Citizens UK Charity

Citizens UK Charity, founded in 1989 in East London by Neil Jameson, is the UK’s largest and most diverse community organising alliance, uniting over 500 member organisations—including faith groups, schools, charities, universities, health trusts, and unions—across 18 regional chapters in England and Wales. Its core mission is to empower ordinary people and civic institutions to harness collective power for systemic social justice, overcoming divides through local leadership development, community empowerment, alliance-building, and constructive relationships with policymakers and businesses. Rooted in US Industrial Areas Foundation methods and UK social movements, it prioritises participatory democracy, accountability, and community-led solutions to shift power balances.

The charity funds thematic priorities like the Living Wage (securing over £2bn in wages for 430,000 workers), immigration reform, refugee support (e.g., ending child detention, Sponsor Refugees), mental health funding, anti-hate initiatives (Hate Crime Charter), housing, homelessness, climate action, misogyny prevention, and school counselling access. It supports low-income workers, migrants, refugees, families, young people, and diverse communities via collective campaigning, advocacy, policy reform, leadership training, capacity building, and alliance projects—exemplified by spinoffs like the Living Wage Foundation and historic creations such as Safe Passage.

Eligibility is restricted to UK-registered charities, academic institutions, and community groups based in the UK (primarily England and Wales), but only through formal membership in the alliance; unsolicited applications are not accepted. There are no income thresholds, religious restrictions, or size limits, favouring collaborative civic actors. Funding occurs on a rolling, member-led basis with no public deadlines, application forms, or fixed grant ranges—strategic investments support long-term coalitions rather than one-off projects or non-members. What distinguishes Citizens UK is its catalytic, people-powered model that builds enduring civic capacity for national impact, not traditional grant-making.