Douglas Compton James Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1091125

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

Geographic Focus: Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £186,611 (2024)
Success Rate: Not publicly available
Decision Time: Not publicly available
Grant Range: Not publicly available
Geographic Focus: Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
Registered Charity Number: 1091125

Contact Details

Principal Address:

Montague House, Chancery Lane

Thrapston, Northamptonshire

NN14 4LN

Contact Information:

Email: louise.davies@vshlaw.co.uk
Phone: 01832 732161

The trust is administered through VSH Law, a law firm in Thrapston that has operated for over 190 years.

Overview

The Douglas Compton James Charitable Trust was registered as a charity (number 1091125) and operates with the purpose of making donations to masonic and non-masonic charities or charitable causes. The trust makes grants to organisations for general charitable purposes and provides services to other charities or voluntary bodies.

Based in Northamptonshire, the trust operates primarily in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. With an annual expenditure of £186,611 (2024), the trust has shown consistent growth in its grantmaking activity over recent years. Income has grown from £100,790 in 2021 to £195,817 in 2025, demonstrating an expanding capacity for charitable giving. The trust is administered by VSH Law, a long-established legal practice in Thrapston.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate formal grant programs with published criteria. Grants are made at the discretion of the trustees to:

Masonic charities
Non-masonic charities
General charitable causes

Priority Areas

The trust's objects allow for broad charitable giving. Specific priority areas are not publicly documented, but the trust is known to support both masonic and non-masonic charitable causes within its operational area of Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

What They Don't Fund

No specific exclusions are publicly documented.

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by four trustees:

Richard Currington Ongley - Chair
Keith Moncur Lamont Dickson - Trustee (appointed 16 December 2020)
Thomas James Reed - Trustee (appointed 07 March 2019)
Philip John Humphrey - Trustee (appointed 30 January 2014)

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity. The trust has no employees with benefits over £60,000 and no trading subsidiaries.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Douglas Compton James Charitable Trust operates through trustee discretion, with grants awarded through decisions made by the board of trustees rather than through open application rounds.

Organizations interested in seeking support should contact the trust administrator directly via email at louise.davies@vshlaw.co.uk or by phone at 01832 732161 to inquire about potential funding opportunities.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. Decisions are made by trustees at their discretion.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly available.

Application Success Factors

Given the trust's discretionary grant-making approach and limited public information, the following factors are likely to be important:

Geographic relevance: Organizations operating in or benefiting communities in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire appear to be the primary focus
Charitable alignment: Projects that align with general charitable purposes and serve other charities or voluntary bodies
Connection to masonic or non-masonic charitable causes: The trust explicitly supports both masonic and non-masonic charities
Relationship building: As the trust does not have a public application process, establishing contact and building a relationship with the trustees or administrators may be beneficial

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

The Douglas Compton James Charitable Trust operates without a public application process and makes grants through trustee discretion
The trust supports both masonic and non-masonic charitable causes in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
With annual expenditure of approximately £186,000-£252,000, the trust has demonstrated growing grant-making capacity
Contact should be made through the trust administrator at VSH Law: louise.davies@vshlaw.co.uk or 01832 732161
Limited public information is available about specific grant recipients, amounts, or success rates
The trust's broad charitable objects suggest flexibility in the types of causes supported