G M Morrison Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £393,208 (2024)
• Success Rate: N/A (invitation only)
• Decision Time: N/A (no public application process)
• Grant Range: £1,000 - £5,000
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide

Contact Details

Address: C/O Currey & Co LLP, 33 Queen Anne Street, London W1G 9HY

Email: gen@curreyandco.co.uk

Phone: 020 7802 2700

Primary Contact: The Correspondent

Overview

The G M Morrison Charitable Trust (formally known as the Gordon Macgregor Morrison Charitable Trust) was established by trust deed dated 23rd May 1970. With annual expenditure of approximately £393,208 (2024) and an income of £379,934, the trust provides financial support to UK registered charities on a regular annual basis. The trust is administered by Currey & Co LLP, a solicitors firm specialising in private client work, trusts, and charities that has been serving clients since 1812. The trust operates without paid trustees and distributes grants across education, social welfare, and medical causes throughout the UK.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

• Small Grants Programme: £1,000 - £5,000
• Application method: Invitation only / trustee recommendation

Priority Areas

The trust makes grants to registered UK charities undertaking projects in three primary fields:

• Education: Educational charities and projects
• Social Welfare: Organisations supporting vulnerable groups including children, young people, elderly people, and people with disabilities
• Medicine: Medical charities and healthcare projects

What They Don't Fund

• Individual applications (only registered charities)
• Non-UK organisations
• Organisations outside the three priority areas

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by three trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trust has no employees. Currey & Co LLP acts as the administrative agent.

How to Apply to G M Morrison Charitable Trust

How to Apply

This trust does not have a public application process.

The trust's official guidance states: “Beneficiaries of grants are normally selected on the basis of the personal knowledge and recommendation of a Trustee. New applications for grants will only be considered in the most exceptional circumstances.”

Organisations wishing to be considered should write to: The Correspondent, G M Morrison Charitable Trust, Currey & Co LLP, 33 Queen Anne Street, London W1G 9HY, though success without a trustee connection is highly unlikely.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded at trustee discretion based on their personal knowledge and recommendations.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the trust does not operate an open application process. The trust typically makes approximately 195-200 grants annually, but these are predominantly to organisations already known to the trustees.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only nature of the trust.

Application Success Factors

Given the trust's closed application process, success factors centre entirely on trustee connections:

• Trustee Knowledge: The trust explicitly states that “beneficiaries of grants are normally selected on the basis of the personal knowledge and recommendation of a Trustee.” Organisations must be personally known to one of the three trustees.

• Exceptional Circumstances: The trust notes that “new applications for grants will only be considered in the most exceptional circumstances,” indicating that unsolicited applications are rarely successful.

• Strategic Alignment: Organisations working in education, social welfare, or medicine with proven track records are the focus of the trust's giving.

• Established Charities: Only registered UK charities are eligible for support.

• Regular Support Pattern: The trust aims to provide support to charities “on a regular annual basis,” suggesting they favour ongoing relationships with beneficiary organisations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Trustee connection is essential: This trust operates almost exclusively through trustee recommendation and personal knowledge. Without a connection to one of the three trustees, applications are highly unlikely to succeed.

• Small grant focus: With grants typically ranging from £1,000-£5,000, this is a source for smaller-scale project funding rather than major institutional support.

• Consistent annual giving: The trust distributes approximately £390,000-£410,000 annually across roughly 195-200 grants, indicating reliable funding capacity.

• Broad UK focus: The trust supports charities throughout the UK without geographic restrictions, but they must be registered charities working in education, social welfare, or medicine.

• Administrative agent: Currey & Co LLP, a respected solicitors firm specialising in charitable trusts, handles administration. Contact The Correspondent if seeking to introduce your organisation in exceptional circumstances.

• No public deadlines: As an invitation-only funder, there are no application cycles or deadlines to monitor.

• Relationship-based philanthropy: This represents traditional British trust philanthropy where personal connections and trustee knowledge drive funding decisions rather than competitive application processes.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• Garfield Weston Foundation
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Trust For London
• The Linbury Trust
• The John Armitage Charitable Trust
• The 29th May 1961 Charity
• The Swire Charitable Trust
• Smallwood Trust
• The Dulverton Trust
• The Sir James Reckitt Charity
• Westminster Fund
• The D'oyly Carte Charitable Trust
• Robert Luff Foundation Limited
• The Bridge Trust
• The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust
• The Englefield Charitable Trust
• Chapman Charitable Trust
• Misses Barrie Charitable Trust
• The Michael And Anna Wix Charitable Trust
• The Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust

References

• UK Charity Commission Register of Charities, Charity Number 261380: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/261380
• South Pennines Digital Towns Funding Directory, GM Morrison Charitable Trust profile: http://www.southpenninesdigitaltowns.org.uk/funding/gm-morrison-charitable-trust/
• Currey & Co LLP company information: https://curreyandco.co.uk/
• Charity Commission annual reports and accounts for charity 261380