Woodsford is proud to support the Access to Justice Foundation and has made a donation of £25,000.
The Access for Justice Foundation was set up by the legal profession and is the only national charity solely focused on funding and supporting access to justice. The Foundation gives grants to advice agencies across the country that provide legal advice on a range of issues.
Ruth Daniel, CEO of the Access to Justice Foundation, said: “We are extremely grateful to Woodsford Litigation Funding for this kind and generous donation to the Foundation. This significant contribution comes at a critical time for the sector as cuts in legal aid and government funding are further exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Woodsford’s donation will go straight towards helping disadvantaged people throughout the UK get the access to justice that they deserve in these challenging times.”
Jonathan Barnes, Woodsford’s Chief Operating Officer commented: “Woodsford is proud to support of the Access to Justice Foundation. In these turbulent times, its work is more vital than ever, and we hope that our contribution will help the Foundation to continue to make a difference, providing vulnerable members of society with an effective way of obtaining justice.”
The Foundation has three core objectives:
1. To increase funding for the advice and pro bono sectors to ensure we meet the needs of our beneficiaries, to include local and regional fundraising.
2. To build on the effectiveness of grant making to both local and national organisations within the sector.
3. To support the sector by providing leadership and encouraging collaboration.
The Foundation raises funds and distributes them strategically to those advice agencies who can make the most difference to the lives of vulnerable people. It funds Law Centres, local citizens’ advice, independent advice agencies, pro bono projects and national charities, which help to facilitate access to justice. To ensure help reaches those most in need it works in partnership with committees across the regions of England, in Wales and in Scotland. It also works to support the sector in other ways, consulting with sector organisations around what it can most usefully do to support them. This includes exploring new and better ways for the sector to collaborate and to increase the effectiveness of the sector, working closely with other advice funders and working closely with other partners
In 2018, the Access to Justice Foundation distributed a total of £2,080,182 in grants to support free legal help for those in need. The organisations it supports work tirelessly to help the most vulnerable in society. Some examples of the work it funds are:
· Keeping family breadwinners in employment through challenging unlawful discrimination
· Preventing young families from being made homeless
· Supporting disabled people to avoid poverty by achieving a basic level of income
· Helping victims of sexual violence and torture to rebuild their lives
For further information, to donate or to find out how else you can help the Foundation, visit their website here.
“We were immensely grateful to receive a grant from the Foundation. It helped us keep vital services open. We were able to develop more sustainable sources of funding, and we’re now looking at expanding our services.” Tower Hamlets Law Centre
