Voluntary organisations working in and with the criminal justice system (CJS) face a complex funding landscape. This report explores what funding streams from statutory and philanthropic funders exist, and how they reach voluntary organisations (predominantly charities). Better understanding these funding flows can inform changes to funder practice that will help criminal justice voluntary organisations best support some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Lloyds Bank Foundation funded NPC, a think tank and consultancy for the impact sector, to conduct the research and produce the report with feedback from His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS), AB Charitable Trust and Clinks.

The mixed methods approach includes quantitative data analysis, interviews, survey and case studies. The report delves in to funding flows into the criminal justice voluntary sector, how voluntary sector organisations navigate the funding landscape and finishes with a set of targeted recommendations for philanthropic and statutory funders’ priorities and processes.