Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund

What Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund does

The Human Rights Protection Fund, operating under the legal name formerly known as Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund and registered as UK charity no. 213766, is a non-profit organization headquartered in London that provides financial and practical assistance to prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders worldwide. Its program portfolio is organized into three core offerings: Hardship Relief (emergency grants for food, medicine, or shelter), Family Reunion (assistance helping families separated by persecution find each other), and Requalification Bursaries (education and re-qualification funding for defenders rebuilding their lives after forced displacement). Beneficiary access is managed through a formal grant application process open to individual applicants and referral agencies, operating globally from its London office.

The organization's services are delivered as direct grants and non-financial support rather than technology products, with no proprietary software, app, or platform component. Distribution combines a self-serve application portal for individuals and a referral-agency channel for partner organizations, supported by a digital presence across the hrpf.org.uk website, email newsletter, and social media profiles on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Its marketing and fundraising activities include legacy giving, events, and volunteer recruitment.

As a registered charity, the organization does not sell products or services; its revenue mechanics rely on individual donations (one-time and recurring), legacy gifts, and institutional funding, most visibly via a partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund. Compliance posture is signaled through registration with the UK Fundraising Regulator. In 2025 the organization rebranded from Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund to Human Rights Protection Fund, broadening its positioning from a narrow prisoner-of-conscience mandate to a wider human rights defender remit while retaining its core charitable mission.

Name

Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund

Legal name

Human Rights Protection Fund

Website

https://prisonersofconscience.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UK-registered charity providing financial and practical assistance, including hardship grants, family reunion support, and requalification bursaries, to prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Human Rights Support Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

Keywords

• Human rights charity
• Emergency hardship grants
• Requalification bursaries
• Family reunion assistance
• Prisoner of conscience support

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UK-based charity providing both financial and practical assistance to prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders globally. Core offerings include emergency hardship relief grants for food, medicine and shelter, family reunion support for those separated by persecution, and education/requalification bursaries to help defenders rebuild their lives after displacement.

Product overview

The Human Rights Protection Fund (formerly Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund) operates as a UK-based charity offering a unified portfolio of support services for prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders. The organization provides two primary service categories: Financial Assistance (direct monetary support and emergency grants) and Practical Assistance (non-financial support). These core services are delivered through specialized programs including Hardship Relief (emergency grants for food, medicine, shelter), Family Reunion (helping displaced families find each other), and Requalification Bursaries (funding education and professional re-qualification). The organization does not operate a technology product but rather provides charitable grant-making and support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Assistance

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fundraising RegulatorminorOthersThe organization is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, demonstrating commitment to ethical fundraising standards and compliance with the Fundraising Code of Practice.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Large international human rights organization with a research and advocacy focus that includes HRD protection — a broad incumbent serving overlapping beneficiary and donor audiences.
• Amnesty International: The world's largest human rights organization with overlapping defender-support work but a much broader mission spanning research, advocacy, and global campaigns — a broad incumbent in the same overall space.

Direct peers

• Front Line Defenders: Ireland-based international organization dedicated to the protection of human rights defenders, providing rapid grants, security support, and advocacy — a near-mirror of HRPF's HRD protection mandate.
• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Rapid-response grantmaking organization providing emergency funds to women human rights defenders — directly comparable emergency-grant-driven model for HRDs.
• Peace Brigades International: Provides protective accompaniment and physical security to HRDs at risk — analogous HRD protection service model with comparable grant/program structure.
• Protection International: International NGO focused on security and protection of HRDs through research, advocacy, and capacity-building — directly comparable HRD-protection mission.
• ProtectDefenders.eu: EU-funded mechanism providing temporary relocation, emergency grants, and support to human rights defenders worldwide — directly comparable grant-based HRD support model.
• DefendDefenders: East and Horn of Africa-focused organization supporting HRDs through grants, training, and advocacy — analogous HRD-protection mandate with regional scope.
• International Service for Human Rights: Geneva-based NGO supporting human rights defenders engaging with UN mechanisms, including fellowship and protection programs — overlapping defender-support focus.

Emerging players

• Witness: International organization using video and technology to support HRDs in documenting and exposing human rights abuses — adjacent emerging HRD-support model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hrpf_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/humanrightsprotectionfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-rights-protection-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/hrpf_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund