Are you eligible?

Categories eligible for grant

The Trust provides financial assistance to UK registered or exempt charities whose activities fall within the following three categories:

• care of and services for blind people;
• long-term care of people with learning disabilities either: in a residential care or supported living environment in a way that provides a family environment and wide choice of activities and lifestyle; or: by providing long-term day/employment activities;
• care of and services for people suffering from cancer and their families.

We prioritise our funding on providing opportunities to improve connection and belonging for people who may be isolated as a result of blindness, learning disabilities or cancer.

Project grants

We are prepared to support a wide variety of projects primarily based in England; examples of the types of projects we are likely to fund are included in What we need for each field.

Grants vary in amount, but ordinarily are expected to fall within the region of £20,000+. The total amount awarded varies from year to year according to available funds. 

Commitments to make future payments are rarely given, with grants normally being one-off annual grants. However, charities which have received a grant are encouraged to apply in the next and subsequent years.

Unrestricted funding

Charities which are eligible may apply for core funding/ongoing costs but must demonstrate a clear need for unrestricted rather than project funding. This need might for example be related to substantial rises in costs or the cessation of regular funding streams. Ordinarily smaller charities and charities with less than healthy reserves are more likely to be successful with applications for core costs.

Charities are encouraged to contact the Grants Office before applying for core costs.

Exceptional grants

The Trustees may occasionally consider larger exceptional grants, but this is unusual and generally confined to charities that we know well and have supported for some time. There is no separate application process for this, and contenders will be identified from the normal grant round.

Applications unlikely to succeed

The Trustees do not support:

• Organisations that are not registered charities (or properly exempt)
• Projects based primarily outside of England. This is because the Trust is exploring new working practices involving more contact and site visits and we have limited resources
• General appeals or letters/mail-shots requesting donations (you must follow our guidelines)
• Individuals, or charities applying on their behalf
• Grant-making organisations seeking funding for the purpose of awarding grants to others
• Applications for less than £10,000
• Charities with a turnover of less than £50,000
• Charities with liquid (free) reserves covering more than 18 months’ expenditure unless they can clearly demonstrate that they are in financial need
• Charities that do not yet have a track record of service delivery (or other convincing evidence of ability)
• Projects which are complete (i.e. retrospective funding)
• Academic or medical research projects
• Campaigning or lobbying projects
• Work usually considered a statutory responsibility
• Items of equipment or buildings intended for use by the NHS.

What to do next

If you are satisfied that your charity and the work you are asking us to support are eligible for a grant, see first ‘How to apply’ and then read What we need for your field. You must follow these guidelines and give us all the information we need, or your application cannot be considered.

---