Overall GiG Score: 22 ?
Finance Score: 5
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 11
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +11

THE PUBLIC LAW PROJECT 

The Public Law Project (PLP) promotes access to public law remedies for those whose access is restricted by poverty or other forms of disadvantage.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition
Established: 33 years
(35 years as a company)

www.publiclawproject.org.uk

contact@publiclawproject.org.uk

07809126328

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies House
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£1,880£2,084£-204£95£2,166£2,02911.7355
31/03/22£2,037£1,959£78£64£2,371£2,09712.8354
31/03/21£1,945£1,391£555£50£2,293£2,00017.3265
31/03/20£1,358£1,350£8£65£1,738£1,45312.9236
31/03/19£1,221£994£227£38£1,730£1,58419.1197
31/03/18£1,662£1,194£467£34£1,504£1,37913.9130
31/03/17£829£646£183£40£1,037£99118.4120
31/03/16£991£574£418£20£920£91619.2100
31/03/15£620£517£103£82£503£49711.590
31/03/14*£467£391£76£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/13£364£347£17£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/12£464£325£138£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/11£433£290£144£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/10£318£396£-78£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/09*£461£397£64£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/08*£379£334£45£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/07£301£308£-7£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/06*£299£309£-11£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/05*£214£209£5£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/04*£205£224£-19£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 5.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 4.6%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 4%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 10%
Liabilities/Income: 13%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 94%
Reserves/Spending: 11.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 12 months
Quick Ratio: 6.2
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Education/Training
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who works here?
  • 35 employees
  • 5 volunteers
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
The Legal Education Foundation£530,792
Trust for London£398,400
Lankelly Chase Foundation£287,918
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£285,000
Justice Together Initiative£250,347
The Baring Foundation£225,000
AB Charitable Trust£183,750
Sam and Bella Sebba Charitable Foundation£129,131
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Public Law Project
£5,528 06/03/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Backbone grants 2019-20 supporting a thriving civil society
£15,000 18/01/2023
The Public Law Project (PLP) is a legal charity working to improve access to justice in the UK. This grant provides core support to the organisation to ensure those marginalised through poverty, ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Community Justice Fund Wave Three
£12,000 22/11/2022
Wave three of the Community Justice Fund aims to support organisations delivering social welfare advice services to people most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
Sam and Bella Sebba Charitable Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£11,200 19/10/2022
Towards cost of living crisis
Trust for London - Public Law Project
£18,400 29/09/2022
This is a cost of living uplift for grant reference 360G-trustforlondon-MAIN-S2-05.10.2021-9349
Sam and Bella Sebba Charitable Foundation - Grant to Public Law project
£90,000 28/07/2022
Towards policy and influencing post
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 30/06/2022
A restricted grant of £30,000 for work on constitutional reform. Public Law Project works across the UK to challenge public bodies and improve decision-making through advice, research and policy ....more
Trust for London - Public Law Project
£230,000 09/02/2022
This funding is for core funding to continue legal work to assist the London sector to take a strategic legal approach to immigration and welfare rights issues.
Unbound Philanthropy - Grant to The Public Law Project
£120,000 02/02/2022
For general support of a national legal charity that aims to improve access to public law remedies  
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 25/01/2022
An unrestricted grant of £30,000 (This grant is renewable - year 4 of up to 5 years). Public Law Project aims to improve access to public law remedies for those whose access to justice is restricted ....more
The Bromley Trust - Unrestricted grant
£30,000 17/01/2022
The Public Law Project aims to improve access to justice for those whose access is limited by poverty or other disadvantage. This is a three year unrestricted grant towards their work.
London Legal Support Trust - Centres of Excellence 2021
£10,000 14/12/2021
Long term core funding for specialist free legal advice organisations, along with in-kind help and support with ongoing development. Aiming to support a sustainable and robust specialist advice ....more
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project Ltd
£16,174 13/12/2021
Grant to Public Law Project Ltd
Justice Together Initiative - Strategic partnership to JTI
£250,347 24/08/2021
The provision of strategic public law support to JTI partners to support and enhance influencing opportunities arising in the course of partners' work.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£3,750 11/08/2021
An unrestricted grant of £3,750. Public Law Project supports individuals experiencing personal disadvantage, or charities or organisations representing the interests of marginalised or disadvantaged ....more
Sam and Bella Sebba Charitable Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£27,931 23/07/2021
Towards policy and influencing post
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 27/04/2021
A restricted grant of £30,000 towards a Research and Policy Fellow (This grant is renewable - year 2 of 2 years). A Research and Policy Fellow post to support PLP's work to promote and uphold the ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Covid-19 Emergency Funding
£20,000 03/03/2021
6
Public Law Project was set up to ensure those marginalised through poverty, discrimination or disadvantage have access to public law remedies and can hold the state to account. They commission ....more
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 26/01/2021
A restricted grant of £30,000 towards the implementation of PLP's strategic priorities: to promote and preserve the Rule of Law, ensure fair systems and improve access to justice (This grant is ....more
The Bromley Trust - Unrestricted grant
£15,000 18/01/2021
12
The Public Law Project aims to improve access to justice for those whose access is limited by poverty or other disadvantage. This is a three year unrestricted grant towards their work.
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£5,000 14/12/2020
Towards costs related to upgrading server to accommodate better remote working
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 14/12/2020
To help PLP address increased demand and complexity in requests for advice from civil society organisations.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Welfare grant to Public Law Project Ltd
£44,826 07/12/2020
12
1 Year Grant to Public Law Project Ltd under the Welfare policy and influencing funding programme
The Legal Education Foundation - Fairer systems through public law
£393,000 11/11/2020
Ensuring that systems for the exercise and control of executive power are fair and effective, in the aftermath of the significant changes brought on by Brexit and the increase in use of automated ....more
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£100,000 13/10/2020
A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Backbone Grants 2019-20 Supporting a Thriving Civil Society
£250,000 28/07/2020
The Public Law Project (PLP) is a legal charity working to improve access to justice in the UK. This grant provides core support to the organisation to ensure those marginalised through poverty, ....more
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£80,246 10/07/2020
24
Supporting an evidence-led approach to constitutional reform
Crisis UK - Grant to Public Law Project
£100,000 30/06/2020
Development of two hubs for specialist welfare support for migrants.
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£40,000 23/06/2020
To develop an evidence based response to, and influencing strategy in respect of, proposals to restrict judicial review.
The Legal Education Foundation - Automated decision-making for public lawyers training
£20,000 17/06/2020
Improving public lawyers' knowledge of the laws governing automated government decision-making and how to challenge unlawful automated decisions in practice.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Public Law Project
£25,665 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 23/04/2020
A restricted grant of £30,000 towards a Research and Policy Fellow (This grant is renewable - year 1 of up to 2 years, subject to annual trustee approval). The Research and Policy Fellow post will ....more
The Legal Education Foundation - JFF Host 2020
£117,792 13/03/2020
A grant to The Public Law Project to fund one Justice First Fellowship as part of cohort 7. Co-funded by Allen & Overy LLP.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 14/01/2020
A restricted grant of £30,000 towards the implementation of PLP's strategic priorities (This grant is renewable - year 2 of up to 5 years, subject to annual trustee approval). PLP work to promote ....more
Trust for London - Public Law Project
£150,000 10/10/2019
24
The funding is for legal work, both practical and academic, to assist the London sector to take a strategic approach to immigration and welfare rights issues arising in the post Brexit context. It ....more
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£150,000 16/09/2019
Access to justice in Wales.
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£287,918 05/08/2019
24
To explore the use of strategic litigation and other legal approaches as tools for systems change in relation to people facing severe and multiple disadvantage
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£30,000 29/01/2019
A grant of £30,000 towards the implementation of PLP's strategic priorities: to promote and preserve the Rule of Law, ensure fair systems and improve access to justice. This grant is renewable (year ....more
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Core funding
£66,411 28/01/2019
6
To develop the next stage of the project, building on the learning so far.
AB Charitable Trust - Rule of Law after Brexit
£30,000 31/12/2018
A grant of £30,000 towards the implementation of PLP's strategic priorities: to promote and preserve the Rule of Law, ensure fair systems and improve access to justice. This grant is renewable, ....more
Unbound Philanthropy - Grant to The Public Law Project
£290,000 14/11/2018
44
For general support of a national legal charity that aims to improve access to public law remedies for those whose access is restricted by poverty, discrimination, or other similar barriers 
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Public Law Project
£263,223 26/04/2018
60
Towards four core posts to improve access to public law remedies for those affected by poverty or disadvantage.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£20,000 24/04/2018
£20,000 towards core costs. Public Law Project seeks to support those experiencing disadvantage to have access to public law remedies with the help of specialist lawyers, by undertaking research and ....more
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£10,000 13/12/2017
18
Exploring the use of strategic litigation as a tool for systems change.
The Bromley Trust - Unrestricted grant
£30,000 25/10/2017
36
The Public Law Project aims to improve access to justice for those whose access is limited by poverty or other disadvantage. This is a three year unrestricted grant towards their work.
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£48,362 14/08/2017
18
To explore the use of strategic ligitation as a tool for systems change.
Unbound Philanthropy - Grant to The Public Law Project
£100,000 12/07/2017
24
For general support of a national legal charity which aims to improve access to public law remedies for those whose access is restricted by poverty, discrimination, or other similar barriers
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£92,724 15/05/2017
18
Exploring the use of strategic litigation as tool for systems change, and to commission a learning partner and support to help other organisations engage with the work.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Public Law Project
£20,000 24/01/2017
£20,000 towards core costs. Public Law Project seeks to support those experiencing disadvantage to have access to public law remedies with the help of specialist lawyers, by undertaking research and ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Public Law Project
£40,000 22/08/2016
12
Towards the costs of continuing the Legal Aid Support Project, which has the aim of mitigating the impact of legal aid cuts for vulnerable people with regard to social welfare issues.
Lankelly Chase Foundation - Grant to The Public Law Project
£43,000 13/04/2016
6
To enable the appointment of two senior lawyers to strengthen Public Law Project’s staff team, and therefore invest in their capacity for strategic litigation to address the issues and inequalities ....more
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Public Law Project
£150,000 10/02/2016
This is a proposal to develop and instigate a strategic legal response to the national issue of benefit sanctioning.
AB Charitable Trust - Improve access to justice for marginalised groups
£15,000 26/06/2015
£15,000 towards core costs
AB Charitable Trust - Access to Justice for Disadvantaged Groups
£15,000 08/07/2014
£15,000 towards core costs
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Public Law Project
£29,382 17/03/2014
Towards the cost of delivering a research project exploring the efficacy of the Telephone Gateway as a mechanism for delivering legal aid.
AB Charitable Trust - Access to justice for the disadvantaged
£10,000 22/01/2013
£10,000 towards core costs
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 34-72
  • CARIEN RAI Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Board Member
  • HARBI JAMA Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Head Of Development
  • JONATHAN SENKER (Chair) Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Chief Executive, Charity
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 28/06/1991, number: 1003342
  • Registered at Companies House on 05/04/1989, number: 02368562
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR14: 1 days late, AR09: 13 days late, AR08: 1 days late, AR06: 0 days late, AR05: 1 days late, AR04: 47 days late,
Main office

The Public Law Project
The Design Works
93-99 Goswell Road
LONDON
EC1V 7EY

Objectives

TO SECURE ACCESS TO AND THE BENEFIT AND PROTECTION OF PUBLIC LAW AND GOOD ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE FOR THOSE IN NEED OF THE SAME BUT TO WHOM BY REASON OF POVERTY OR SOCIAL OR ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE OR DISCRIMINATION, THE SAME ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE OR ACCESSIBLE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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