Civil Liberties Trust
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Most of the Trust's giving goes to Liberty, a national membership organisation, so an approach is weakest where Liberty could carry out the same work itself.
- Other organisations can apply if their proposal fits the Trust's missions and values and could not be performed by Liberty, and the Trust accepts applications on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline to work to.
- The sources do not state a grant range or a typical grant size, so a request should be tied to one specific piece of work rather than a general contribution.
- Organisations whose activities fall outside the Trust's objects or are not charitable should not apply.
- Its stated priority is the United Kingdom, and its public benefit is stated to extend throughout the country.
Overview
Civil Liberties Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1024948).
The Civil Liberties Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, set up to promote human rights and civil liberties throughout the United Kingdom. It principally furthers its objects by providing grant funding to Liberty, a national membership organisation campaigning for human rights and civil liberties. Its stated purposes also include the relief of poverty through legal advice, assistance and representation to members of the public. According to the annual report, its annual giving was £2,209,271.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Trust promotes human rights and civil liberties through research, policy work, litigation, education and advice. Its principal giving supports charitable work carried out by a national membership organisation campaigning for human rights and civil liberties, including information, research, publications, advice and legal services. Its stated public benefit extends throughout the United Kingdom. It would consider applications from other organisations where proposals fit its missions and values and cannot be performed by the organisation it principally funds. Its funded campaigning has addressed threats to the UK’s commitments to the European Convention on Human Rights, racism in policing, protest, mass surveillance and tech, the criminalisation of poverty, and trans rights.
Themes
- Human rights
- Civil liberties
- Research
- Policy work
- Litigation
- Education
- Legal services
Geographic Focus
Priority: United Kingdom.
What they don't fund
- Proposals that do not fit with the missions and values of CLT
- Proposals that could be performed by Liberty
- Activities outside the objects of CLT
- Non-charitable activities
How to apply
The Trust says it would accept applications from other organisations where the proposal fits its missions and values and could not be performed by Liberty.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- United Kingdom
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Civil Liberties Trust.
Grants
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Other grants to Liberty charitable campaigning£1,942,271year to 31 December 2025
- Grants to Liberty's core charitable work£267,000year to 31 December 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £2,401,307 | £1,811,888 | £1,625,624 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £2,385,941 | £2,192,904 | £1,965,947 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £1,819,239 | £1,949,815 | £1,745,637 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £2,730,418 | £2,662,501 | £2,380,329 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £2,467,911 | £2,467,007 | £2,209,271 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- libertyhumanrights.org.uk/about-us/civil-liberties-trust · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
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Applying to Civil Liberties Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required