George Fentham Birmingham Charity

George Fentham Birmingham Charity is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1204784).

The George Fentham Birmingham Charity was established over 300 years ago to benefit people in the City of Birmingham. Its founder set up a charitable trust to improve the lives of those in need, and the charity's purpose covers the relief of people in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage, as well as the relief of those in need in relation to education. It has an endowment fund of approximately £5,000,000 and runs two programmes: General Grants to charities that provide services or facilities for those in need, hardship or distress in the City of Birmingham, and Educational Grants for students under 25 who are long term residents of the city.

Priority Areas

The charity makes general grants to charities and other eligible organisations that provide services or facilities for people in need, hardship or distress in the City of Birmingham. It describes general grants as supporting education, health and social welfare, including local facilities and community programmes. Eligible organisations include those serving sick and disabled children, children’s holiday and play schemes, young people’s clubs and associations, sick and disabled adults and older people, and communities addressing social problems. Educational grants help students under 25 who are long-term residents of Birmingham and in full-time further or higher education, with study-related expenses such as living costs, travel, books and IT equipment. The charity considers students’ financial need and academic merit and says it prioritises those with the greatest need. It aims to support education, health and community well-being across Birmingham.

Themes

• Education
• Health
• Community well-being

Geographic Focus

Birmingham.

Organisations apply for General Grants by completing the application form and emailing it with their most recent accounts.

Deadlines:

• For general grants, the deadline is the last day of the month before meetings held in January, April, July and October.
• For educational grants, the deadline is the last day of the month before meetings held in March, September and December.

Who can apply:

• Educational grants: Be a long term resident of the City of Birmingham (usually for 3 years for reasons other than education) and must live within the boundaries of the City of Birmingham (proof of address required). Students who reside in Birmingham solely for their studies are not eligible. Be under the age of 25 years at the start of the academic year to which the grant relates. Be in full-time education.

What to send:

• General grants: A copy of your latest annual accounts.
• Educational grants
  • Proof of address.
  • Evidence that you have applied for a Student Maintenance Loan and a Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance England.
  • Proof of having applied for any additional support available from your college or university.

Applying again: The Trustees will only allocate one grant to an individual (educational grant) or organisation (general grant) per calendar year. Individuals and organisations can apply each year to the Charity.

What the charity says:

• General grant proposals are assessed for their potential positive outcomes and alignment with the charity’s mission.
• General-grant applicants should set out a clear plan showing how funding will benefit the local population.