Power and Accountability

Vision

Quakers have a strong commitment to equality. This leads us to reject some conventional forms of hierarchy (such as the use of titles), to share power widely within our own church structures and to be willing to speak the truth to powerful bodies and individuals.

In wider society, the way that power is concentrated, shared and used is changing as a result of globalisation, geopolitics, new technology, growing use of artificial intelligence, new channels of communication, extreme inequality and other factors. These changes bring increased risks of unaccountable power, but also new opportunities for interconnected, engaged and flourishing democracy.

We want to support people to create a world in which power is more equally shared, and in which powerful institutions are responsive and accountable to wider society and aligned with the long-term public interest. We welcome work that scrutinises and holds these actors to account for perpetuating inequality, injustice or abuses of power, including systemic racism and corruption.

Funding priorities

• 1. Strengthening corporate accountability

  Large corporations have significant power, and checks and balances are inadequately developed, particularly for trans-national corporations, including the largest digital platforms and intermediaries. We are interested in funding work which:

  • develops and promotes mechanisms which increase the accountability and responsiveness of companies to shareholders, stakeholders, regulators and the long-term public interest, for example through improvements to corporate governance, corporate structures (including alternative corporate forms), company reporting or regulation
  • develops and promotes mechanisms whereby those who suffer severely as a result of company actions, particularly marginalised groups, can gain access to justice
  • promotes the application of the same standards of accountability to large digital companies as other commercial organisations, for example with respect to taxation, consumer protection, treatment of minorities and the protection of rights
  • encourages a constructive dialogue across private, public and civil society sectors to define and develop values and norms of corporate accountability and transparency in relation to new digital technologies, including artificial intelligence. 
• 2. Strengthening democratic accountability

  In a healthy democracy, government should be representative of the wider public and in touch with a wide range of groups, but not disproportionately influenced by any single interest. We are interested in funding work which:

  • develops and promotes mechanisms which ensure an accountable, transparent and proportionate relationship between the private sector and government
  • develops and promotes mechanisms which enable civil society and the general public, including marginalised groups, to engage appropriately and effectively with government policy making at all levels
  • encourages government, parliament and other statutory agencies to be more representative of the wider public they serve, in terms of gender, ethnicity and other factors  
  • supports the modernisation of the democratic infrastructure to increase its accessibility, relevance and resilience in a digital age
  • promotes greater transparency and accountability by digital intermediaries in relation to their impact on democracy and elections, and in AI and data driven systems used for public services and administrative decision-making.
• 3. Encouraging responsible media

  All forms of media, including print, broadcast and social media, play important roles in a healthy democracy, but media companies and platforms can themselves be powerful and unaccountable, and artificial intelligence is changing the way the media operates. We are interested in funding work which:

  • encourages accurate and responsible media, with appropriate safeguards, including in the context of the growing use of artificial intelligence
  • helps to develop a relevant and proportionate response to the risks of misinformation and disinformation in commercial media   
  • explores and promotes ways for all forms of media to play a constructive role in holding government, companies and other powerful actors to account
  • helps to develop and strengthen infrastructure to support new forms of community journalism for the public benefit.

Other information

Under this programme, JRCT will consider applications for national work in the UK, or elsewhere in Europe for work at a pan-European level.

Specific exclusions

Please read the Trust’s general exclusions.

In addition to this the following types of work will not be funded:

• is about democratic participation or user advocacy in relation to service provision, e.g. education and health
• focuses on international development issues
• is limited to corporate accountability in relation to a particular business sector, e.g. tourism or supermarkets
• is general campaigning that is not concerned with the themes given above
• supports individual journalists or news organisations to undertake investigations or create content.

Applying for funding in 2026

The Power and Accountability programme is open to both new applicants and returning grantees in 2026.

We will have two grant rounds with deadlines in March and September 2026.

Please note that we are experiencing exceptionally high demand and will now be requiring all applicants to contact us for advice before applying for funding to ensure eligibility and fit with our funding policy. If you have not received funding advice prior to applying, we will not be able to review your application.

If you are a returning grantee whose grant ends in 2026 and you need advice about reapplying, please contact your current grant lead at JRCT who can advise about the best grant round to apply to in 2026. 

For all other enquiries, please contact one of the team as follows:

•    Katharine Knox, programme manager, Katharine.knox@jrct.org.uk
•    Charlotte Cooper, grants officer, Charlotte.Cooper@jrct.org.uk

Application deadlines

For further information see when to apply.

Case studies