Mole Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Income: £481,564 (2024)
• Annual Expenditure: £282,205 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: Throughout England
• Registered: 2 December 1980

Contact Details

Address: 2 Okeover Road, Salford, M7 4JX

Phone: 0161 832 8721

Email: jonathan.brodie@lopiangb.co.uk

Overview

The MOLE CHARITABLE TRUST is a private grant-making trust established in 1980 with broad charitable objectives. Operating throughout England, the trust has maintained a consistent focus on supporting educational institutions, charitable organisations working on poverty relief, disability, and religious activities. With an annual income of £481,564 and expenditure of £282,205 for the financial year ending March 2024, the trust demonstrates selective but substantial grant-making capacity. The trust's registered objectives give trustees full discretion to support “such charitable purposes as the trustees may from time to time in their absolute discretion think fit,” allowing for flexible and responsive grant-making. The trust is administered through Lopian Gross Barnett & Co, a Manchester-based firm of chartered accountants with specialist expertise in charity accounting, which has been operating for over 70 years.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust operates a discretionary grant-making programme with no fixed grant amounts or formal application cycles. Grants are awarded based on trustee discretion rather than through competitive application rounds.

Priority Areas

The trust focuses on supporting:

• General Charitable Purposes: Broad discretionary support for charitable activities
• Education and Training: Support for educational institutions and educational charitable organisations
• Disability: Organisations working with disabled people and disability-related causes
• Prevention or Relief of Poverty: Charitable work addressing poverty and financial hardship
• Religious Activities: Support for religious charitable purposes

Beneficiaries

The trust makes grants to “Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies” operating throughout England.

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, though the trust appears to focus exclusively on registered charities and voluntary organisations rather than individuals.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

• Dov Barry Black - Appointed 31 July 2022
• Jonathan David Brodie - Appointed 31 July 2022
• Leah Pearl Gross - Appointed 10 November 1980 (founding trustee)

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. All serve in a voluntary capacity.

Trustee Expertise: Jonathan Brodie is a Partner at Lopian Gross Barnett & Co, specializing in offshore tax structures, trusts, and corporate reorganisations. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 2006 and advises on all areas of accountancy from audits through to tax advice and corporate finance work. Leah Pearl Gross has been involved with charitable organisations in Manchester for decades, demonstrating long-term commitment to charitable giving.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The trust operates through trustee discretion, with grants awarded to organisations known to or identified by the trustees. There are no application forms, deadlines, or online portals for unsolicited applications. The trust does not accept open applications from organisations with whom they have no prior connection.

Grants appear to be awarded based on the trustees' own research, networks, and charitable priorities rather than through response to external applications.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. As grants are made at the trustees' discretion rather than through formal application cycles, there are no fixed decision dates or notification schedules.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the trust does not accept unsolicited applications, so success rate data is not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - as there is no public application process, there is no formal reapplication policy.

Application Success Factors

As this trust does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organisations that may come to the trustees' attention are likely those that:

• Align clearly with the trust's focus areas: education, poverty relief, disability, or religious activities
• Operate as registered charities or established voluntary bodies in England
• Have demonstrable track records and financial accountability
• May have connections to the Manchester charitable or professional community where the trustees are based
• Work in areas where the trustees have personal or professional interest or expertise

The trust's substantial income relative to its expenditure suggests selective grant-making, with trustees choosing fewer but potentially larger grants to organisations they know well or have researched thoroughly.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This trust cannot be applied to through conventional means. It operates entirely on trustee discretion.
• Substantial resources with selective giving: Income of £481,564 with expenditure of £282,205 suggests the trust is building reserves or making selective larger grants rather than distributing to many organisations.
• Broad charitable remit: The trust's objectives give trustees full discretion, but documented priorities include education, poverty relief, disability, and religious activities.
• Professional administration: Managed through a reputable Manchester accounting firm with charity expertise, suggesting robust governance and financial management.
• Long-standing commitment: Founded in 1980 with one original trustee still serving, indicating stability and long-term perspective.
• Geographic focus: While able to operate throughout England, the trust's administration in Manchester may influence where grants are directed.
• Not suitable for proactive fundraising: Organisations seeking funding should not contact this trust speculatively, as they do not accept or respond to unsolicited applications.

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• J A Gillett Charitable Trust
• The Balney Charitable Trust
• CECIL AND HILDA LEWIS CHARITABLE TRUST
• The Willan Charitable Trust
• Sir John and Lady Heathcoat Amory's Charitable Trust
• The Burry Charitable Trust
• The Elaine and Angus Lloyd Charitable Trust
• The Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust
• Joan Ainslie Charitable Trust
• The Joseph and Ruth Smilg Charitable Trust

References

1. UK Charity Commission - MOLE CHARITABLE TRUST (Charity Number 281452), Register of Charities. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=281452&subid=0

1. UK Charity Commission - MOLE CHARITABLE TRUST Full Print. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/sector-data/top-10-charities/-/charity-details/281452/full-print

1. Lopian Gross Barnett & Co - Charities Accountants Manchester. https://www.lopiangb.co.uk/services/specialist-sectors/charities

1. Lopian Gross Barnett & Co - Meet the Directors: Jonathan Brodie. http://www.lopiangb.co.uk/staff-directory/jonathan-brodie

1. UK Companies House - Leah Pearl Gross Personal Appointments. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/39Mk9cf0DJarVDgfEZkR4mR_vVA/appointments