Fair by Design

Fair by Design is dedicated to eliminating the poverty premium in the United Kingdom, addressing the systemic issue where individuals with lower incomes pay disproportionately higher prices for essential services. This financial inequality manifests across multiple sectors, including energy markets with expensive tariffs, financial services with elevated interest rates, and insurance with higher premiums based on geographical location. Through strategic partnerships with industry leaders, government bodies, and regulatory authorities, the organization works to restructure these markets to ensure equitable pricing regardless of socioeconomic status.

The organization operates a specialized Venture Fund managed by Ascension, which strategically invests in promising startups and scale-ups developing innovative solutions to address market inequalities. This investment vehicle targets companies creating products, services, and technologies that can transform how essential services are priced and delivered to vulnerable populations. By providing growth capital to these mission-driven enterprises, Fair by Design helps accelerate market-based solutions that have the potential to create systemic change in how the poverty premium operates across various sectors.

Beyond investment activities, Fair by Design conducts extensive policy and advocacy work administered by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, representing a coalition of philanthropic foundations committed to economic justice. This aspect of their operation focuses on research, stakeholder engagement, and policy reform initiatives designed to raise awareness about the poverty premium and advocate for regulatory changes. Their evidence-based approach combines real-world data with lived experiences to influence decision-makers and create momentum for meaningful reform in how markets serve lower-income communities.

The organization employs a dual-pronged strategy combining direct market intervention through venture investments with broader systemic change through policy work. This comprehensive approach recognizes that solving the poverty premium requires both innovative business models and supportive regulatory frameworks. By simultaneously nurturing entrepreneurial solutions while advocating for structural reforms, Fair by Design has positioned itself as a leading catalyst for financial inclusion in the UK, working toward a future where essential services are priced fairly for all citizens regardless of their income level or postal code.