London Chamber Of Commerce And Industry Commercial Education Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Income: £209,740 (2024)
• Total Grants Given: Over £3.3 million since 2002
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (awards 3-5 grants annually)
• Decision Time: 6-9 months for main grants
• Grant Range: £500 - £75,000 (typically; higher amounts considered for exceptional impact)
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide
• Application Method: Rolling applications with quarterly review cycles

Contact Details

• Website: www.theCET.org
• Email: info@theCET.org
• Phone: 020 7203 1909
• Address: 33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP

For small grants programme enquiries and general grant discussions, applicants are encouraged to contact CET directly before submitting concept papers.

Overview

The Commercial Education Trust (CET) was founded in 1887 by the London Chamber of Commerce to address skills gaps in commercial education. Formally established as a charity in 1967 and incorporated in 1989, CET transitioned to a grant-making charity in 2002 after selling its examinations board. Since then, CET has distributed over £3.3 million in grants to promote “Commercial Ability”—the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviours young people need to thrive in the workplace. The Trust focuses on young people in the later stages of their schooling or early in their careers, with a mission to embed excellent Commercial Ability as a target outcome of the UK education system. CET is governed by 10 volunteer trustees and led by Executive Director Mahad Ali, supported by a Senior Management Team including Director of Operations & Finance Sadia Mirza.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Main Grant Programme: £10,000 - £75,000 (typically)

• Multi-year funding available (1-3 years, awarded annually subject to satisfactory progress)
• Higher amounts may be considered for projects with exceptional impact potential
• Quarterly review process with 6-9 month approval timeline
• Applications accepted on a rolling basis via concept paper submission

Small Grants Programme: £500 - £10,000

• Annual application window (13th January – 31st March 2025 for current round)
• UK-wide projects supporting Commercial Ability development
• Single-year funding for pilot projects, workshops, mentorship initiatives, research studies, and employer-school partnerships
• Notifications sent following closing date

David Coughtrie Leadership Awards: Recognition grants (nomination-based)

• Awards for leaders championing Commercial Ability in education and youth development

Priority Areas

CET funds projects aligned with their five pillars of Commercial Ability:

1. Basics for Life: Literacy, numeracy, digital skills, and personal finance
2. Essential Transferable Skills: Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking
3. Workplace Attitudes and Behaviours: Accountability, resilience, entrepreneurship, professionalism
4. Organisational Know-How: Understanding business operations, finance, and organizational processes
5. Sector-Specific Know-How: Industry knowledge relevant to specific career paths

Projects must:

• Benefit young people in later stages of schooling or early in their careers
• Be impact-driven with clear measurable outcomes and outputs
• Focus on developing Commercial Ability competencies
• Operate within the UK with UK beneficiaries
• Be delivered by registered charities, charitable community groups, or not-for-profit organisations

CET actively encourages “project pilots or prototypes” and supports organizations at various stages of development. The Trust also plays a proactive role in identifying and developing projects to achieve maximum impact.

What They Don't Fund

• Capital costs: Building renovations, vehicle purchases, or training costs/professional fees relating to capital projects
• Faith-based projects: Projects primarily religious in nature or promoting a particular religion
• Commercial organisations: For-profit entities
• Non-UK projects: Projects operating outside the UK or without UK beneficiaries
• General organizational costs: Non-project-specific operational expenses
• Projects unrelated to Commercial Ability: Initiatives that don't focus on developing workplace readiness skills

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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

• Mahad Ali: Executive Director
• Sadia Mirza: Director of Operations & Finance (joined November 2023)

Advisors

• John Hillier: Senior Advisor (since September 2011)
• Darren Scurville: Advisor (since January 2020)

Board of Trustees

The charity is governed by 10 volunteer trustees who receive no remuneration. Recent trustee appointments include Susanna Kalitowski. Trustees meet quarterly to review grant applications recommended by the Grants & Development Committee.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Main Grants (£10,000+):

CET operates a five-stage application process with quarterly review cycles:

Stage 1: Concept Paper

• Submit a brief 1-2 page outline describing your organization and project idea
• Template available upon request from CET
• No fixed deadline; rolling submissions

Stage 2: Application Form

• If concept paper receives positive consideration, CET invites full application
• Comprehensive application includes budget, workplan, and due diligence documentation
• Template provided by CET

Stage 3: Review

• Grants & Development Committee reviews applications quarterly
• Recommended applications advance to Trustee Board's quarterly meeting

Stage 4: Decision

• Trustee Board meets quarterly to make final funding decisions
• Email notification sent within 10 working days of Board meeting

Stage 5: Grant Offer Letter & Payment

• Successful applicants sign CET's standard Grant Offer Letter
• Funds distributed in installments aligned with agreed milestones
• Annual renewal for multi-year grants subject to satisfactory progress reports

For Small Grants (£500-£10,000):

• Annual application window: 13th January – 31st March 2025
• Submit project objectives, implementation timeline with budgeted breakdown, and expected outcome metrics
• Notifications sent following closing date

Pre-Application Guidance:

CET emphasizes a personalized approach, stating “there is no one-size-fits-all” solution. Organizations are encouraged to contact CET directly to discuss their projects before submitting concept papers.

Decision Timeline

• Main Grants: 6-9 months from concept paper to decision
• Quarterly Board Meetings: Applications reviewed quarterly by Grants & Development Committee and Trustee Board
• Notification: Within 10 working days of Board meeting for final decision

Success Rates

CET awards 3-5 grants annually across all grant programmes. Specific success rates and application-to-award ratios are not publicly available. The selective nature of funding (3-5 grants per year from rolling applications) suggests a competitive process, though CET's proactive approach to identifying and developing projects indicates they work closely with potential applicants.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly documented. Given CET's emphasis on relationship-building and personalized consultation, applicants are advised to contact CET directly for guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

CET's Stated Priorities

Impact-Driven Projects: CET requires “clear measurable outcomes and outputs.” Projects must demonstrate how they will develop Commercial Ability in young people with quantifiable results.

Commercial Ability Framework Alignment: Successful applications explicitly connect to one or more of CET's five pillars. Projects combining multiple pillars may be particularly attractive, as CET notes “the five pillars can be combined as necessary, with some being more relevant to one career journey than another.”

Pilot and Prototype Projects: CET actively encourages innovative approaches, stating they support “project pilots or prototypes.” This suggests they value testing new models over replicating existing programmes.

Evaluation and Measurement: CET “measures success through independent evaluation,” indicating strong applications include robust evaluation frameworks from the outset.

Examples of Funded Projects

Recent successful applications provide insight into CET's priorities:

• East London Arts and Music (ELAM): £25,000 to design, develop, and pilot their Industry Readiness & Commercial Ability programme—demonstrating CET's support for creative sector employability
• Peter Jones Foundation: “Empower Alumni” project supporting graduates into employment, apprenticeships, self-employment, or higher education—showing CET values transition support
• Young Enterprise Wales: Enterprise and financial education delivery across Wales—indicating support for established organizations delivering proven Commercial Ability programmes at scale
• LAMDA: Funding for arts institutions embedding Commercial Ability—reinforcing CET's sector-agnostic approach focused on workplace readiness outcomes

Strategic Considerations

Proactive Partnership: CET states it “plays a proactive role in developing projects to achieve maximum impact” and “conducts its own candidate identification through referrals and initiative assessments.” This suggests CET values collaborative development of grant proposals rather than purely reactive assessment.

Commercial Ability as Core: Every element of an application should demonstrably connect to developing the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviours young people need to “survive and thrive in the workplace.”

Evidence-Based Approaches: Given CET's 2023 development of an Impact Framework and emphasis on independent evaluation, applications should include evidence-based methodologies and clear impact measurement strategies.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Start with a conversation: CET emphasizes personalized consultation and encourages pre-application contact. Use this to shape your concept paper before formal submission.
• Explicitly map to the five pillars: Clearly demonstrate how your project develops Commercial Ability across one or more of CET's framework pillars (Basics for Life, Transferable Skills, Workplace Attitudes, Organisational Know-How, Sector-Specific Know-How).
• Emphasize measurable impact: CET requires “clear measurable outcomes and outputs” and uses independent evaluation. Build robust evaluation frameworks into your proposal from the start.
• Consider pilot approaches: CET actively supports “project pilots or prototypes”—innovative, testable models may be more attractive than established programme expansion.
• Plan for the long timeline: With 6-9 months from concept to decision and quarterly review cycles, submit your concept paper well in advance of your project start date.
• Understand the competitive landscape: With only 3-5 grants awarded annually, applications must demonstrate exceptional alignment with CET's mission and potential for significant impact on young people's workplace readiness.
• Focus on young people in transition: Projects must benefit “young people who are in the later stages of their schooling or early in their careers”—clearly define your target beneficiary age group and transition stage.

References

• Charity Commission Register - London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Commercial Education Trust (801986)
• CET Official Website - About Page
• CET Grants Information
• CET Grant-Making Process
• CET Small Grants Programme
• CET Commercial Ability Framework
• Companies House - London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Commercial Education Trust

Information compiled December 2024