Grants, generally for up to £50,000, are available for core costs, salaries and capital expenditure for UK registered charities that are directly addressing environmental causes, UK heritage and the challenges faced by the most marginalised and disadvantaged members of society.
Family grant-making Trust the Swire Charitable Trust usually awards a significant number of grants each year against the following programmes and priorities:
The Opportunity Programme, which aims to improve life chances for ex-service men and women; victims of slavery and trafficking; children and young people in the care of their local authority, involved with the criminal justice system, or from the most socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Environment Programme, which funds charities that can connect people to the environment and support the UK’s biodiversity, and
The Heritage Programme, which funds heritage work that can deliver social and economic benefits to deprived communities or disadvantaged people and support charities working to safeguard endangered skills.
The Trust will prioritise applications from charities that:
- Are well placed and well qualified to deliver the proposed work/project.
- Are seeking to make their income streams more sustainable.
- Can clearly demonstrate the needs they are addressing.
- Can show a proven track record as well as solid ambitions.
- Have strong and quality leadership.
- Have the potential to change the way issues are tackled more widely.
- Know what they are aiming to achieve and plan to monitor and evaluate outcomes.
- Manage their finances prudently.
- Operate in some of the most economically disadvantaged parts of the UK and work with people from the most challenged backgrounds, and
- Take an effective approach to using volunteers and mentors (where appropriate).
Further information and guidance, together with an online application form, is available on the Trust’s website.
Applications may be made at any time. Applications for grants of under £25,000 are considered every month, while requests of over £25,000 are reviewed each January, April, July and October.