See also

• Grants policy
• How to apply

Application requirements:
learning disabilities category

The Trust awards grants to UK registered or exempt charities whose work fulfils the criterion:

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 a wide choice of activities and lifestyle; or by providing very long term day/employment activities.

In a typical year the Trust is able to respond positively to around 1 in 3 eligible applications with around 17 charities awarded grants varying from £3,000 to £30,000. In this field, charities must satisfy us that they support individuals over an extremely long period of time. Charities which provide residential care or supported living schemes clearly meet this condition. The Trustees do sometimes consider charities which provide day or employment services, but only when those services are very long term for the individual beneficiaries (eg providing work until retirement). This requirement means that, for instance, we do not support schools or colleges.

We are not necessarily looking for glossy professional bids and understand that your application will vary according to the size of organisation and the project. The following lists the areas that must be covered – if you fail to do so we will not consider your application.

1. Organisation overview

   1.1 Name and contact details including:
   • Name, address, charity number (state if exempt from requirement to register);
   • name of main contact, telephone and email.
   1.2 Background and overview to include:
   • a very short history of the charity, when it was founded and why for instance;
   • overarching aims and objectives;
   • if part of a larger national, regional or international organisation, please provide details;
   • numbers and relevant information about beneficiaries – this might include geographic location, age group etc. If the charity does not provide residential care, please tell us how your work satisfies the long term requirement; and
   • numbers of staff; and volunteers (and an indication of the areas in which they help).

2. Project description

   2.1 Explain what you want a grant for/towards including:
   • why it is necessary;
   • who will benefit and how;
   • how you will deliver it.
   2.2  Give the total cost and:
   • include a breakdown of the main items of expenditure, including the VAT position (explain if reclaimable or not);
   • tell us how you intend to raise the funding and how much you have raised so far; and
   • if you have other applications outstanding, tell us how many and for how much.
3. Contingency plan. Explain what you intend to do if you fail to raise all the funds.
4. Timetable. Tell us your timescale for raising funds and when you aim to start and complete the project.
5. Annual accounts. You must include your latest audited accounts and annual review (if you have one). If your financial reserves are not clear in the accounts, please provide further details. If your reserves are greatly under or over policy we would like to know why.
6. Other information. Please include any other information which you feel will assist us in judging your application. This could include for example a copy of your newsletter, or short promotional/ advertising leaflets.

If you wish to talk through a potential application then please contact us in the Grants Office either by email or by telephone on 020 8941 0450. It is only manned part time so email is sometimes quicker.

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Examples of previous grants

A grant of £15,000 was given towards the £44,000 cost of refurbishing the kitchen at this charity’s residential care home.

£20,000 was awarded to a local charity with 2 residential homes towards the £260,000 cost of reconfiguring and extending its day centre for residents and local people with a learning disability.

£20,000 was awarded towards the £300,000 cost of re-roofing a charity’s two residential homes.

£30,000 was donated to a national charity’s £1.5M capital appeal to re-house people from a large communal home into smaller independent living units in the local community.

A small local charity which runs day activity centres which many have attended for most of their working life, was awarded £12,000 to upgrade outdated lavatory facilities.

A charity which runs 2 residential care homes was awarded £8,000 to convert 2 standard lavatories at its social enterprise to accommodate the increasing needs of ageing workers.

£4,000 was awarded to a charity which runs supported living schemes, to fund a pilot volunteer buddy scheme for its beneficiaries..

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