Justify UK Foundation
Trustees' Annual Report
For the year ended 31 March 2026 Registered charity number 1188873
Introduction from the Chair
This has been an important year in the charity's short history. Justify UK Foundation exists for people who need legal help and cannot afford it, and this year more of them found their way to us than ever before. We supported families through advocacy, casework and tribunal processes.
We also faced up to the reality that the need we see cannot be met by goodwill and personal funding alone. In February 2026 the trustees therefore began a deliberate programme to build Justify into a sustainable organisation: fortifying governance policies, Gift Aid recognition, a donor system, a funding strategy and our first ever applications to charitable trusts. The early results of that decision, described in this report, give us real confidence for the year ahead.
Nick Whiteley, Chair
Who we are and what we do
Justify UK Foundation is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) governed by its constitution. Its purpose, as set out in its governing document, is the prevention or relief of financial hardship among people in the UK by assisting with the funding of the provision of legal advice, services and advocacy which they could not otherwise access through lack of means.
In practice this means free legal advice, casework and advocacy for people who cannot afford representation. Our work is varied but has at times been focussed on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), where families face long delays and complex tribunal processes, and extends to family and asylum matters. Our activities fall under three strands: Education, Empowerment and Enforcement. Alongside casework we work with partners to educate families, schools and communities on ADHD and on people's legal rights.
The charity is run by its trustees and its work is delivered by volunteers, who contribute substantially both to the governance of the charity and to the advice and advocacy it provides. The trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. A summary of the charity's policy on grant making is available on the website and the full policy is available on request.
Our work this year
Demand for the charity's help continued to grow during the year. We provided advocacy support in several cases. Referrals increasingly reach the charity through partner organisations, churches and community networks, a sign of growing trust in the charity's work.
For the families concerned, this support has meant access to advice, advocacy and representation they could not otherwise have afforded, at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. Our willingness to challenge decisions carries potential benefit well beyond individual cases, including our previous involvement in a judicial review, asks testing questions of public policy that affect many other families in similar circumstances.
Building the organisation
The trustees recognised during the year that the scale of need requires a sustainable organisation behind the casework. In February 2026 the charity commissioned a structured programme of organisational development, engaging a charity specialist agency to strengthen governance, funding readiness, donor systems, communications and organisational capacity.
By the year end this programme had already delivered several foundations. A suite of governance policies was adopted, including safeguarding, data protection and privacy, conflicts of interest and financial controls. The charity secured recognition from HMRC for Gift Aid, enabling it to increase the value of eligible donations by 25 per cent. And the charity's first ever grant applications to charitable trusts and foundations were prepared and submitted in the final quarter of the year.
Financial review
Income for the year was £16,129.05 and expenditure was £12,088.00, giving a surplus of £4,041.05. This represents substantial growth against the prior year (2024-25 income: £370.00) and reflects the generosity of individual supporters. Expenditure principally reflects the investment in organisational development described above.
Reserves at 31 March 2026 were £4,597.78. The charity is small and the trustees have not yet set a formal reserves target; they keep reserves under review and intend to adopt a formal reserves policy during 2026-27 as the charity's income base develops. No fund is materially in deficit and the trustees are aware of no uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern.
The principal risks facing the charity are its reliance on a small number of volunteers, in particular its founder, and a narrow income base. The trustees are addressing both through the organisational development programme, the adoption of governance policies and the development of a diversified funding pipeline.
Since the year end
Momentum has continued since 31 March 2026. The charity received its first ever grant from a charitable trust, an award from the Souter Charitable Trust towards its public legal education work. The charity's first Gift Aid claim was submitted and the first Gift Aid repayment was received from HMRC. A new donor relationship management system and online payment processing went live, and the website was refreshed with a new homepage and a clear online donation journey. Further grant applications have been submitted and a pipeline of prospective funders is now actively managed.
Casework has continued to grow, with new referrals from partner organisations including a family law matter, an asylum matter and returning SEND clients. One live SEND matter may offer scope to develop case law with benefit for families nationally.
Plans for the year ahead
In the coming year the trustees intend to complete the organisational development roadmap, secure further funding from charitable trusts and foundations to put the charity's casework on a sustainable footing, grow individual giving through the new online donation journey and Gift Aid, and continue to meet rising demand for advice and advocacy, with particular focus on SEND.
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a CIO governed by its constitution. The trustees set strategy and oversee the charity's work; day to day activity is delivered by volunteers, supported since February 2026 by an external consultant providing organisational development services. The charity looks to appoint trustees from the community it serves and those who are legally trained or in training.
Reference and administrative details
| Charity name | Justify UK Foundation |
| Other name the charity uses |
JustifyUK |
| Registered charity number |
1188873 |
| Principal address | 91 Woolgrove Road, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 0AU |
| Trustees | Nick Whiteley (Chair); Carl Beech; Anna Fiorentini |
| Website | https://justifyfoundation.org |
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees' report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees:
| Signature | |
| Full name | Nick Whiteley |
| Position | Chair |
| Date | 11/8/26 |