Emanuel Hospital

Quick Stats

• Charity Number: 206952
• Annual Income: £89,685 (2023/24)
• Annual Expenditure: £276,368 (2023/24)
• Recent Grant Amounts: £117,000 - £655,000 (major strategic grants)
• Individual Grants: £400 - £1,000 (through partner organizations)
• Geographic Focus: Greater London
• Founded: 1600

Contact Details

Central Funding and Charity Management Team

• Address: City of London Corporation, PO Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ
• Email: Grants@cityoflondon.gov.uk
• Phone: 020 7332 1399
• Website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/what-we-do/Pages/trusts-charities-awards.aspx

Overview

Emanuel Hospital is a historic charity founded in 1600 from a bequest by Lady Anne Dacre (nee Sackville), daughter of Sir Richard Sackville, treasurer of the exchequer to Elizabeth I. Originally established to provide an almshouse at Tothill Fields, Westminster, “for the relief of 20 aged people and for the bringing up of 20 children in virtue and good and laudable arts,” the charity has been administered by the City of London Corporation since 1623. The almshouse site was sold in 1892 and replaced by a system of pensions paid to older people in need, known as Lady Dacre Pensioners. Today, the charity continues supporting 20 pensioners while also distributing substantial funding to organizations helping older people in need across the capital. Between 2021 and 2025, the charity donated over £980,000 to support older Londoners through strategic partnerships with Age UK and Friends of the Elderly.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Strategic Partnership Grants (Large-scale organizational funding)

• Recent grants: £117,000 - £655,000
• Multi-year commitments to partner organizations
• Focus on service delivery to older people across London
• Examples: Age UK received £655,154 (2022) for 22 local Age UKs; Friends of the Elderly received £117,000+ (2021)

Lady Dacre Pensions (Individual support)

• Annual pensions to 20 eligible older persons
• Christmas bonuses when investment income permits
• Long-standing pension scheme dating back to 1892

Individual Crisis Grants (Through referral partners)

• £400 - £1,000 for exceptional and essential items
• Must be accessed through referral agents/professionals
• Available to older people in financial difficulty

Priority Areas

• Relief of poverty among older people in Greater London
• Support for those who are sick, convalescent, or disabled
• Essential items and services (household appliances, heating, etc.)
• Friendship and loneliness prevention services
• Information, advice, and practical support for older Londoners
• Benefits advice, energy-saving guidance, nutrition support, scam prevention

What They Don't Fund

• Organizations outside Greater London
• Programs not focused on older people
• General operational costs without clear benefit to elderly beneficiaries
• Capital projects unrelated to elder care

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Governance and Leadership

Emanuel Hospital is governed by the Governors of the Emanuel Hospital Charitable Trust, a committee within the City of London Corporation's democratic structure. The charity operates under the historic governance arrangement established in the original charter, which appointed the Lord Mayor and aldermen as governors in perpetuity.

The charity also has The Emanuel Hospital Management Sub (Court of Aldermen) Committee which handles day-to-day management decisions.

Decision-making authority rests with the City of London Corporation's Court of Aldermen, reflecting the charity's 400+ year relationship with the City's civic governance. This governance structure means funding decisions are made at trustee level rather than through competitive application processes.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This charity does not have a public application process for organizational grants. Emanuel Hospital operates through strategic partnerships and trustee-determined allocations rather than open calls for applications.

For Strategic/Organizational Grants:

• Large grants are awarded at the discretion of the Governors/Trustees
• Recent beneficiaries include Age UK and Friends of the Elderly
• Multi-year partnerships are established rather than single grants
• No open application portal or fixed deadlines

For Individual Crisis Grants (£400-£1,000):

• Applications must be submitted by referral agents on behalf of older people
• Referral agents include: community centres, religious centres, carers centres, housing associations, advice organizations (Citizens Advice), other charities (Age UK)
• Individuals cannot apply directly
• Referral agents can register and apply online or request application forms via Grants@cityoflondon.gov.uk

According to the City of London Corporation's charitable trusts page, Emanuel Hospital “is not currently accepting external applications” and focuses on “strategic funding” to selected partner organizations.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Strategic partnerships appear to be reviewed and renewed on a multi-year basis rather than following annual cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process for organizational grants.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable for organizational grants. For individual crisis grants through referral agents, policies would be determined by the partner organizations administering the funds.

Application Success Factors

Since Emanuel Hospital operates through strategic partnerships rather than competitive applications, traditional “success factors” do not apply. However, based on the charity's recent funding patterns, certain characteristics appear significant:

For Organizations Seeking Partnership:

• Established track record: Both Age UK and Friends of the Elderly are well-established national charities with proven delivery models
• London-wide reach: Funding has gone to organizations that can distribute support across Greater London (22 local Age UKs received funding)
• Direct service delivery: Priority given to organizations providing frontline services to older people rather than policy/advocacy work
• Multiple service types: Successful partners offer varied support - friendship services, information and advice, practical assistance, and crisis grants
• Addressing current challenges: Recent grants explicitly targeted pandemic impacts and cost-of-living crisis, suggesting responsiveness to emerging needs matters

Evidence from Recent Grants:

The £655,154 grant to Age UK (2022) funded “information and advice sessions on topics including claiming benefits, saving energy, eating well on a budget and avoiding scams” - demonstrating preference for practical, immediate-need services addressing economic pressures on older people.

The £117,000+ grant to Friends of the Elderly (2021) was specifically structured to provide “one-off grants of between £400 and £1,000 for individuals, and grants of £5,000 to other organisations helping older people” - showing interest in both direct individual support and capacity-building for smaller organizations.

Strategic Alignment:

The charity remains committed to Lady Dacre's original vision from 1600: “relief of aged people.” Modern interpretation extends this to comprehensive support for older people facing poverty, sickness, or disability across Greater London.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - Emanuel Hospital selects strategic partners at trustee discretion rather than accepting applications
• Focus is exclusively on older people in Greater London, particularly those experiencing poverty, sickness, or disability
• Multi-year strategic partnerships are the model - recent grants totaling £980,000+ over 2021-2025 went to just two major organizations
• Dual funding approach: Large organizational grants (£100,000+) to established charities plus individual crisis grants (£400-£1,000) through referral systems
• Current partners are Age UK and Friends of the Elderly, suggesting preference for nationally-recognized organizations with strong London networks
• If seeking individual support, older people should contact Age UK or Friends of the Elderly rather than Emanuel Hospital directly
• For organizations, building relationships with the City of London Corporation's Central Funding and Charity Management Team may be worthwhile, though unsolicited approaches unlikely to result in funding given the strategic partnership model

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• Strand Parishes Trust
• ST ANDREW HOLBORN AND STAFFORD'S CHARITY
• Fassnidge Memorial Trust
• THE CAMPDEN CHARITIES TRUSTEE
• The City of London Corporation Combined Relief of Poverty Charity
• Westminster Amalgamated Charity
• THE HAMPSTEAD WELLS AND CAMPDEN TRUST
• CRIPPLEGATE FOUNDATION
• East End Community Foundation
• JOHN LYON'S CHARITY

References

• Charity Commission Register of Charities: Emanuel Hospital - 206952, https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/206952/
• City of London Corporation: “Historic charity helps older Londoners hit by pandemic with £450k cash boost,” https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/historic-charity-helps-older-londoners-hit-by-pandemic-with-450k-cash-boost
• City of London Corporation: “Funding boost will help older Londoners facing hard winter,” https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/funding-boost-will-help-older-londoners-facing-hard-winter
• Age UK: “Emanuel Hospital Charity,” https://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/donate/trusts-and-foundations/emanuel-hospital-charity/
• City of London Corporation: “Trusts and charities,” https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/working-with-community/trusts-and-charities
• City of London Democracy Portal: “Governors of the Emanuel Hospital Charitable Trust,” https://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=941
• Broad Street Ward: “Age UK Receives £655k Grant Towards Cost-of-Living Crisis,” https://broadstreetward.org.uk/2022/11/18/age-uk-receives-655154-grant-towards-cost-of-living-crisis/