Kusuma Trust Uk

Charity Number: 1126983

Annual Expenditure: £5.6M
Geographic Focus: India, Throughout England And Wales, Gibraltar

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £5.6 million (charitable spending 2023)
  • Total Distributed: £51+ million since 2010
  • Decision Time: 2 weeks (initial concept note response for Gibraltar grants)
  • Grant Range: £5,000 - £2,500,000+
  • Geographic Focus: UK (primarily London), India, and Gibraltar
  • Funding Approach: Primarily proactive/invitation-only, with limited open calls

Contact Details

Website: www.kusumatrust.org

Email: info@kusumatrust.org (UK), info@kusumatrust.gi (Gibraltar)

Phone: 020 7420 0650

Address: 55 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1BS

Overview

Founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, Kusuma Trust UK (registered 2008, charity number 1126983) is a family-led philanthropic organization that has distributed over £51 million in grants since 2010, benefiting over 20 million people through 510+ partnerships. The Trust operates across the UK, India, and Gibraltar with annual charitable spending of approximately £5.6 million. Their endowment-funded model allows strategic, long-term investments in education, healthcare, arts, culture, and environmental initiatives. The Trust takes a partnership-based approach, selecting grantees based on shared values of creating access to opportunities, improving health and well-being, and investing in communities and environment. Executive Trustee Soma Pujari guides the Trust's “value-led grant making,” while co-founder Anurag Dikshit believes philanthropy is “part of the responsibility owed to the society we live in.”

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Medical Funding - Last Mile Open Call (London)

  • Amount: £10,000 - £150,000
  • Eligibility: NHS hospital charities in Greater London with in-patient facilities
  • Purpose: Medical equipment, facility upgrades/expansions, capital projects
  • Requirements: At least 60% of required funding already secured
  • Application: Concept note form, rolling basis
  • Restrictions: Only one application per organization; projects already completed are ineligible; current grantholders or previously declined applicants (within 12 months) must contact Trust before reapplying

2. Small Grants Programme (England)

  • Amount: Up to £10,000
  • Eligibility: Registered charities in England
  • Focus: Education outcomes for young people aged 11-21 from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Outcomes: Student attainment, teaching quality, community engagement, pathways to higher education and employment
  • Application: Concept note form

3. Random Acts of Kindness Grants (UK)

  • Amount: Up to £10,000
  • Eligibility: Not-for-profit organizations
  • Status: Over 120 charities funded to date
  • Application: By invitation/proactive identification

4. Gibraltar Community Grants

  • Eligibility: Community, education, or charity organizations based in Gibraltar
  • Application: Concept note form to info@kusumatrust.gi
  • Timeline: Aims to respond within 2 weeks

5. Gibraltar Excellence Prize

  • Amount: £3,000 per recipient
  • Eligibility: Students with exceptional A-level or undergraduate results (minimum 3 A grades), offer from leading university, track record of community/voluntary work
  • Application: Specific form, launches late summer/early autumn

6. Gibraltar Professional Development Awards

  • Eligibility: Individuals working in Gibraltar for minimum 3 years, no government/employer funding available
  • Requirement: Work must directly benefit those living/working in Gibraltar

7. Strategic Partnership Grants (Invitation Only)

  • Amount: £40,000 - £2,800,000+
  • Examples: £2.5m to Moorfields Eye Charity, £2.8m to IIT Delhi, £570,000+ to King's College London, £500,000 to UCLH stem cell transplant unit
  • Application: Not open to applications; Trust identifies and approaches partners proactively

Priority Areas

Education

  • Access to education for disadvantaged children and young people
  • Breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty
  • Student attainment and progression to higher education/employment
  • Neurodiversity support in mainstream schools
  • STEM education in disadvantaged communities
  • University access programs

Health & Medical

  • NHS hospital equipment and facilities
  • Medical research (cardiac, eye health, cancer, neonatal)
  • Healthcare in community settings
  • Mental health and wellbeing

Community & Environment

  • Green spaces and healing gardens
  • Community engagement projects
  • Youth development programs
  • Sports and outdoor activities for disabled people
  • Special educational needs support

Arts & Culture

  • Major cultural institutions (e.g., Kusuma Gallery at V&A)
  • Arts education and access

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited applications (except for specific open calls: Medical Funding, Small Grants Programme, Gibraltar programs)
  • Projects already completed
  • Organizations outside specified geographic areas (London for medical grants, England for small grants, Gibraltar for community grants)
  • Multiple applications from same organization (only one at a time)
  • Reapplications within 12 months of previous decline (without prior discussion)
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (receive no remuneration):

  • Soma Pujari (Co-Founder, Executive Trustee): Medical professional background, guides “value-led grant making,” driven by “social engagement and responsibility”
  • Anurag Dikshit (Co-Founder, Trustee): Technology entrepreneur, co-founded PartyGaming, believes philanthropy is “part of the responsibility owed to the society we live in”
  • Nitin Jain (Trustee): MBA, technology entrepreneur, focuses on “investing in local projects” using “innovative technology to address social problems”
  • Peter Isola (Gibraltar Trustee): Senior lawyer, business leader, active in community support

Key Staff (6 employees total):

  • Libby Burkeman, Head of Grants
  • Sharika Alam, Grants Manager
  • Andy Arthurson, Operations Manager
  • Michelle Tosso, Gibraltar Country Manager
  • Rachel Appleton-Metcalfe, Head of Investments

Founder Quote: “As global citizens we count ourselves lucky to have known neighbours and made friends from many different backgrounds.” The founders aim to pass their values to the next generation to encourage societal engagement.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Medical Funding (London):

  • Download concept note form from website
  • Submit to info@kusumatrust.org
  • Include project budget, plans/designs where relevant
  • Demonstrate at least 60% of funding already secured

For Small Grants (England):

  • Download concept note form from website
  • Align project with Trust's education focus for disadvantaged young people
  • Submit via website

For Gibraltar Grants:

  • Download concept note form from website
  • Submit to info@kusumatrust.gi
  • Be prepared for due diligence (financial history, project details, governance, safeguarding procedures)

For Strategic/Large Grants:

  • Not open to applications
  • Trust identifies and approaches potential partners based on shared values and strategic alignment

Decision Timeline

  • Gibraltar grants: Aims to respond to concept notes within 2 weeks
  • Other programs: Timeline not publicly specified
  • Trust takes partnership-based, long-term approach to funding relationships

Success Rates

Success rates not publicly disclosed. However:

  • Trust is highly selective, working with 510+ partners since 2010
  • Over 120 Random Acts of Kindness grants distributed
  • Emphasis on strategic partnerships over volume of grants

Reapplication Policy

  • Current grantholders or applicants declined in last 12 months should contact Trust before reapplying
  • Only one application per organization at a time
  • Trust open to dialogue with organizations about reapplication timing

Application Success Factors

Strategic Alignment

The Trust emphasizes they “do not accept unsolicited applications” for most funding streams, instead selecting “partnerships based on shared values and mutual interests.” Success factors include:

  1. Shared Values: Demonstrate alignment with creating access to opportunities, improving health and well-being, and investing in communities/environment
  1. Long-term Partnership Potential: Trust takes a “partnership approach to provide meaningful and measurable impact” by “working long term with children at the tipping point of need”
  1. Innovation and Technology: Trustee Nitin Jain prioritizes “innovative technology to address social problems”
  1. Focus on Disadvantaged Populations: Priority on breaking “intergenerational cycle of poverty” for most disadvantaged children and young people
  1. Last Mile Funding: Medical program specifically targets projects with 60%+ funding secured, providing crucial final portion

Recent Funded Projects Examples:

  • Chess in Schools: Chess Fest outdoor festival in Trafalgar Square
  • Feast with Us: Nutrition and wellbeing for food-insecure Londoners
  • Disability Snowsports UK: Access to physical, mental, and social benefits of snowsport
  • Friends of Holland Park: Sensory Garden for SEND community
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Healing gardens in healthcare settings
  • IntoUniversity: Education access for disadvantaged young people

Key Application Tips:

  • For open calls, ensure concept note clearly demonstrates strategic fit
  • Contact Trust directly if unsure about eligibility or reapplication status
  • Emphasize measurable impact and long-term benefits
  • For small grants, focus on specific outcomes: student attainment, teaching quality, community engagement, pathways to higher education/employment
  • Ensure robust governance and safeguarding procedures
  • Be prepared for thorough due diligence process

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Funding model is primarily proactive: Most grants awarded through Trust-initiated partnerships, not open applications. Don't expect success through unsolicited approaches except for specific open calls (Medical, Small Grants, Gibraltar).
  • Target the open call programs: If seeking funding from Kusuma Trust, focus applications on Medical Funding (if London NHS hospital charity), Small Grants Programme (if England-based charity working with disadvantaged youth), or Gibraltar programs (if Gibraltar-based).
  • Demonstrate “last mile” needs: Medical program specifically designed for projects with 60%+ funding secured, needing final portion. Show broad support base.
  • Emphasize shared values over needs: Trust selects partners based on “shared values and mutual interests” rather than organizational needs. Demonstrate alignment with Trust's strategic priorities.
  • Think long-term partnership: Trust values ongoing relationships with “meaningful and measurable impact.” Show capacity for sustained engagement.
  • Use concept note strategically: Initial concept notes reviewed within 2 weeks (Gibraltar). Make strong first impression demonstrating strategic fit, measurable outcomes, and organizational capacity.
  • Contact before reapplying: If previously declined or currently funded by Trust, speak with them before submitting new application. Demonstrates respect for relationship-based approach.

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References