Children On The Edge

Charity Number: 1101441

Annual Expenditure: £0.5M
Geographic Focus: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Lebanon, Romania, Thailand, Uganda

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £530,888 (grants to organizations, 2024-25)
  • Total Income: £1.87 million (2024-25)
  • Geographic Focus: International (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Uganda, Afghanistan)
  • Children Supported: 15,500+
  • Application Process: No public application process - partnership-based model
  • Founded: 1990

Contact Details

Address: 5 The Victoria, 25 St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LT

Phone: 01243 538530

Email: communications@childrenontheedge.org

Website: https://childrenontheedge.org

Overview

Children on the Edge, founded in 1990 by Rachel Bentley OBE and Dame Anita Roddick, is a UK-based international development charity that makes grants to local partner organizations delivering education and protection programs for marginalized children. Operating in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Uganda, and Afghanistan, the organization distributed £530,888 in grants during 2024-25, supporting over 15,500 children through local implementing partners.

The charity's distinctive approach focuses on working “on the edge” - in places where cameras do not click, where many aid agencies do not venture, and where children facing hardship and discrimination are overlooked. With over 35 years of experience, the organization has pioneered more than 30 community-led programs across 18 countries, raising over £20 million.

In 2020, their digital education program won the Lenovo Tech4Good Education Award, and in 2022, founder Rachel Bentley was awarded an OBE for services to the protection and education of marginalized children worldwide. The organization has received multiple years of support from People's Postcode Lottery and emphasizes flexible, unrestricted funding to enable local partners to innovate and respond to emerging needs.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Children on the Edge makes grants to local partner organizations rather than offering open grant programs. They fund implementing partners to deliver:

  • Education Programs: Early childhood development, refugee education, digital learning initiatives, education for marginalized groups (e.g., Dalit children in India)
  • Child Protection Programs: Child Protection Teams, Child Friendly Spaces, safeguarding initiatives
  • Emergency Response: Humanitarian support in active conflict zones, support for displaced populations

Grant amounts are not publicly specified but are based on program needs and long-term partnership relationships.

Priority Areas

Geographic Priorities:

  • Bangladesh (including Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar)
  • India (particularly Bihar State - Dalit communities)
  • Myanmar (Kachin and Kayah States - internally displaced populations)
  • Uganda (urban slums in Jinja)
  • Afghanistan (conflict-affected communities)

Thematic Priorities:

  • Education access for children denied schooling due to conflict, displacement, caste, or marginalization
  • Digital learning solutions to overcome barriers (language, access, displacement)
  • Child protection in refugee camps, conflict zones, and slum communities
  • Early childhood development in crisis settings
  • Community-led, sustainable program design
  • Supporting “forgotten children” overlooked by larger organizations and governments

Types of Organizations Funded:

  • Local grassroots organizations with deep community understanding
  • Organizations led by people from the communities they serve
  • Partners willing to work on flexible, innovative approaches
  • Organizations working in challenging, high-risk environments

What They Don't Fund

Based on their stated approach, Children on the Edge does NOT fund:

  • Organizations without strong local community roots
  • Short-term, one-off projects
  • Programs not focused on marginalized or overlooked children
  • Organizations unable to work in challenging or high-risk environments
  • Programs that are not community-led or do not promote local ownership
  • Organizations outside their current geographic focus areas
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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Rachel Bentley OBE - Founder and Chief Executive

Co-founded Children on the Edge with Dame Anita Roddick in 1990. In her words: “I go wherever there are marginalised and oppressed people. That motivates me to do something. For the outsider, the person on the edge.” Awarded OBE in 2022 for services to the protection and education of marginalized children worldwide.

Board of Trustees

Stuart Gallimore (Chair) - Appointed 2013, retired Head of Children's Services for West and East Sussex County Councils

Paul David Suter - Appointed 2016, former Finance Director of Harwoods Ltd

Sarah Wickens - Appointed 2019, Director of Store Property

William Alexander Jones - Appointed 2019

The charity has 13 employees and 19 volunteers supporting the work of local partners across five countries.

How to Apply to Children On The Edge

How to Apply

Children on the Edge does not have a public application process. The organization identifies and develops long-term partnerships with local organizations based on strategic program priorities and community needs.

Rather than responding to unsolicited applications, Children on the Edge proactively seeks out grassroots organizations working with marginalized children in their target countries. Partnerships are built on:

  • Deep local community knowledge and relationships
  • Alignment with the organization's mission to serve overlooked children
  • Capacity to work in challenging, high-risk environments
  • Commitment to community-led, flexible approaches
  • Long-term sustainability vision

Organizations interested in exploring partnership possibilities may contact the organization at communications@childrenontheedge.org, though there is no guarantee that unsolicited inquiries will lead to funding partnerships.

Partnership Model

Children on the Edge emphasizes:

  • Long-term relationships: Partnerships develop over time, not through competitive application processes
  • Flexible, unrestricted funding: Enabling partners to innovate, test approaches, and respond to emerging needs
  • Community ownership: Supporting partners to work towards independence and sustainability
  • Collaborative design: Working hand-in-hand with partners to develop programs according to specific local needs

Application Success Factors

Since Children on the Edge does not accept open applications, success factors relate to what they look for in potential partner organizations:

Essential Characteristics:

  • Deep community roots: “Those living in the communities where they work are best positioned to identify needs, create the most effective innovations and maintain lasting change”
  • Focus on overlooked populations: Working with children others miss - refugees, internally displaced, marginalized by caste/ethnicity, in conflict zones
  • Willingness to work “on the edge”: In places where cameras don't click and larger agencies don't venture
  • Capacity for innovation: Able to pioneer new approaches and adapt to changing circumstances
  • Long-term commitment: Not seeking quick wins but sustainable, lasting change

Their Stated Values:

  • “We believe no one size fits all” - tailoring solutions to specific contexts
  • “We stay as long as it takes” - until communities feel empowered and equipped
  • Agility, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial spirit
  • Listening and collaborative program design
  • Building toward independence, not dependency

Known Partner Example:

Mukti Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) - Long-standing partnership delivering education to 7,500 Rohingya refugee children and 1,400 children in slum communities, pioneering digital learning solutions that won the 2020 Tech4Good Award.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Not an open grant-maker: Children on the Edge does not accept unsolicited applications. They proactively identify and develop partnerships with local organizations aligned with their mission.
  1. Focus on the truly marginalized: They specifically seek to support children overlooked by governments, larger organizations, and the media - refugees, internally displaced, marginalized by caste, in conflict zones.
  1. Long-term partnership model: Rather than project-based grants, they build multi-year relationships with local implementing partners who have deep community roots.
  1. Geographic specificity: Currently focused on Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Uganda, and Afghanistan. Organizations outside these countries are unlikely to be considered.
  1. Flexible funding approach: They actively promote unrestricted, flexible funding that allows partners to innovate and adapt rather than rigid, heavily earmarked grants.
  1. Community-led philosophy: They fund organizations led by people from the communities they serve, emphasizing local ownership and sustainability over international staff-heavy models.
  1. Willingness to take risks: They work in challenging, high-risk environments where larger agencies often won't venture, requiring partners with capacity to operate in these contexts.

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References

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