Middle Way Trust

Charity Number: 1197479

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: ??187,873 (expenditure, financial year ending November 2024)
  • Annual Income: ??104,077 (financial year ending November 2024)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
  • Geographic Focus: England and Wales
  • Established: November 2021

Contact Details

Address: Prama House, 267 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7HT

Phone: 01865 536800

Email: nicola.peedell@howespercival.com

Website: No public website identified

Overview

The Middle Way Trust is a relatively new grant-making charity registered in November 2021 with the UK Charity Commission (charity number 1197479). The trust operates as a private limited company by guarantee without share capital. With an annual income of approximately ??104,000 and expenditure of ??188,000 in its most recent financial year, the trust makes grants to charitable institutions throughout England and Wales. The charity's objects are broadly defined as supporting charitable purposes as determined by the directors through grants and awards. The trust is administered with the support of Howes Percival solicitors in Oxford, and its trustees include professionals with backgrounds in intellectual property law and charitable finance. As a relatively new entity with limited public information, the trust appears to operate as a private grant-making foundation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not appear to operate formal, publicly advertised grant programs. Information about specific grant streams, amounts, or application deadlines is not publicly available.

Priority Areas

According to the Charity Commission register, the trust's charitable purposes encompass a broad range of areas including:

  • General charitable purposes
  • Education and training
  • Advancement of health or saving of lives
  • Disability support
  • Prevention or relief of poverty
  • Religious activities
  • Arts, culture, heritage, and science
  • Environment, conservation, and heritage
  • Human rights, religious or racial harmony, equality, or diversity
  • Recreation
  • Other charitable purposes

Beneficiaries

The trust supports:

  • Children and young people
  • Elderly people
  • People with disabilities
  • Other charities or voluntary bodies
  • The general public

What They Don't Fund

No specific exclusions are publicly documented. Given the private nature of the trust and lack of public application process, it is likely that grants are made by invitation or through trustee connections rather than through open competition.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Cathleen Blackburn (Chair, appointed November 2021)

  • Intellectual property lawyer and consultant at Howes Percival, Oxford
  • Previously co-founder of Maier Blackburn LLP (12 years)
  • Specializes in copyright, publishing, and trademark licensing
  • Long-serving solicitor to the Tolkien Estate
  • Acts for publishers, authors, libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations
  • Trained at Linklaters & Paines, qualified 1986
  • MA Modern Languages from University of Oxford (Lady Margaret Hall)

Robert Maurice Kirtland (Trustee, appointed November 2021)

  • Chartered accountant
  • Founding trustee of Charity Mentors Oxfordshire
  • Former Treasurer of Dorchester Abbey appeal (raised over ??4 million in early 2000s)
  • Current trustee of Charity Centre Oxford
  • Managing Director and Head of Charities Team at Critchleys
  • Governor of Oxford Brookes University
  • Received Honorary Fellowship from Oxford Brookes University for contributions to charity sector

Both trustees bring significant expertise in charitable governance, intellectual property, and financial management.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

No public application process has been identified. The trust does not appear to have a website, published grant guidelines, or public application forms. The trust likely operates as a private grant-making foundation that makes grants by invitation or through trustee-initiated relationships rather than accepting unsolicited applications.

Organizations interested in potential funding should contact the trust directly via the email address provided: nicola.peedell@howespercival.com

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. As a private trust without an open application process, success rates are not applicable in the traditional sense.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly available.

Application Success Factors

Given the private nature of this trust and the limited public information available, the following factors are likely important:

  • Trustee connections: The trust appears to operate through trustee-directed grant-making rather than open competition. Establishing a relationship with the trustees or being within their professional networks may be important.
  • Alignment with trustee expertise: Given the trustees' backgrounds in intellectual property law, cultural heritage organizations, charitable governance, and Oxford-area charitable work, organizations working in these areas or with connections to Oxford may be better positioned.
  • Established charitable status: The trust makes grants to other charitable institutions throughout England and Wales, so registered charity status is likely essential.
  • Due diligence readiness: With a chartered accountant as trustee, organizations should be prepared to demonstrate sound financial management and governance.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Private foundation: This appears to be a private grant-making trust without a public application process. Unsolicited applications are unlikely to be successful.
  • Limited track record: Established in 2021, this is a relatively new charity with limited publicly available information about past grants.
  • Professional administration: The trust is administered through Howes Percival solicitors, suggesting professional governance standards.
  • Modest grant-making capacity: With expenditure of approximately ??188,000 per year, this is a relatively small grant-maker.
  • Direct contact recommended: Organizations interested in funding should contact the trust directly rather than submitting speculative applications.
  • Oxford connections: Both trustees have strong connections to Oxford and the charitable sector in Oxfordshire, which may influence grant-making priorities.
  • No public reporting of grants: Information about specific grants awarded and recipient organizations is not publicly available, making it difficult to identify funding patterns or priorities.

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