The Representative Voice of our movement: Disabled People’s Organisations
Empowering Representation, Driving Change: Unveiling the Power and Purpose of Disabled People’s Organisations.
We are a coalition of Disabled People’s* Organisations (DPOs) and grassroots groups led by and for disabled people. For the last forty years, we've been the experts in creating social change and supporting disabled communities.
We have come together to demand funding justice for our sector. The current funding landscape is structurally inequitable and inaccessible and fails to recognise the unique contributions and needs of organisations led by disabled people.
We're working for equitable funding distribution to our communities and complete divestment from organisations led by non-disabled people in the social justice space who claim to speak for us.
We've co-produced a plan, built on our expertise and lived-experience, on achieving funding justice for disabled communities. Join us in changing the funding system for the better!
DPO Forum England and Disability Rights UK endorses this campaign..
Who Are We?
We are a coalition of Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) and grassroots groups led by and for disabled people. We are founded on the principles of disability justice and the Social Model of Disability* and aim to dismantle systemic and institutional barriers and advocate for the rights and inclusion of Disabled people in all aspects of society.
As organisations led by and for disabled people, we collaborate to represent our communities and tirelessly work to create a more equitable, inclusive world.
What are DPOs and By-And-For Organisations?
Whilst there is no universally accepted definition or standard for what a DPO is, this coalition and the DPO Forum England recognise an organisation or group as a DPO when Disabled people represent at least 75% of the board and 50% of staff and volunteers.
Additionally, a DPO actively demonstrates its commitment to the Social Model of Disability through its work, values and operations.
Representing the community we work with and for makes DPOs types of "by and for" organisations. A "by and for" organisation is both led by members of the community it serves and operates primarily for that community’s collective benefit. It ensures that the voices and needs of its own community are at the forefront of advocacy and initiatives.
Who Gets the Money? A Look at Unfair Funding in the Disability Sector
Our upcoming report shows just how unfairly funding is shared in the disability sector. Between April 2022 and March 2023, nine large disability charities—none of them led by disabled people—received over £460 million in government contracts (shown by the big baby blue circle in the figure to the left). In the same time, only £12.5 million went to 90 Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs)—groups run by and for disabled people (shown by the little dark indigo circle in the figure to the left). That’s just 2.7% of the amount given to non-disabled-led charities (Disability Rights UK, 2025). This huge imbalance has real consequences. Research from Advice UK (2024) shows that nearly all DPOs (93%) are seeing more and more disabled people turn to them for help, but 41% are worried they might not survive financially. Without proper funding, DPOs may be unable to keep supporting our communities or leading the fight for equity and justice. This isn’t just about money—it’s about who gets to decide what disabled people need. It's about whether we as a society believe a community should speak for and support itself. It’s time to change this.
Join our Movement for Funding Justice!
The fight for funding justice is far from over—and we need you to join us! Whether you’re part of a Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO), a funder, a local authority, or an allied social justice movement, your voice and action are vital in driving meaningful change.Stage Two of the Funding Justice for DPOs Project is now open! This phase focuses on co-producing a strategic plan to tackle systemic funding inequities, amplify the visibility of Led By-And-For organisations, and build a sustained movement for justice.We’re inviting DPOs and allies to collaborate on creating impactful campaign materials, advocacy strategies, and stakeholder engagement plans. To learn more, email rebecca.tayler-edwards@disabilityrightsuk.org.
A collection of analyses on Funding Justice
We're experts on how to support our organisations and the Disabled Community. We've created a series of analyses and essays on Funding Justice for further reading and in-depth support.
Want to know more about Disabled People’s Organisations?
Read our Innovative and Coproduced Research on the Sector. Disability Rights UK's 'DPO Sector Analysis' (2023), disAbility Cornwall's 'The State of the DPO Sector' (2022), and Inclusion London's 'Understanding the needs of DDPOs in England' (2021) examine the current socio-economic climate of the DPO sector. Some challenges we face include increased competition for funding, demands for rigorous evidence-based campaigns, external bias, and a decreasing workforce. The comprehensive research reports illustrate the UK’s sole sector assessment model and provide evidence-based recommendations for developing a sector led by disabled people.
Footnotes
- Disabled people: The term ‘Disabled people’ in this campaign covers the following groups of people: people with physical impairment, visual impairment, Blind, Deaf people and people with hearing loss, long-term health conditions, invisible impairment, people with learning difficulties, people who experience mental distress and people who are neuro-divergent.
- Disabled Peoples Organisations: An umbrella term for an organisation or group where Disabled people represent at least 75% of the board and 50% of staff and volunteers. DPOs actively demonstrate a commitment to the Social Model of Disability through its work, values and operations. Under the umbrella of DPO are Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs), User-led Organisations (ULOs), Disabled-People Led Groups (DPLGs) and Intersectional DPOs. An in-depth description of DPOs and By-and-For Organisations can be found in our Analysis ‘We, Disabled People’.
- The Social Model of Disability: A framework that emphasises that disability is not an inherent trait of an individual but a result of barriers and discrimination imposed by society because a person’s mind and body function differently from what is considered 'normative'. An in-depth description of the Social Model of Disability can be found in our Analysis ‘The Tragedy Model versus the Social Model of Disability’.
- Disability Justice: A framework and movement that goes beyond the traditional civil rights-based approach to disability. It recognises the intersecting identities and experiences of Deaf and disabled people and focuses on collective liberation, interdependence, and the dismantling of all forms of systemic oppression (Sans Invalid, 2019).
- Disability Equity: Disability Equity combines the social model and disability justice; advocating that equality alone does not provide for the additional support that will remove disabling barriers and create justice.
Please note: We acknowledge the diversity of language preferences across our community and have strived to make space for different self-identifications. We recognise that terminology is a continual debate across our movement, and we ask readers to keep in mind that this document focuses on funding injustice against our self-led work.