Where do grants from trusts go?
More than 50% of charitable trust grants go to local organisations, followed by national organisations, and then grants to individuals. International and overseas bodies get the smallest amount.
How big is the sector?
Grant making charitable trusts and foundations are major funders of the UK voluntary sector. The top 500 charitable trusts gave out grants totaling £2.7 billion in 2004/05. This represents about three quarters of the value of all charitable grant making, and 10% of the UK voluntary sector’s income, according CAF and the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF).
What activities do they fund?
Social care tops the list with £489 million, followed by health at £452 million, education at £273 million, arts and culture at £230 million, and the environment at £166 million, according to research by CAF and ACF. The other areas include international and faith-based grants.
Trust giving is usually for one-off project funding, such as running a summer play scheme for six weeks or carrying out research and buying equipment. Funding for ongoing revenue costs such as staff salaries will be time limited.
Should I call the trust to check up on my application?
The top 500 trusts employ an average of 17 staff, according to CAF’s Charity Trends 2006. But many operate with extremely limited resources – often one or two part time paid employees – and some operate solely on voluntary work by trustees. If the trust is a larger one, you can probably contact someone – but you may just have to wait to see what happens. Some smaller trusts do not let you know if they reject your application.
Why is it important to do research on trusts?
Increasing numbers of grant making trusts and foundations making their grant application guidelines available online as well as in directories. Yet the Association of Charitable Foundation (ACF) members receive large numbers of ineligible applications, which do not fall within their criteria. This means that resources are being wasted by both the groups applying and the funder receiving the applications.
