John James Underdown Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1114312

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

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Quick Stats

  • Charity Number: 1114312
  • Annual Giving: £165,936 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Not publicly available
  • Geographic Focus: England, Wales, and international

Contact Details

Address: Information available through Charity Commission Register

Phone: 01404 43431

Website: None

Email: Not publicly available

Overview

The John James Underdown Charitable Trust was established through a will proved at District Probate Registry at Bristol on 24 November 2004 and registered as a charity on 22 May 2006. The trust operates with broad charitable objectives “to or for the benefit of such exclusively charitable objects and purposes in any part of the world as the trustees may in their absolute discretion think fit.” This gives the three trustees wide latitude in directing grants.

The trust's financial year ending 5 April 2024 showed total income of £31,231 and total expenditure of £165,936, suggesting the trust drew down from capital to support its charitable activities. The trust makes grants to organisations supporting various beneficiary groups including children and young people, elderly people, people with disabilities, people of particular ethnic or racial origins, and the general public. The trust operates throughout England and Wales and internationally.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not publicize specific grant programs or funding streams. All grants are made at the trustees' absolute discretion based on their assessment of charitable need and alignment with the trust's broad objectives.

Priority Areas

Based on Charity Commission records, the trust has supported:

  • Children and young people
  • Elderly and older people
  • People with disabilities
  • People of particular ethnic or racial origins
  • General charitable purposes

The trust operates both nationally within England and Wales and internationally.

What They Don't Fund

Not publicly specified. Given the broad nature of the charitable objectives, decisions appear to be made on a case-by-case basis by the trustees.

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by three trustees:

  • Mr David Leslie Wood
  • Mr Kenneth Underdown
  • Mr Edward Roy Underdown

None of the trustees receive 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 charitable objects specify that grants are made “as the trustees may in their absolute discretion think fit,” indicating that funding decisions are made by the trustees through their own discretion rather than through an open application process.

The trust does not operate a website, published guidelines, or public application forms. The trust does not raise funds from the public.

Application Success Factors

Given the lack of public application process and published guidelines, organizations interested in this trust would need to understand:

  • Trustee discretion is absolute: The governing document gives trustees complete discretion over which charitable objects to support
  • Broad charitable remit: The trust can support “any exclusively charitable objects and purposes in any part of the world”
  • Focus on grant-making: The trust's method of operation is making grants to organisations rather than direct charitable work
  • Diverse beneficiary groups: Past activities show support across multiple demographic groups and causes

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • The John James Underdown Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited applications
  • All grants are made at the absolute discretion of the three trustees
  • The trust has broad charitable objectives allowing support for diverse causes
  • There is no public information on grant amounts, timelines, or application processes
  • The trust supports work in England, Wales, and internationally
  • With annual expenditure of approximately £166,000 (2024), this is a modest-sized grant-making trust
  • No website, public guidelines, or published funding criteria are available

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References

  1. Charity Commission Register of Charities - John James Underdown Charitable Trust (Charity Number 1114312). Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1114312&subid=0 [Accessed 28 December 2025]
  1. Charity Commission - Full charity details for charity 1114312. Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/4022238/full-print [Accessed 28 December 2025]
  1. OpenCharities - John James Underdown Charitable Trust. Available at: http://opencharities.org/charities/1114312 [Accessed 28 December 2025]