The Baring Foundation is committing an additional £3 million in funding over the next five years to advance racial justice through its grant-making. This follows an initial £3 million commitment made in 2020, which was distributed through the Foundation’s UK Arts and Strengthening Civil Society programmes between 2021 and 2025 and concluded this year. The renewed funding will allocate £1 million over five years to the Arts programme and £2 million over five years to the Strengthening Civil Society programme, focusing on the use of law for social change.
Between 2021 and 2025, the Arts programme, operating under the theme of Arts and Mental Health, awarded 42 grants totaling over £1.7 million. These grants sought to address the under-representation of artists of Global Majority heritage in creative mental health fields and the scarcity of opportunities in Global Majority communities. It is estimated that more than 200 artists have benefited from this support. A report highlighting good practices emerging from these grants will be published in early 2026 and launched at a conference at Brixton House theatre in London.
The Strengthening Civil Society programme has focused on supporting organisations that use the law to tackle racial injustice in the criminal legal system. Since 2021, it has awarded 32 grants totaling £1.4 million, funding legal actions on issues affecting racialised communities. These include matters such as joint enterprise, stop and search practices, modern slavery, exploitation of migrant workers, and restrictions on protest over racial justice issues.
This new funding commitment reinforces the Baring Foundation’s ongoing dedication to promoting racial equity across its programmes, supporting both cultural representation and systemic legal change.
