Funding decisions explained: Access to Justice – Round One

We received a high number of strong applications for the first round of Access to Justice. In total, 181 organisations applied, and with a budget of £6.5 million, we expect to make up to 25 grants.

Every application was reviewed by at least two assessors, with decisions agreed at a panel meeting involving the Programme Lead and Associate Directors. 

This page explains the most common reasons applications were not taken forward. We hope this helps organisations understand our approach and prepare for future rounds 

In some cases, we could not confirm that core programme eligibility requirements were met. This may relate to:

• benefit to Londoners
• safeguarding or governance requirements
• financial information or organisational structure
• advice quality or accreditation requirements
• fit with the focus of this funding round 

For Access to Justice, organisations must demonstrate that they are genuinely led by and for the communities they serve. Where governance, leadership representation, or accountability to the community was unclear or not sufficiently evidenced, applications could not be prioritised in this round. 

This funding programme prioritises organisations that provide free social welfare advice, or that take a casework approach to supporting people to access specialist advice.

Applications describing primarily signposting, information only support, workshops, or activity without ongoing casework were less likely to be taken forward.only support, workshops, or activity without ongoing casework were less likely to be taken forward. 

We looked for evidence that advice is delivered to an appropriate standard, such as holding a recognised quality assurance mark or demonstrating clear progress towards one.

Where this was not evidenced, applications were less likely to be progressed. 

We look for organisations that use their frontline advice experience to influence systems, policy, or practice, addressing the root causes of injustice as well as immediate need.

For Transformation Funding applications where social action or systems change activity was at a very early stage, unclear, or not demonstrated, applications were not prioritised. 

In a small number of cases, the information provided in the application raised questions about organisational capacity, quality assurance, or potential risks, and we were therefore unable to take these applications forward.

Because we award a limited number of grants, we sometimes need to prioritise some applications and not others in order to:

• maintain a balanced portfolio across communities, geographies and advice topics
• avoid duplication of funded activity
• ensure reach across London

This means that some strong and eligible applications could not be progressed in this funding round. 

Here are a few things that organisations may find helpful when preparing a future application:

• Booking a pre-application call
• Attending or watching the programme webinar in full
• Reading the Funding Guidelines in full
• Using the sample application form to prepare responses
• Clearly describing your advice model and how casework is delivered
• Showing how lived experience shapes leadership and decision making
• Explaining how insights from advice work contribute to social action or systems change

We will continue to update this page over time as the funding programme evolves and we learn from each new round.