Our Anchor programme aims to support specialist infrastructure within the areas that we work. By specialist we mean organisations that work within our identified priority areas. We do not fund ‘generalist’ infrastructure organisations.

A B Charitable Trust understands ‘infrastructure organisation’ to encompass ‘umbrella’ organisations, and those that provide ‘second tier support’, including: providing organisational and skills/knowledge development; network organisations; supporting convening; coalition building and collaborative influencing; providing expert advice to other organisations; and supporting and platforming organisations.

Our understanding of infrastructure also includes organisations creating the foundations for social action and an enabling environment for change in the areas that we work in – movement generous organisations that are laying the path for change. This might include for example, community organising, movement building, narrative change, and defence of civic space.

It is in practice a small pool of organisations. Organisations are proactively identified by the ABCT Team on an ongoing basis. Every proposal received in-principle approval from the ABCT Board for an application to be invited – this takes place annually, in October.

Those who are invited undergo a more intensive process than our Open Programme and Special Initiative strand – with questions aimed at understanding the role that Anchor partners play in supporting the wider ecosystem, their approach, accountability, and how they promote equity.