Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 267325

Annual Expenditure: £0.4M
Geographic Focus: United States

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £45,990 income (2024); £413,942 expenditure (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation/relationship-based)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly specified
  • Grant Range: Not publicly specified (varies by project)
  • Geographic Focus: UK national, with focus on thoroughbred racing industry
  • Charity Number: 267325

Contact Details

Address: 6 Arlington Street, St James's, London, SW1A 1RE

Email: sarah@sarahwhitney.co.uk

Phone: 020 7299 1400

Contact Person: Sarah Whitney, Executive Administrator

Overview

The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust was established in 1974 and has made regular donations to worthy causes focused on bloodstock, medical research, and education. The trust honours the legacy of Gerald Leigh, a prominent owner-breeder of racehorses based at Eydon Hall Farm in Northamptonshire who established himself as a leading international breeder, achieving Classic and Group 1 wins in England, Ireland, France, America, Canada, and Australia. His homebred Group 1 successes included Barathea (2000 Guineas and Breeders' Cup Mile), Bosra Sham (1,000 Guineas), and Markofdistinction (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes). The trust operates with two trustees who receive no remuneration, and makes grants to organisations at the trustees' discretion. The trust's charitable objectives are defined as “general charitable purposes at the discretion of the trustees,” though in practice, funding priorities align closely with Gerald Leigh's passion for thoroughbred welfare, veterinary science, and educational accessibility in the racing industry.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate formal grant programs with specified amounts. Instead, it makes grants through partnerships and trustee-identified projects, including:

  • Veterinary Research Partnerships: Co-funding small research projects through partnerships with HBLB (Horserace Betting Levy Board) and the Racing Foundation
  • Educational Accessibility Initiatives: Multi-year partnerships with organisations like British Racing School and Racing to School
  • Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures: Annual funding for educational lectures on thoroughbred health and welfare through Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust

Priority Areas

Thoroughbred Veterinary Research and Welfare

  • Equine disease surveillance and veterinary science
  • Small research projects related to racehorse health (e.g., fetlock injury detection, platelet-rich plasma for tendon conditions, equine genome annotation)
  • Health and welfare improvements for thoroughbred racehorses

Education and Career Accessibility

  • Removing financial barriers for young people entering racing careers
  • Supporting young people from diverse, deprived, and disadvantaged areas
  • Providing educational experiences about the racing and breeding industry
  • Residential courses and experience weeks at racing schools
  • Equipment and travel cost support for students with financial barriers

Scientific Knowledge and Industry Education

  • Annual Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures featuring international experts on thoroughbred topics
  • Educational events covering topics like equine respiratory disease, reproductive efficiency, and horse safety in training and racing

What They Don't Fund

  • Organisations outside the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry
  • General animal welfare causes unrelated to horses
  • Causes unrelated to bloodstock, medical research, or education
  • Individual applications from the general public
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Governance and Leadership

Executive Administrator

Sarah Whitney serves as Executive Administrator and is the primary contact for the trust.

Key Quote: “We consider that welfare of the thoroughbred racehorse and improvement of the breed are of paramount importance to our Bloodstock Industry.”

On Education Initiatives: "We hope that these enhanced initiatives will remove barriers and create new opportunities which will make a positive difference to many young people's lives."

Trustees

The trust has 2 trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trust has no employees with total 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 Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust makes grants at the discretion of its trustees, typically through:

  1. Established Partnerships: Multi-year partnerships with organisations in the thoroughbred racing industry such as HBLB, Racing Foundation, British Racing School, Racing to School, and Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust
  1. Trustee-Identified Projects: Grants awarded to projects and organisations identified by trustees based on alignment with the trust's core mission
  1. Industry Relationships: Support for initiatives within the thoroughbred racing and breeding sector where trustees have existing awareness and relationships

Getting on Their Radar

The trust primarily supports organisations within the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry through established partnerships. Based on research findings, the trust:

  • Partners with HBLB (Horserace Betting Levy Board) and the Racing Foundation as a co-funder for small veterinary research projects
  • Maintains multi-year partnerships with British Racing School and Racing to School for educational accessibility initiatives
  • Collaborates with Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust to organize annual Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures

Organisations working in thoroughbred welfare, veterinary research, or educational access in the racing industry may consider contacting Sarah Whitney at sarah@sarahwhitney.co.uk to introduce their work, though there is no guarantee of funding consideration.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly specified. Decisions appear to be made at trustee meetings on a discretionary basis throughout the year.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the trust operates through invitation and trustee discretion rather than competitive application processes.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the absence of a public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since this trust does not accept unsolicited applications, the following factors characterise their successful grant relationships:

Alignment with Core Mission

The trust consistently funds initiatives that directly relate to:

  • Thoroughbred racehorse welfare and breed improvement
  • Veterinary research benefiting racehorses
  • Educational opportunities and accessibility in the racing industry

Partnership Approach

Successful funding relationships involve:

  • Multi-year commitments rather than one-off grants
  • Co-funding arrangements with other industry bodies (HBLB, Racing Foundation, TBA, BEBF)
  • Collaborative projects with established racing industry organisations

Focus on Accessibility and Barriers

Recent grants emphasize:

  • Removing financial barriers for young people from deprived, disadvantaged, or diverse communities
  • Supporting transport, equipment, and travel costs
  • Creating residential experiences and career pathways in racing

Evidence-Based Impact

Funded projects demonstrate:

  • Clear beneficiary numbers (e.g., Racing to School worked with 600+ young people in 2023)
  • Specific, measurable outcomes
  • Direct connection to thoroughbred welfare or youth development

Industry Recognition

Sarah Whitney's quote emphasizes: “We consider that welfare of the thoroughbred racehorse and improvement of the breed are of paramount importance to our Bloodstock Industry” - indicating that projects must demonstrate clear benefit to the UK thoroughbred racing industry.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - this trust operates through trustee discretion and established partnerships within the thoroughbred racing sector
  • Narrow focus area - only organisations working in thoroughbred racing, breeding, veterinary research, or related education should consider approaching this trust
  • Partnership model - successful grants involve multi-year commitments and often co-funding with other industry bodies like HBLB and Racing Foundation
  • Accessibility priority - recent funding shows strong emphasis on removing financial barriers and supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access racing careers
  • Veterinary research - the trust considers ongoing veterinary research projects “a key charitable objective” and co-funds small research projects annually
  • Legacy-driven - all funding reflects Gerald Leigh's passion for thoroughbred welfare, scientific knowledge, and the racing industry
  • Direct contact - organisations in this sector may contact Sarah Whitney directly at sarah@sarahwhitney.co.uk, though funding is not guaranteed

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