Grant-making policies

The trustees’ policy is to make grants towards the cost of particular items of equipment and other specific projects, including training courses, mainly to schools, and other registered charities whose beneficiaries are predominantly children, in the south-east excluding London.  Favoured items include books, musical instruments, IT hardware or software, outdoor play equipment, physiotherapy equipment and equipment to develop communication skills.  We particularly welcome applications from schools whose intake comprises dyslexic or autistic pupils or those falling within the autistic spectrum. 

Applications for grants outside this policy are unlikely to be successful.  In particular the trust does not support:

• individual children or their parents
• projects which are not of direct educational benefit
• research projects
• organisational development
• publicity projects
• revenue costs
• medical, health or mental health charities
• charities that spend more than a reasonable proportion of their income on administration or generating voluntary income 
• organisations which are not UK-registered charities
• fund-raising intermediaries, grant-making trusts, friends' associations or similar   

Grants are usually in the range of a few hundred to a few thousand pounds but applications outside this range will be considered.  The trustees aim to award grants on a managed basis across beneficiary causes and will take into account previous grants when considering an award. 

Applications

Instructions for applicants:

1.  Applications should be made on the application form available here. 

2.  Applications should be submitted in hard copy only.  Submit eight copies of the application and any supporting documents, preferably double-sided. 

3.  In the interests of brevity and economy please use the form as it stands and do not re-type or modify it.  Limit content to the space made available.

4.  The applicant may submit other documents if necessary to support specified information cross-referred in the application.  Other material, including appeal letters in lieu of properly completing the application form, annual reports/accounts and general publicity information will not be considered. 

5.  The application should be signed by a senior member of staff or trustee.

6.  Applications should be received at the address on the Contact page by 15 January, May or September for consideration at the following month's trustees' meeting. 

Applications will be acknowledged, successful applications being announced on this website shortly after the meeting and all applicants notified in due course.  We may wish to visit a charity or commission a professional assessment before making a final decision.

Informal enquiries may be made prior to a formal application.

The trustees intend the application form and these guidance notes to assist applicants give all and only the information required in considering awards, and welcome comments on the form and notes in use. 

After an award

The trustees agree successful applications in principle.  Funds are normally made available on production of an invoice/s and confirmation that the equipment or services being funded have been received to a satisfactory standard.

We welcome periodic follow-up reports on equipment funded by our grants.  We may wish to visit a beneficiary organisation to see the equipment in use, assess the benefits gained and monitor the overall work of the organisation, including a meeting with some of the trustees.  We will wish to use reports and feedback from the beneficiary organisation and its related publicity material for our own Annual Report, website etc., and will expect reasonable support and co-operation in this regard.

The trustees seek to develop and maintain long-term relationships with assisted organisations.  When such a relationship is established we welcome further applications for suitable projects.