Amnesty International UK – two organisations working to defend human rights

Amnesty International UK is made up of two separate legal entities, with different functions and responsibilities, who work closely together to deliver a common mission of promoting and protecting human rights.

These two entities are:

• The Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust which is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1051681) and Scotland (no. 03139939).and a limited company (company no. 03139939)
•  The Amnesty International UK Section which is limited company (company no. 01735872).

Each entity is governed by its own board.

Why are there two different Amnesty International UK organisations?

Having two separate organisations means that we can maximise our human rights impact. The Charitable Trust benefits from the government’s Gift Aid scheme, can receive gifts in Wills and raise money from trusts, foundations and individuals who will only donate to registered charities. 

The Charitable Trust enjoys these benefits but its charitable objects also mean it can support any and all of Amnesty International’s work in the UK and around the world.

The UK Section, delivers our human rights campaigning, education and policy programmes in the UK, and provides a membership structure that means that human rights activists around the country can involve themselves in our local groups, human rights campaigns and have a say in how we as a national organisation are run through our democracy.

Taken together, this dual entity structure, means we can maximise financial support for human rights, our voice and our impact. 

What work does each organisation do?

The Charitable Trust fulfils its objectives by funding the UK Section to deliver our human rights work in the UK and is one of the largest financial contributors to all of Amnesty International’s work around the world; everything it supports aims to promote the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and various international treaties.  

The UK Section delivers our human rights education, policy research, human rights activist support, national campaigning and advocacy work across the UK. The UK Section is funded by grants from the Charitable Trust, membership fees and income from our retail operations.

How is Amnesty International UK financed?

Amnesty International UK’s financial supporters are made up of members of the UK Section and donors to the Trust. Whilst everyone is working towards the same aim – a world where human rights are enjoyed by all - there are slight differences in the experience you will have with Amnesty International UK depending on if you are a member of the Section, or a donor to the Trust.  

Both the Charitable Trust and the UK Section adhere to the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice. All our fundraising is carried out in accordance with Amnesty International UK’s fundraising policy and our promise to you as a financial supporter is the same, regardless of whether you are a member of the UK Section or a donor to the Charitable Trust. 

What membership of the UK Section means

What your membership means: participation in our democracy and helping fund the work of Amnesty International UK Section. As well as contributing to our human rights work, membership entitles you to have a say in how the organisation is run. Members have the right to stand for election to the Board of Directors of the UK Section and to participate in those elections, they can also put forward resolutions and vote at the UK Section’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Membership is the foundation of the democracy of the Amnesty International movement around the world. 

Membership fees are a very significant source of funding for the human rights work carried out in the UK by the UK Section. Also critical are grants from Amnesty International UK Charitable Trust.

To be a member of the UK Section, you must pay a membership fee, which is a fixed price cost. The UK Section cannot benefit from Gift Aid on membership payments, as it is not a charity. Many members choose to make an additional contribution on top of their membership fee, further boosting the scale of human rights work that the UK Section can carry out. 

How is the work of Amnesty International UK Charitable Trust funded? 

You can support Amnesty International UK by making regular or ad hoc donations to the Charitable Trust. As these are donations, there is no fixed price and the Charitable Trust can claim Gift Aid where a supporter has given us permission to do so. Donors to the Charitable Trust who are not also UK Section members are not though eligible to attend the UK Section’s AGM.

Other major sources of funding for the Charitable Trust are gifts left in wills and grants from other trusts and foundations. 

The Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust is regulated by the Charity Commission and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.