The UK Government is making £12 million in funding available over the next two years to enable vulnerable people struggling with legal problems to access early legal help.

This fund will award grants to registered charities providing advice and support for people facing disputes, helping them to better understand their issues and avoid costly court proceedings.

The programme is being administered by the Access to Justice Foundation which expects to award grants in the region of £100,000 to £200,000 to support organisations to provide specialist guidance to help deal with problems before they escalate, or to support those who need to appear in court.

The types of services that will be funded are:

• Triage and referral systems
• Early-stage social welfare/ family legal advice
• Provision of online resources or assisted digital legal support
• Outreach services to reach people that wouldn’t otherwise access legal support and advice
• Partnership working to ensure vulnerable people access the right service at the right time
• Support, advice and/or legal representation for people facing court or tribunal proceedings, including referral to legal aid services where appropriate.

Larger grants may be awarded in exceptional circumstances.

A virtual Q&A to support the application process will take place via Zoom at 11am on Monday 20 March 2023 – register for the Q&A event here. All potential applicants are encouraged to attend, with one representative from each organisation. A recording will be available for those unable to attend.

The closing date for applications is 4pm on 5 May 2023.

Applicants should be advised of decisions week commencing 29 May 2023.

Find out more at the Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support webpage.