Saint Martin's Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £745,950 (2024)
• Total Income: £1,050,562
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: Birmingham (Ancient Parish of St. Martin's beneficial area)
• Application Process: No public application process - trustee discretion
• Established: 1893 (by Act of Parliament)

Contact Details

Principal Address:

c/o Shakespeare Martineau

1 Colmore Square

Birmingham B4 6AA

Phone: 0121 214 0000

Email: paul.mcmaster@shma.co.uk

Note: The trust is administered through Shakespeare Martineau solicitors.

Overview

Saint Martin's Trust was established under the Saint Martin's Rectory (Birmingham) Act 1893 (amended 1964 and 2006) to manage historical endowments for the benefit of Anglican clergy and churches within the ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham. With total income of over £1 million annually (primarily from a substantial investment portfolio of £921,990 in 2024), the trust distributed £745,950 in charitable activities during the 2024 financial year. The trust operates under trustee discretion rather than open applications, providing grants, gifts, and loans for clergy housing, curate maintenance, and endowments for incumbents of parishes within its defined beneficial area. The trust represents a historic Parliamentary provision ensuring clergy support through income generated from the valuable rectory lands of medieval Birmingham.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Clergy Support Grants

• Clergy Housing: Grants or loans for sites or houses for clergy residence
• Curate Maintenance: Support for the maintenance of curates serving within the beneficial area
• Endowments: Augmentation of endowments for the benefit of incumbents

Eligibility: Restricted to Anglican clergy and parishes within the ancient parish of St. Martin's beneficial area in Birmingham

Application Method: No public application process - grants awarded at trustee discretion

Priority Areas

• Support for Anglican incumbents (parish priests) within the defined Birmingham beneficial area
• Housing provision for clergy
• Maintenance funding for assistant clergy (curates)
• Endowment augmentation for parishes within the trust's geographical remit
• Anglican Church infrastructure in the historic St. Martin's parish area

What They Don't Fund

• Organizations or clergy outside the defined beneficial area (ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham)
• Non-Anglican denominations
• General charitable projects not directly related to Anglican clergy support
• Projects outside Birmingham
• General public applications

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by 7 trustees who serve without remuneration. The trust operates under statutory governance established by the Saint Martin's Rectory (Birmingham) Act 1893, as amended by statutory instrument (1 January 1964) and scheme (2 November 2006).

Administration: The trust is professionally administered through Shakespeare Martineau, a Birmingham law firm, ensuring proper management of the substantial investment portfolio and compliance with the statutory framework.

The trustees exercise discretion in awarding grants within the parameters set by the founding Act and subsequent amendments, focusing on the specific geographical and denominational constraints of the beneficial area.

How to Apply to Saint Martin's Trust

How to Apply

This trust does not have a public application process. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees within the parameters of the governing Act and schemes.

The trust operates under a restricted model where trustees identify beneficiaries among Anglican clergy and parishes within the defined beneficial area of the ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham. Grants are typically awarded based on trustee knowledge of needs within the eligible parishes rather than through open application rounds.

For eligible clergy: Those serving in parishes within the beneficial area who have specific needs related to housing, curate support, or endowment augmentation may contact the trust administrator at Shakespeare Martineau to inquire about potential support. However, there is no guarantee that such inquiries will result in grants, as awards remain at trustee discretion.

Getting on Their Radar

Birmingham Diocese connections: Trustees likely maintain awareness of clergy needs through connections with the Diocese of Birmingham. Clergy serving in parishes within the ancient parish of St. Martin's beneficial area may be known to trustees through diocesan networks.

Legal administrators: The trust is administered through Shakespeare Martineau solicitors. The designated contact (paul.mcmaster@shma.co.uk) may be able to provide information on whether specific parishes fall within the beneficial area, though this does not constitute an application process.

Parish-specific eligibility: The most important factor is whether your parish lies within the “beneficial area” defined in the trust's governing documents - parishes historically part of the ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham (centered on St. Martin in the Bull Ring). Geographic eligibility is a strict requirement.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As the trust operates on trustee discretion rather than application rounds, there are no standard decision timelines. Awards are likely made when trustees identify needs among eligible beneficiaries or when approached by eligible clergy with specific requirements.

Application Success Factors

Since this trust operates without a public application process, traditional “success factors” do not apply. However, the following factors determine eligibility and likelihood of support:

Geographic eligibility is paramount: Your parish must lie within the beneficial area of the ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham. Parishes outside this area are categorically ineligible regardless of merit.

Alignment with statutory purposes: The trust can only fund purposes specified in the Saint Martin's Rectory (Birmingham) Act 1893 and subsequent amendments: clergy housing, curate maintenance, and endowment augmentation. Other needs, however pressing, fall outside the trust's legal remit.

Anglican denomination: The trust exists specifically to support Anglican clergy and the Anglican Church - other denominations are not eligible.

Trustee awareness: Since grants are made at trustee discretion, trustees must be aware of needs. Eligible clergy may benefit from ensuring their circumstances are known to diocesan leadership or by making direct contact with the trust administrators.

Documentation of need: For significant grants (particularly housing or endowment support), trustees will likely require clear documentation of the need and how it serves the trust's statutory purposes within the beneficial area.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is not an open grant-maker - Saint Martin's Trust operates under a restricted statutory model with no public application process
• Geographic restriction is absolute - Only Anglican parishes within the ancient parish of St. Martin's, Birmingham beneficial area are eligible
• Substantial resources available - With £745,950 in annual charitable expenditure, the trust has meaningful capacity to support eligible beneficiaries
• Contact the administrators first - Before investing effort, confirm with Shakespeare Martineau whether your parish falls within the beneficial area
• Limited use for most grant seekers - This trust is relevant to a very small number of Anglican parishes in central Birmingham only
• Purpose-restricted - Grants can only be made for clergy housing, curate maintenance, and endowment augmentation - the trust cannot fund other activities even for eligible parishes
• Trustee discretion model - Success depends on trustee awareness and decision-making rather than competitive application quality

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• Charity Of Walter Stanley
• Quothquan Trust
• The Roughley Charitable Trust
• George Fentham Birmingham Charity
• The Rowlands Trust
• The Saintbury Trust
• Henry James Sayer Charity
• The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust
• The Grimmitt Trust
• The Lord Austin Trust

References

• Charity Commission Register, Saint Martin's Trust (221040), accessed 27 November 2024: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/221040
• Charity Commission financial data for year ending 31 December 2024
• Governing documents: Saint Martin's Rectory (Birmingham) Act 1893, as amended by statutory instrument (1 January 1964) and scheme (2 November 2006)
• British History Online, “Religious History: Churches built before 1800,” Victoria County History of Warwickshire, Vol. 7, accessed 27 November 2024