Naked Wines Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1193917

Annual Expenditure: £0.5M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £499,571 (2024/25)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application)
  • Grant Range: Variable (single major grant typically £450,000-£605,000)
  • Geographic Focus: England & Wales, with international reach (South Africa, Australia, United States)

Contact Details

Address: Norvic House, 29-33 Chapel Field Road, Norwich, NR2 1RP

Phone: 01603281869

Email: charity@nakedwines.com

Website: www.nakedwines.com

Overview

The Naked Wines Charitable Trust was established in March 2021 as a Charitable Incorporated Organization (CIO) to harness the power of the Naked Wines community to support charitable causes. With an annual giving of approximately £500,000, the trust's mission is to advance charitable purposes “for the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other social and economic disadvantage.” The trust operates both locally in Norfolk and internationally in wine-making regions worldwide, particularly focusing on supporting communities connected to the wine industry. The trust is governed by six trustees and has HMRC recognition for Gift Aid donations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust operates through internal selection rather than open grant rounds:

  • Carmen's Kids Programme (South Africa): The trust's primary funding commitment, providing £450,000-£605,000 annually to the Carmen Stevens Foundation to feed school children in poor districts around Stellenbosch, South Africa. Over £3 million donated over 10 years, providing 38 million meals to 117,000 children across 125 schools.
  • Staff-Nominated Charities: Three charities nominated annually by Naked Wines staff receive support through fundraising campaigns. Recent beneficiaries include:
  • St Martins Housing Trust (supporting homeless in Norwich and Norfolk)
  • The Feed (empowering local communities for food security and wellbeing)
  • Cancer Research UK
  • Disaster Relief: Ad-hoc support for winemaking communities globally during natural disasters, assisting vineyard workers and their families.

Priority Areas

  • Relief of poverty, particularly food insecurity
  • Support for children and young people
  • Disability support
  • Homelessness and housing support
  • Communities in wine-making regions worldwide
  • Local Norfolk charities

What They Don't Fund

Not specified, but the trust operates through internal nomination and selection processes rather than accepting external applications.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  1. Jason William Howe
  2. Jennie Rose Linder
  3. Helen Sides
  4. Hannah Grobbelaar
  5. Craig Mackay
  6. Malcolm Drane

No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The Trustee Board meets regularly to oversee the charity's operations.

Organizational Structure

The trust operates as part of the Naked Wines ecosystem, drawing on donations from Naked Wines customers (known as “Angels”), staff, and shareholders. The trust was designed to channel the collective power of this community toward charitable causes that align with the company's values and geographic footprint.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Naked Wines Charitable Trust operates through an internal selection model where:

  1. Major Grant Recipient: The primary beneficiary (Carmen Stevens Foundation) was selected based on a direct connection to a Naked Wines winemaker (Carmen Stevens) and ongoing partnership rather than competitive application.
  1. Annual Nominated Charities: Three charities are nominated each year through an internal staff nomination and voting process. These are selected by Naked Wines employees rather than through external applications.
  1. Trustee Discretion: The six-person trustee board makes final decisions on all grants based on the trust's charitable purposes and strategic priorities.

Organizations seeking support cannot apply directly through a standard application process. Instead, the trust identifies beneficiaries through its internal networks, staff connections, and strategic partnerships within the wine industry and local Norfolk community.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded through internal nomination and trustee decisions rather than application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process.

Application Success Factors

While there is no public application process, understanding how the trust selects beneficiaries can provide insight:

Connection to the Naked Wines Community: All supported charities have clear connections to either:

  • The wine industry and wine-making regions where Naked Wines operates
  • The Norwich/Norfolk area where Naked Wines is headquartered
  • Causes that resonate with Naked Wines staff, customers, or shareholders

Alignment with Trust Purposes: Beneficiaries clearly address relief of poverty, disability, youth support, or other disadvantages specified in the trust's charitable purposes.

Staff Engagement: For the annual nominated charities, there is strong staff connection and engagement, suggesting that charities with existing relationships with Naked Wines employees may have opportunities to be nominated.

Measurable Impact: The Carmen's Kids programme demonstrates the trust's interest in initiatives with quantifiable outcomes (e.g., “38 million meals to 117,000 children”).

Long-term Partnerships: The trust appears to favor sustained, multi-year commitments rather than one-off grants, as evidenced by the decade-long support for Carmen's Kids.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Open Applications: This trust does not accept unsolicited applications or have a public grant process - do not submit proposals directly
  • Corporate Foundation Model: The trust operates as an extension of Naked Wines' corporate social responsibility, channeling customer, staff, and shareholder donations
  • Geographic Focus: Priority on wine-making regions globally and local Norwich/Norfolk area
  • Staff-Driven Selection: Annual charity nominations come from internal staff voting, not external applications
  • Major Commitment Strategy: Primary funding goes to a single flagship programme (Carmen's Kids) with substantial multi-year commitment
  • Internal Network Access: Connection to Naked Wines staff or the wine industry provides the pathway to consideration
  • Community Fundraising Model: The trust relies on mobilizing the Naked Wines customer community (“Angels”) to raise funds for selected causes

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References