they need to thrive.£30,000April 2026
- Maternity ActionAn unrestricted grant of £30,000 (Year 3 of 3). Maternity Action UK advocates for the rights of pregnant women, new mothers, and their families by providing expert advice, support, and campaigning for better workplace policies and protections.£30,000April 2026
- Derbyshire Law CentreAn unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 3 years). Derbyshire Law Centre provides legal advice, casework, and representation to people across the county in the areas of housing, homelessness, employment, debt, immigration, and discrimination law.£30,000April 2026
- AsylosA restricted grant of £30,000 towards work in the UK (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 3 years). Asylos conducts country-of-origin information (COI) research for asylum cases to ensure that asylum decisions are both fair and evidence based by providing people seeking asylum and their advisors access to quality information.£30,000April 2026
- Legal Services AgencyAn unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 3 years). Legal Services Agency provides legal advice and representation, including in mental health and housing to people based in Glasgow.£30,000April 2026
From grants A B Charitable Trust publishes openly via 360Giving (the UK open grants-data standard), used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
Such charitable purposes and to make donations to such charitable institution or institutions at such time or times and in such manner as the trustees may in their absolute discretion think fit
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does the A B Charitable Trust typically give?
Based on 2,052 recorded grants, the typical (median) award from the A B Charitable Trust is £20,000, with the middle half of grants ranging from £10,000 to £25,000. Its Open Programme usually gives between £10,000 and £40,000 per year, for one to three years.
What does the A B Charitable Trust fund?
The A B Charitable Trust supports general charitable purposes, with a particular focus on promoting human dignity and defending the human rights of marginalised and excluded people.
Who can apply to the A B Charitable Trust?
Its Open Programme is open only to charities registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR (Scotland), or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Applicants need three years of financial information showing an income of at least £150,000, and an income below £1.5 million.
What won't the A B Charitable Trust fund?
The trust generally does not fund projects or legal clinics based within universities, except by invitation, and does not fund the promotion of religion.
How do I apply to the A B Charitable Trust?
Applications go through the trust's own website (abcharitabletrust.org.uk); its Charity Commission number is 1000147. Deadlines change - one past example was 24 July 2026, with decisions the following October - so check the current date on the funder's site. If an application is declined, applicants can reapply 12 months after the original application date.
Is your charity a fit for A B Charitable Trust?
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with A B Charitable Trust.