The Woodward Charitable Trust

The Woodward Charitable Trust awards grants of up to £3,000 (however they are typically under £1,000) towards the core costs for small charities, CIOs and CICs. Please note that the Trust does not fund unsolicited applications from charities whose annual income exceeds £200,000 or an organisation that has more than six months running costs in its unrestricted reserves.

The Trustees particularly look to fund projects that help families and young people and that are aiming to improve the life chances of the beneficiaries. They like projects that promote community cohesion and the development of skills that will change the outlook and outcomes for the users. Organisations that promote volunteering and involve both past and present users in their operations or management are encouraged. They only consider applications for core costs and are looking for organisations which aim to achieve a positive impact in at least one of the following areas:

• Children and young people who are isolated, at risk of exclusion or involved in anti-social behaviour and projects to help those who have been in the care system. This also covers gang violence and knife crime, education and mentoring as well as projects that work to raise self-esteem and employment opportunities and encourage an active involvement in and contribution towards the local community;

• Disadvantaged families, this covers parenting support and guidance, mental health, food poverty, refuges and domestic violence projects and would also include projects that benefit travellers, ethnic minorities and refugee families;

• Prisoners and ex-offenders and specifically projects that maintain and develop contact with prisoners’ families and help with the rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners and/or ex-offenders after their release.

The Trustees favour small-scale, locally based initiatives and most grants are only for one year.

In addition, 60-70 grants of £250-£1,000 per year are made towards Children’s Summer Playschemes. Applications are considered in April/May each year, grants are only given to charities whose annual income is under £100,000.

Deadline: Trustees review grant applications twice a year, usually in February/March and October. Please consult the diary page for up-to-date deadlines.

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Eligibility

What types of organisations are eligible to apply?

The Trust only funds registered UK charities, CICs, CIOs and exempt charities (an exempt charity has charitable status and is required to comply with charity law).

We do not fund voluntary community groups, constituted groups/forums, hospices, gyms, sports centres, nurseries, or ‘not-for-profit’ companies, or individuals in any capacity, even if the work being undertaken is charitable.

If you want to apply for a grant this will need to be done via a UK registered charity, or one of the eligible organisation types listed above.