The Barrow Cadbury Trust grants: what they fund and how to apply
The Barrow Cadbury Trust is an independent social justice funder focused on racial, gender, criminal and economic justice. It sees itself as a change-maker rather than a grant-maker, funding strategic, systems-change work in partnership through three programmes: Criminal Justice, Migration and Economic Justice. It is highly selective and not a general community funder.
What the Barrow Cadbury Trust funds
The Trust works to change the root causes of injustice, with an enduring commitment to racial, gender, criminal and economic justice. It concentrates on three programmes — Criminal Justice, Migration and Economic Justice — alongside cross-cutting racial justice funding and initiatives such as Fair by Design, which tackles the “poverty premium” (the extra costs people on low incomes pay for essentials). It funds systemic and policy change: research, campaigning, alliances, convening and influencing, often over long time horizons, and centres the voices of people with lived experience. It is not a funder of general community activity or direct service delivery.
How much you can apply for
The Trust does not publish a fixed grant range. It describes its resources as relatively modest compared with some peers, and it works catalytically — combining funding with social investment, board service, convening and influence, rather than relying on large grants. To gauge the amounts it awards, look at its published grants on 360Giving or its annual accounts.
Who can apply
The Trust works with organisations whose work aligns strategically with its programmes and goals — typically those influencing policy and systems rather than delivering local services. It expects strong governance, good financial management, and a clear explanation of how your work links to its aims. Its Economic Justice programme is Birmingham-only, while Criminal Justice and Migration work nationally. If you are a small charity seeking project or running-cost funding, this is unlikely to be the right funder.
Deadlines and rounds
There is no fixed deadline. You submit a funding enquiry at any time, and if it is accepted you are invited to submit a full application, with a decision taking up to about four months. Importantly, individual programmes periodically close to unsolicited applications and may only invite work on specific strands. As of 10 Jul 2026, the Criminal Justice programme is not open to unsolicited applications and the Migration programme is temporarily closed (both are proactively selecting partners instead); the Economic Justice programme’s page did not state a closure. Always check the current status of the programme that fits your work before enquiring, as this changes. (Verified directly on barrowcadbury.org.uk 10 Jul 2026.)
How to apply
- Read the programme guidance (Criminal Justice, Migration or Economic Justice) and check it is open to enquiries.
- Submit a funding enquiry through the Trust’s “Applying for funding” page, showing how your work links to its strategic goals.
- If your enquiry is accepted, you will be invited to submit a full application.
Start here: barrowcadbury.org.uk applying for funding. The Trust is an IVAR flexible funder and publishes its grants to 360Giving.
Tips
- Only approach the Trust if your work is about changing systems and policy, not delivering local services — it is explicit that it is a change-maker, not a general grant-maker.
- Check the specific programme’s status first; programmes close to unsolicited applications at times — as of 10 Jul 2026, both Criminal Justice and Migration were closed to unsolicited applications.
- For Economic Justice, you must be working in and for Birmingham.
- Show strong governance, sound finances, and a clear link to the Trust’s strategic aims and lived-experience focus.
Official source and last updated
Source: The Barrow Cadbury Trust website (barrowcadbury.org.uk), model-of-working and applying-for-funding pages, checked 10 July 2026. Last updated: July 2026. Check the relevant programme page for its current status before enquiring.
Recent grants
[Placeholder — the theme renders recent grants from 360Giving (the Trust is a 360Giving publisher; charity 1115476).]
Similar funders
[The theme auto-lists similar funders. For social-justice and systems-change funding you may point to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Trust for London — both confirmed as real, currently active UK funders (verified 10 Jul 2026). Note: the /charities/social-justice/ cause-page slug below does not currently exist live — see Fact Table.]
Check if your charity is eligible for funders like this — CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder matches your charity to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each. → /grant-finder/
Frequently asked questions
It funds work on social justice — with an enduring commitment to racial, gender, criminal and economic justice. It concentrates on three programmes: Criminal Justice, Migration and Economic Justice, plus cross-cutting racial justice and initiatives like Fair by Design (tackling the poverty premium). It funds systemic and policy change — research, campaigning, alliances and influencing — rather than direct service delivery or general community activity.
Usually not. The Trust is a strategic, systems-change funder that works closely with partners on long-term policy and structural change, not a general community grant-maker. It expects strong governance and financial management and a clear link to its strategic goals. If your work is local service delivery rather than influencing systems, it is unlikely to be the right funder — look elsewhere.
There is no fixed deadline. You submit a funding enquiry at any time through the Trust's website; if it is accepted, you are invited to submit a full application, and a decision can take up to about four months. Some programmes are closed to unsolicited applications at times and only invite specific work, so check the current status of the relevant programme first.
Yes. The Trust's Economic Justice programme focuses on Birmingham, supporting work that enables economically marginalised people to influence local economic decisions, through campaigning, activism and building alternative models. This reflects the Trust's long-standing Birmingham roots. Its Criminal Justice and Migration programmes work at a national level rather than being tied to one place.
The Trust does not publish a fixed grant range. It describes its resources as relatively modest compared with some peers, and achieves change by combining funding with social investment, convening and influence rather than large grants alone. To get a sense of the amounts it awards, look at its published grants on 360Giving or its annual accounts.