North East Area Miners' Social Welfare Trust Fund

Charity Number: 504178

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

Stay updated on changes from North East Area Miners' Social Welfare Trust Fund and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Income: £56,774
  • Annual Expenditure: £58,461
  • Grant Range: Individual welfare grants to major capital grants (up to £600,000)
  • Geographic Focus: North East England coalfield communities
  • Application Process: No public application process - trustee discretion
  • Registered Charity: 504178

Contact Details

Official Registration: Charity number 504178 with the Charity Commission for England and Wales

Contact through CISWO: The trust is administered through CISWO (The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation), the coal mining charity. Rick O'Toole, CISWO's North England Development Manager, has been associated with the trust's activities.

Note: There is no dedicated website or public contact information for direct applications.

Overview

The North East Area Miners' Social Welfare Trust Fund (registered 1962, charity 504178) is a legacy trust established to support former coal miners, their families, and coalfield communities across the North East region. With modest annual income of £56,774 and expenditure of £58,461 (year ending September 2024), the trust operates primarily through trustee discretion rather than open grant rounds. However, this small-scale operation can make substantial strategic grants when aligned with its mission of preserving mining heritage and supporting former mining communities. The trust made headlines in 2024 with a transformational £600,000 grant to Redhills Durham Miners' Hall for critical roof renovation work, demonstrating its capacity for major capital funding when projects serve its core beneficiaries. The trust is governed by five trustees and operates without employed staff, keeping overhead minimal and focusing resources on grant-making.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate formal grant programs but makes awards through two primary mechanisms:

Strategic Heritage Capital Grants: Major one-off grants to preserve mining heritage sites and facilities serving former mining communities

  • Recent example: £600,000 to Redhills Durham Miners' Hall (2024)

Individual Welfare Support: Small grants to former coal miners and their families for health, poverty relief, training, social and recreational activities, and convalescence (administered through CISWO referral network)

Priority Areas

Mining Heritage Preservation: Projects that protect and restore historic mining buildings, monuments, and cultural sites that serve as focal points for former mining communities

Former Miners and Families: Direct support for the health, welfare, and social needs of individuals who worked in the coal industry and their dependents

Coalfield Community Facilities: Support for community spaces, social clubs, and recreational facilities in former mining areas of the North East

Mining Culture and History: Initiatives that celebrate, document, and maintain the cultural legacy of North East coal mining

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects outside the North East coalfield region
  • General heritage projects without connection to mining history
  • Organizations with no link to former mining communities
  • Commercial ventures
  • Individuals with no connection to the coal industry (for welfare support)
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for North East Area Miners' Social Welfare Trust Fund?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The trust is governed by five trustees who make all grant decisions. No trustees receive remuneration for their work.

Dave Anderson (Chair of Trustees): Former MP for Blaydon, former miner at Eppleton Colliery Hetton, former UNISON president, and chair of the Friends of Durham Miners Gala. Anderson has deep roots in the Durham coalfield and the trade union movement.

Quote from Dave Anderson: "Our Trust Fund is committed to preserving this heritage, particularly for the benefit of former miners and their families and the coalfield communities across the North East. The North East mining heritage is an integral part of our region's history."

Administrative Support

The trust appears to be administered through CISWO, with Rick O'Toole (North England Development Manager for CISWO) involved in the trust's activities. CISWO supports over 200 miners' welfare charities nationally with governance guidance and funding support.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees based on their assessment of priorities for mining heritage preservation and support for former mining communities in the North East.

Individual welfare grants for former miners and their families are typically accessed through referral via CISWO's community welfare network rather than direct application to this trust.

For major capital grants to organizations, the evidence suggests that trustees identify and approach projects that align with their strategic priorities rather than accepting unsolicited applications. The Redhills Durham Miners' Hall grant indicates that the trust “has been supporting our project since the beginning,” suggesting a relationship-building approach over time.

Getting on Their Radar

Connection to Dave Anderson and the Durham Mining Community: Dave Anderson chairs both this trust and the Friends of Durham Miners Gala. Organizations deeply embedded in preserving Durham's mining heritage and connected to the Durham Miners' Association, Durham Miners' Gala, or similar institutions are more likely to be known to trustees.

CISWO Network: As the trust operates through CISWO administration, connection to CISWO's network of miners' welfare charities and community organizations may provide visibility. Rick O'Toole (CISWO North England Development Manager) has been associated with the trust's work.

Redhills Durham Example: The £600,000 grant to Redhills Durham Miners' Hall shows the trust supported the project “since the beginning” of the capital campaign, suggesting they were involved early in planning stages. Organizations undertaking major heritage restoration projects in former North East coalfield areas should ensure trustees are aware of their work through the mining heritage network.

Durham Miners' Association Archive and Heritage Network: Connection to institutions that preserve mining history, such as the Durham Miners' Association and organizations involved in the annual Durham Miners' Gala, may provide visibility to trustees.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The Redhills grant suggests a long-term relationship approach where the trust supported the project “since the beginning,” indicating patient decision-making over potentially months or years for major capital grants.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Given the lack of public application process, success factors relate to organizational positioning and relationships:

Deep Connection to North East Mining Communities: The trust exists specifically for former miners, their families, and coalfield communities. Organizations must demonstrate authentic connection to this beneficiary group. The Redhills grant exemplifies this - the Durham Miners' Hall has served the Durham coalfield since 1915 and is central to mining heritage preservation.

Heritage Preservation with Community Benefit: The trustees prioritize projects that both preserve physical mining heritage AND continue to serve former mining communities. As Nick Malyan (Redhills CEO) noted, the trust's funds are “making up an essential part of our conservation programme” for a building that serves as “a vibrant cultural and community space.”

Strategic Importance: The £600,000 Redhills grant represented an exceptional capital commitment for a trust with annual income of only £56,774, suggesting trustees reserve capacity for transformational projects of regional significance to mining heritage.

Long-term Relationship Building: The Redhills project noted the trust “has been supporting our project since the beginning,” indicating successful funding comes through sustained engagement rather than one-off requests.

Leverage and Match Funding: The Redhills grant helped secure ongoing support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, suggesting the trustees value their grants catalyzing additional investment.

Trustee Awareness Through Mining Networks: Given Dave Anderson's roles chairing both this trust and the Friends of Durham Miners Gala, plus his background as a former miner and former MP for Blaydon, organizations known within Durham's mining heritage and trade union networks have natural visibility.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - this trust operates through trustee discretion and long-term relationships rather than open grant rounds
  • Connection to mining communities is essential - the trust exists specifically for former miners, their families, and coalfield communities in the North East
  • Scale matters - despite small annual income, the trust can mobilize substantial sums (£600,000) for strategically important mining heritage projects
  • Get known through the Durham mining heritage network - visibility to Dave Anderson and fellow trustees through organizations like Durham Miners' Association, Friends of Durham Miners Gala, and CISWO is crucial
  • Heritage + community benefit - successful projects preserve mining history while continuing to serve coalfield communities
  • Patient approach required - the Redhills example shows years-long relationship building rather than quick application turnarounds
  • Individual welfare support accessed via CISWO - former miners and families seeking personal support should connect through CISWO's referral network rather than approaching the trust directly

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References