Sandra Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £1,051,170 (2024)
• Grant Range: Most grants under £10,000
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Application Method: Rolling (applications accepted at any time)
• Geographic Focus: England and Wales
• Total Funds: £29.6 million (2024)

Contact Details

Address: Moore Family Office Ltd, 42 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 5AW

Phone: 020 7318 0845

Email: sandra@moorefamilyofficegroup.com

Website: Not publicly available

The trust is administered by Moore Family Office Ltd, a professional family office and accounting firm based in Mayfair, London.

Overview

Established in 1987, the Sandra Charitable Trust is a well-established UK grant-making foundation with substantial assets of approximately £29.6 million as of 2024. The trust operates with an endowment model, generating most of its income from investments (£1.08 million in 2024) rather than donations. With annual expenditure of approximately £1 million, the trust maintains significant reserves equivalent to 337 months of spending, indicating financial stability and long-term sustainability. The trust's governing document gives trustees broad discretion to “apply capital and income to such charitable bodies, associations or institutions or for such charitable purposes as the trustees shall determine.” This flexible approach allows the trust to respond to evolving charitable needs across multiple sectors throughout England and Wales. Since inception, the trust has supported approximately 1,000 different charities and made over 2,500 grants to nurses.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The Sandra Charitable Trust operates a general grant-making programme without specified funding tiers or named streams. Most grants to charities are for under £10,000. The trust makes grants to both organisations and individuals, providing flexibility in its approach to charitable giving.

Priority Areas

The trust has a particular - but not exclusive - focus on animal welfare, the environment, relief of poverty, and children and young people. Beyond these core areas, the trust provides support across a diverse range of charitable causes:

• Healthcare: Support for nurses and auxiliaries, with a special focus on financial assistance for those training to be nurses or experiencing financial hardship
• Animal Welfare: Funding for animal welfare organisations and research
• Environmental Protection: Conservation and environmental initiatives
• Poverty Relief: Organisations addressing economic disadvantage
• Youth Development: Programmes supporting young people
• Education and Training: Educational initiatives and skill development
• Arts, Culture and Heritage: Support for cultural organisations
• Amateur Sport: Community and grassroots sports programmes
• Disability: Services for disabled individuals
• Community Development: Employment and community initiatives

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Governance and Leadership

The Sandra Charitable Trust is governed by four trustees:

• Francis Richard Hobart De Courcy Moore (appointed 2014) - Chair
• Richard Moore - Trustee
• Lucy Forsyth (appointed 2015) - Trustee
• Michael Macfadyen DL - Trustee

The trustee board is 75% male and 25% female. Notably, trustees receive payments for professional services provided to the trust, which is disclosed in compliance with charity regulations. The trust is professionally administered by Moore Family Office Ltd, suggesting a high standard of governance and financial management. The Moore family connection indicates this may be a family foundation with long-term commitment to philanthropy.

How to Apply to Sandra Charitable Trust

How to Apply

The Sandra Charitable Trust does not maintain a public website or publish application guidelines on charity databases. Applications may be made at any time in writing. The trustees meet regularly throughout the year to review requests for grant support.

Prospective applicants should:

1. Contact the trust directly via email at sandra@moorefamilyofficegroup.com
2. Call 020 7318 0845 to discuss potential applications
3. Write to the trust at Moore Family Office Ltd, 42 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 5AW

Given the trust's broad discretion and the absence of formal application procedures online, initial contact should likely include:

• A brief summary of the organisation and its charitable work
• Alignment with the trust's broad funding priorities
• Specific funding request and purpose
• Recent accounts and governance information

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available. The trustees meet regularly throughout the year, suggesting relatively frequent grant-making decisions. Interested applicants should enquire about typical processing times when making initial contact.

Success Rates

Success rates and application volumes are not publicly disclosed. The trust's significant reserves and consistent annual giving suggest financial capacity, though the competitive nature of applications cannot be assessed from public data.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not publicly available. Applicants should clarify this during the initial enquiry stage.

Application Success Factors

While the trust does not publish specific guidance for applicants, the following factors may strengthen applications based on the trust's profile:

Alignment with Priority Areas: The trust has a particular focus on animal welfare, the environment, relief of poverty, and children and young people. Applications clearly aligned with these areas may be particularly well-received, though the trust's broader charitable remit means other causes are also supported.

Appropriate Grant Size: Most grants to charities are for under £10,000. Applications should be scaled appropriately to this typical range.

Geographic Focus: The trust operates throughout England and Wales. Applicants should be based in or serving beneficiaries in these regions.

Professional Presentation: Given the trust's administration by a professional family office and accounting firm, applications should be well-prepared, financially sound, and demonstrate good governance.

Flexible Approach: The trust makes grants to both organisations and individuals across multiple sectors, suggesting openness to diverse approaches to charitable work rather than prescriptive programme requirements.

Established Track Record: With substantial assets and professional management, the trust likely values organisations with demonstrated impact and sound financial management, though this is not explicitly stated.

Direct Contact: The absence of online application forms suggests the trust prefers relationship-based grant-making. Making personal contact and building a relationship with the trustees or administrators may be valuable.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Modest grant size: Most grants to charities are under £10,000, so applications should be scaled appropriately to this range.

• Rolling applications accepted: Applications may be made at any time in writing, with trustees meeting regularly throughout the year to review requests.

• Particular but flexible focus: The trust has a particular focus on animal welfare, environment, poverty relief, and children/young people, but supports a wide range of other causes.

• Special provision for nurses: The trust has made over 2,500 grants to nurses since inception, with a special focus on financial assistance for those in training or experiencing hardship.

• Professional administration matters: Administered by Moore Family Office Ltd, applications should demonstrate professional standards in governance and financial management.

• Direct contact essential: With no public application portal or published guidelines, making direct contact via email or phone is necessary to understand current priorities and processes.

• Stable long-term funder: With £29.6 million in assets and reserves covering 337 months of spending, this is a financially stable foundation likely committed to long-term grant-making.

• Discretionary approach: Trustees have broad discretion in grant-making, which may allow for innovative or emerging charitable work that doesn't fit narrow programme criteria.

• Geographic limitation: Focus is specifically on England and Wales; organisations operating outside these regions are unlikely to be supported.

• Relationship-based philanthropy: The family foundation structure and absence of formal processes suggest relationship-building may be valuable for securing support.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• P F Charitable Trust
• National Lottery
• John James Bristol Foundation
• The Sir James Knott Trust
• The Eveson Trust
• Landaid Charitable Trust Limited
• The Barbour Foundation
• Moondance Foundation
• Jingle Jam
• The Zochonis Charitable Trust
• The Greggs Foundation
• The Indigo Trust
• The Access Foundation
• The Sir James Reckitt Charity
• The Crucible Foundation
• The Waterloo Foundation
• The D'oyly Carte Charitable Trust
• Peacock Charitable Trust
• The Grant Foundation
• The Hospital Saturday Fund

References

All information compiled from the following sources:

1. UK Charity Commission Register - Sandra Charitable Trust (Charity No. 327492)

https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/327492

Accessed: January 2025

1. Giving is Great - Charity Factsheet for Sandra Charitable Trust

https://givingisgreat.org/charity-factsheet/?regNo=327492

Accessed: January 2025

Financial data: Total funds £29,556,233 (2024), Income £1,080,000 (2024), Spending £1,051,000 (2024)

1. Find that Charity - Sandra Charitable Trust (GB-CHC-327492)

https://findthatcharity.uk/orgid/GB-CHC-327492

Accessed: January 2025

1. Charity Choice - Sandra Charitable Trust

https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/sandra-charitable-trust-124207

Contact details and financial information

Accessed: January 2025

1. Turn2us Grants Search - Sandra Charitable Trust

https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/grant/sandra-charitable-trust-13652

Accessed: January 2025

1. Bath and North East Somerset Council - Funding Finder

https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/funding-finder/sandra-charitable-trust

Grant size and application information

Accessed: January 2025

1. Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum - The Sandra Charitable Trust

https://cornwallvsf.org/supporting/funding/the-sandra-charitable-trust/

Grant amounts, priorities, and application process

Accessed: January 2025

Note: The Sandra Charitable Trust does not maintain a public website or publish detailed application guidelines, annual reports, or grant recipient lists online. Information is derived from statutory filings with the UK Charity Commission and third-party charity databases.