Call for Applications: Strategic Legal Fund (United Kingdom)

Deadline: 26-Oct-2026

The Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) supports organisations undertaking strategic legal work in the UK that could create broader change for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants experiencing poverty, disadvantage, or discrimination linked to immigration status. Funding supports activities such as developing cases before litigation and third-party interventions that have the potential to influence law, policy, or practice beyond individual cases. The Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) was established to address significant legal challenges affecting asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in the UK. The fund focuses particularly on people experiencing poverty, disadvantage, or discrimination because of their immigration status. Rather than supporting legal action only for an individual, the SLF aims to support legal work that can produce wider and systemic change. This may include work capable of influencing: The SLF supports two main categories of strategic legal work: The work should have potential implications beyond the individual circumstances of a single case. The fund can support preparatory legal work undertaken before a case proceeds to litigation.

This may include:

These activities can help organisations determine whether a legal challenge is viable and whether it could contribute to broader systemic change. The SLF also supports third-party interventions in existing cases. An organisation may, for example, participate as an amicus curiae, providing information or legal expertise that can assist the court. Third-party interventions can be relevant when a case raises legal questions affecting a wider group of migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. Applications are open to organisations undertaking legal work in the UK that meet the fund’s strategic criteria.

The proposed work should:

Applicants should clearly demonstrate how their proposed legal work could contribute to broader systemic impact. Strategic legal work is legal activity designed to achieve change beyond the outcome of a single individual’s case. The focus is on issues that may affect a wider group of people and where legal intervention could contribute to changes in law, policy, or institutional practice. For example, research into a potential test case may be supported where the eventual litigation could clarify a legal issue affecting many migrants. The proposed work should be capable of benefiting a wider group of people rather than only an individual claimant.

Potential beneficiaries include:

Applicants should explain who could benefit from the proposed legal work and how the anticipated impact could extend beyond the immediate case. Strategic legal work may involve several stages of preparation and analysis.

Potentially supported activities include:

The proposed activities should be directly connected to the strategic legal objective. A central consideration for the SLF is whether legal work can contribute to change beyond an individual case.

Potential broader impacts may include:

Applicants should make the potential wider impact clear rather than focusing only on the circumstances of an individual claimant. The application process begins with contacting the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA). Applicants should first provide ILPA with an outline of their proposed strategic legal work. If the proposal appears to meet the fund’s eligibility requirements, the applicant will be provided with an application form. Applicants must then complete the official application form and submit it according to the stated requirements. Applications must be submitted using the official Word application form. The completed form must be submitted by 5pm on the relevant closing date. Applicants should allow sufficient time to discuss the proposal with ILPA, receive the application form if eligible, prepare the required information, and submit the completed form before the deadline. Eligible applications are reviewed by an Expert Panel. The assessment focuses on whether the proposed work fits the strategic purpose of the fund and has potential to create wider benefits for migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. Applicants should therefore clearly explain: Decisions are typically communicated within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should therefore take this timeframe into account when planning proposed legal research, case development, or intervention activities. A strong proposal should clearly connect the legal issue, proposed activities, and expected systemic impact.

Applicants should:

The proposal should demonstrate why the work has strategic value rather than simply describing an individual legal dispute. Many legal problems affecting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers can extend beyond individual cases. Strategic legal work can examine broader legal and policy issues and, where appropriate, contribute to changes that benefit larger groups of people. The Strategic Legal Fund focuses on this wider potential by supporting research, case development, and interventions that may contribute to systemic change. The Strategic Legal Fund supports strategic legal work in the UK that has the potential to create broader change for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants experiencing poverty, disadvantage, or discrimination connected to immigration status. The fund supports research and development of potential cases before litigation and third-party interventions in existing cases, including work undertaken in an amicus curiae capacity. The fund is intended for strategic work that can benefit a wider group rather than work focused solely on an individual case. Potential activities include gathering evidence, researching legal authorities and policies, identifying potential plaintiffs, translating materials, developing cases, and evaluating litigation strategies. Organisations undertaking eligible strategic legal work in the UK can apply. The proposed work must address issues affecting asylum seekers,