The Article 11 Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £227,782 (FY ending 31 March 2025)
• Success Rate: Not available
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Small grants programme (specific amounts not disclosed)
• Geographic Focus: United Kingdom
• Founded: Registered as a charity 4 October 2019

Contact Details

Website: www.article11trust.org.uk

Email: contactus@article11trust.org.uk

Phone: 020 8548 0468

Overview

The Article 11 Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered in England and Wales (charity number 1185631), working to defend and advance the rights to freedom of assembly and association under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Trust was formed in response to grassroots protest groups finding it increasingly difficult to access charitable funding. Working alongside partners and allies in the movement, the Trust drives forward priority research and education projects, supports grassroots groups to secure much-needed funding, and raises public awareness around protest rights issues. The organisation operates with a volunteer trustee board and minimal administrative overhead, ensuring resources directly support their mission to protect the right to protest for individuals, movements, and communities across the UK.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The Article 11 Trust operates through two main funding mechanisms:

• Small Grants Programme: Developed to combat barriers to charitable funding for grassroots groups and campaigning organisations defending and advancing Article 11 rights to freedom of assembly and association. Specific grant amounts have not been publicly disclosed. The programme targets protest groups, solidarity organisations, trade unions, and other grassroots movements working on protest rights.

• Commissioned Research and Education Projects: The Trust facilitates funding for or commissions research, training, and legal support from voluntary organisations, and exceptionally individuals, to defend the right to protest. These are typically funded through grants received from larger trusts, foundations, and private philanthropists for specific projects.

Priority Areas

Current Focus (Next 12 Months):

• Research examining the factors surrounding disproportionate and heavy-handed protest policing experienced by Black communities and other marginalised communities
• Analysis of changing legal and social contexts around protest in the UK
• Providing direct legal guidance and training for people attending protests to know their rights
• Supporting legal support groups working with protesters
• Groundbreaking research and education projects that push threats to protest rights into the spotlight

Who They Support:

• Grassroots protest rights groups
• Legal support organisations for protesters
• Campaigning organisations focused on freedom of assembly and association
• Community groups and movements facing barriers to peaceful protest
• Exceptionally, individuals defending the right to protest

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions have not been publicly documented, but the Trust's focus is exclusively on work related to defending and advancing Article 11 rights to freedom of assembly and association within the UK.

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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees bringing specialist expertise:

• Kevin Blowe: Coordinator of the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol). For 25 years he was a campaigner for the Newham Monitoring Project, an east London police monitoring group. Extensive experience in charity management includes leading the Community Involvement Unit in Newham, which provided capacity building for local community groups. He is also a trustee of the Inquest Charitable Trust and the Buwan Kothi International Trust and is Treasurer of Clapton Community Football Club and the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust.

• Rowan Constantinou-Stygal: Has campaigned for, participated in, and supported numerous actions and protest movements, as well as working on local community organising. As an experienced third-sector professional, he has overseen various projects involving volunteer management, support provision, data management, and service design.

• Tyrone Scott: Currently works as the Senior Movement Building and Activism Officer at War on Want, an organisation that works in the UK and with partners around the world to fight poverty and defend human rights. Previously gained experience working with a number of third sector organisations and grassroots movements.

• Annu Mayor: Has a long-standing commitment to human rights. She currently works for the Bloody Sunday Trust, in Derry, the north of Ireland, an organisation dedicated to promoting human rights, conflict resolution, and fostering greater understanding across communities. Her role builds on previous work at Stonewall, where she campaigned for the rights of LGBTQ+ people worldwide, and at Amnesty International, advocating for global human rights.

• Elio Sea: A producer and community organiser. In 2019, they founded Decriminalised Futures, an arts and popular education organisation running community-based workshops, archive and research initiatives, and using creative tools to explore worker criminalisation. They have decades of experience organising at a grassroots level, including with groups such as SWARM, Bent Bars, Abolitionist Futures, UVW and the London Renters Union.

• Andrea Brock: A lecturer/researcher who works on criminalisation and policing of ecological dissent, corporate and state power and ecological and animal liberation. She has been involved in a number of campaigns and movements and works with environmental/land defenders in the UK and Western Europe.

• Gregory Horne: A committed legal aid solicitor specialising in Housing and Human Rights. Gregory is also a support coordinator for the Independent Legal Observer Network and actively attends protests as a Legal Observer. He spent years organising small grassroots collectives to deliver know your rights type training for dealing with police, employers, and immigration enforcement.

The trustee board includes several senior management-level charity professionals with many years of grant-funding experience. The organisation maintains robust governance policies including Equal Opportunities, Data Protection, Conflicts of Interest, and a Trustee Code of Conduct.

Operational Support:

• Maya Fitchett (External Engagement Coordinator): Has a background in research and community organising. She also works for Netpol as a researcher and sits on Greater Manchester Tenants Union's committee, where she is leading the 'Fundraising from Below' strategy to foster political independence and deepen member ownership. Maya is actively engaged in protest movements and grassroots campaigns for housing justice, freedom from state repression and collective control of resources.

• Jess Poyner: A facilitator, project coordinator and activist who has been working in social justice movements for over a decade. Jess supports the everyday running of The Article 11 Trust alongside the trustees.

The organisation has no permanent staff or office space.

Key Partner:

Netpol (Network for Police Monitoring) was instrumental in co-founding the Article 11 Trust and remains a key project partner for much of the Trust's ongoing work.

How to Apply to The Article 11 Trust

How to Apply

Small Grants Programme: The Article 11 Trust has developed a small grants programme and established grant-giving procedures to ensure compliance with charities law. However, specific application processes, portals, deadlines, and forms are not currently publicly available on their website. The programme was in development stages as of recent reports, with trustees finalising robust grants administration processes including applications, assessment, and monitoring.

Commissioned Projects: The majority of the Trust's work involves commissioning or facilitating funding for specific research and education projects, often in partnership with organisations like Netpol.

For Enquiries: Prospective applicants should contact the Trust directly at contactus@article11trust.org.uk or call 020 8548 0468 to enquire about current funding opportunities and application processes.

Decision Timeline

Specific timeframes from submission to decision have not been publicly disclosed.

Success Rates

Application numbers, awards made, and success rate percentages are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication for unsuccessful applicants has not been publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

While specific application success criteria have not been extensively documented, the following insights can be drawn from the Trust's stated priorities:

Alignment with Mission: Projects must clearly demonstrate how they defend or advance Article 11 rights to freedom of assembly and association in the UK context.

Focus on Marginalised Communities: The Trust has explicitly identified research and work addressing disproportionate protest policing of Black communities and other marginalised communities as a key priority area.

Grassroots Impact: The Trust was founded specifically to help grassroots groups access resources, suggesting they value community-led, ground-level work over established institutional projects.

Practical Support for Protesters: Projects providing direct legal guidance, training, and support to people exercising their right to protest align with core objectives.

Research and Education Value: Work that pushes threats to protest rights into public spotlight through groundbreaking research and education has been highlighted as important.

Recent Focus Areas: The Trust has been involved with reports on protest criminalisation (“This is Repression”), Palestine solidarity protests (“In Our Millions”), and issues facing legal observers, suggesting these are active areas of interest.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Relatively New: The Article 11 Trust registered as a charity in October 2019, with a small grants programme still in development, so application processes may be evolving
• Grassroots Focus: Specifically designed to support grassroots groups facing barriers to traditional charitable funding
• Narrow Remit: Exclusively focused on Article 11 rights (freedom of assembly and association), so projects must clearly align with protest rights
• Marginalised Communities Priority: Current priorities emphasise work addressing disproportionate policing of marginalised communities
• Direct Contact Recommended: With limited public information about applications, contacting the Trust directly is advisable before investing significant effort
• Partnership Model: Much of the Trust's work involves commissioning or partnering on specific projects rather than open grant rounds
• Lean Operation: No permanent staff or office space means resources go directly to mission work, but may also mean capacity for processing applications is limited

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Robert Gavron Charitable Trust
• The E C Sosnow Charitable Trust
• The John Macleod Charitable Trust
• The Squire Patton Boggs Charitable Trust
• The Blyth Watson Charitable Trust
• The Forrester Family Trust
• Highway One Trust
• Henry And Rebecca Tinsley Charitable Trust
• The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust
• Odin Charitable Trust

References

• The Article 11 Trust official website: https://article11trust.org.uk/
• About Us page: https://article11trust.org.uk/about-us/
• News section: https://article11trust.org.uk/news/
• UK Charity Commission Register, Charity Number 1185631: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5131853
• Giving is Great Charity Factsheet: https://givingisgreat.org/database/charity-factsheet/?regNo=1185631