New Independent Human Rights Fund for Scotland
By Corra Foundation
A new fund will help realise and defend rights, and tackle issues affecting people’s daily lives. The Fund will focus on people whose rights are most at risk. It will support people to use human rights as a tool for change.
The Fund is supported by a partnership of: AB Charitable Trust, The Baring Foundation, The Binks Trust, Cattanach, Corra Foundation, The Robertson Trust and William Grant Foundation. It is hosted by Corra Foundation.
Carolyn Sawers, Corra CEO, speaking on behalf of the funding partnership said:
It’s a critical time for human rights in Scotland. People are facing rights issues every day, for example around poverty, housing, education, health, racism, disability. People can hold power to account, but they often need support to do that. That’s why funding for third sector and community groups is so important.
Here in Scotland, the Parliament has recently taken steps to strengthen rights in law, and will soon consider extending this approach to further UN treaties. By providing support to civil society, we hope the Independent Human Rights Fund for Scotland will help ensure this makes a difference in practice.
Three grants have been made in the first stage of the Fund’s work. These reflect a range of approaches to supporting people and communities to power social change and secure justice. They will offer valuable learning for everyone involved in helping turn rights into reality in Scotland. The three initial grants are:
Starcatchers (£50,000 project funding over two years)
Starcatchers support the rights of babies and younger children. They have worked for 18 years, primarily in Wester Hailes and Fife, with a focus on: community engagement, productions, early years development, and advocacy. The funding will support them to build on research done in 2022. This will increase understanding and awareness of babies’ and children’s rights, how their views can inform decision-making, and opportunities for them to enjoy their rights.
Making Rights Real (£75,000 core funding over three years)
Making Rights Real is a small grassroots human rights organisation in Scotland with a big vision – to support marginalised communities to use the power of human rights to mobilise for economic and social change. The funding will support work to increase human rights knowledge amongst groups whose rights are most at risk, and change made by duty bearers in response to community action. Making Rights Real anticipates improvements in Travellers’ sites, improved budget equality processes and access to healthcare for women and girls. The work will also contribute to movement building, funder and civil society knowledge exchange, and connections with academia.
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (£75,000 core funding over three years)
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS)’s work is focussed on environmental rights and supporting people to fulfil these and protect the environment. ERCS does this in four main ways: awareness raising of rights and remedies and supporting participation in environmental decision-making; advice, assistance and representation to access justice and hold duty bearers to account; advocacy in policy and law reform; and strategic interest public litigation to tackle systemic environmental problems. The funding will enable development of activity across these four areas, in particular establishment of a new ERCS-owned law firm to undertake legal representations and function as a law centre.
Beyond these initial grants, the next stage will see the Fund open to applications in the Summer. Decision making will be guided by people with a range of expertise, both lived and learned, on human rights.
Please visit the Independent Human Rights Fund page or sign up to Corra’s funding bulletin to receive updates.
ENDS
For more information, please contact comms@corra.scot
Notes to editors:
(1) The Independent Human Rights Fund for Scotland supports action to realise and defend rights, and tackle immediate rights issues affecting people’s daily lives. Funding will:
- Enable organisations working in Scotland to close the gap between policy and practice, and the lived experience of people whose rights are most at risk.
- Help unlock the power of people, communities and organisations to name and claim their rights and hold duty bearers to account.
- Create conditions for a strong human rights sector in Scotland.
The Fund takes a participatory approach, reflecting the PANEL principles of Human Rights. A combination of people with lived and learned expertise are part of guiding the Fund and making decisions about where money is spent. This combination of expertise will also help understand the learning that comes from the Fund, and how this can be used to further support human rights in Scotland.
The Fund is independent of government and is open to non-statutory organisations working in Scotland. It is supported by a group of funders that currently includes: AB Charitable Trust, The Baring Foundation, The Binks Trust, Cattanach, Corra Foundation, The Robertson Trust and William Grant Foundation.
(2) Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. (https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights)
(3) Corra Foundation is a Scottish grant-making charity that is about strengthening and amplifying people’s voices and their power to make change. In 2020 Corra launched a ten-year strategy. It is long term because making a difference on the big challenges will take time. At its heart is the strong belief that when people find their voice, they unlock the power to make change happen.