Grants are available for UK registered charities undertaking work in the UK.

This application round will advance access to the legal profession within the UK with funding up to £50k provided to the successful charity applicant. Eligible applications will progress either of the following:

• improve access to higher education and legal profession careers for underrepresented groups
• strengthen support systems for those from underrepresented groups
• reduce systemic barriers preventing access to legal careers

Applications must:

• be able to report measurable improvements in access to the legal profession, including the social impact of the actions taken through the delivery of the project.

• relate to areas with lower social mobility prospects. Some examples include the English indices of deprivation, the long shadow of deprivation, BITC’s state of the nation: social mobility and the pandemic and Scottish index of multiple deprivation.

• projects must address underrepresentation and support intersectionality more broadly. For example, these would be projects that not only support access to the legal profession prospects but also address other factor(s) of underrepresentation such as*:

  • characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010
  • ex-military personnel
  • people with convictions
  • people experiencing homelessness
  • long-term unemployed
  • refugees
  • care-experienced individuals

*Please note this list is not exhaustive.

• we welcome applications from UK registered small charities (with an annual income less than £1 million)

• out of scope projects that will not be considered:

  • projects that are generically social mobility focused,
  • projects that do not impact communities in UK locations
  • projects that cannot measure the social impact that Shoosmiths funding would achieve if part of a larger funded project.

Funding is at the discretion of the Shoosmiths Foundation Grants Committee.

Please refer to the Shoosmiths Community Investment Policy for exclusions. See here.

• funding is not available for individuals
• applications are restricted to one per charity per funding round
• applications must relate to a specific project
• applications are not permitted for the direct funding of legal cases
• applications are not permitted for unrestricted funding requests
• all successful applicants must sign the Shoosmiths Grant Award Letter

Only fully completed applications submitted via the online Shoosmiths Foundation application form will be considered. The questions in the application form allow the Shoosmiths Foundation Grants Committee to decide which projects to fund so please complete the form fully but succinctly within the word limits provided. The maximum character limit is stipulated for each question, and as long as you clearly answer each question you would not be expected to use the maximum character count.

The closing date for applications is 16:00 on 30 September 2026 OR sooner once we have received sufficient suitable applications. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

If you have any queries about the form, application process, or require this document in an alternative format, please contact us at ShoosmithsFoundation@Shoosmiths.com

All applications will be carefully considered but due to the expected high volume of applications it may not be possible to provide you with feedback on your application.