Smallwood Trust

Charity Number: 205798

Annual Expenditure: £2.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2,000,000 (committed over 5 years)
  • Total Assets: Approximately £28 million endowment
  • Decision Time: Varies by programme (two-stage process)
  • Grant Range: £500 - £60,000
  • Geographic Focus: England (with priority regions)

Contact Details

Website: www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk

Email: info@smallwoodtrust.org.uk | grants@smallwoodtrust.org.uk

Phone: 01684 574645 | 0300 365 1886

Pre-application support: Online Application Guidance Webinars available for prospective applicants

Overview

Founded in 1886 by Edith Smallwood, the Smallwood Trust has been helping women on low incomes for over 130 years. With an endowment of approximately £28 million, the Trust commits up to £2 million per year in grants focused on enabling women to become financially resilient. In 2017, the organisation rebranded from the Society for the Assistance of Ladies in Reduced Circumstances to reflect a more inclusive approach to tackling gendered poverty. The Trust won the prestigious Grantmaking and Funding Award at the 2022 Charity Awards for its innovative Community Grant Partnership programme, which shifts power for grant decision-making to local community organisations. The Trust also won the 'Managing Turnaround' award at the Charity Governance Awards in 2020, recognising its successful transformation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Grants to Organisations: £15,000 - £60,000 over three years for women-led and/or women-focused third sector organisations delivering local projects. Two-stage application process with Expression of Interest followed by full application.

Community Grant Partnerships: £395,500 available over three years for strategic partnerships. Partners receive block grants including overhead costs, operational toolkit, and evaluation support. Over £2 million awarded since 2018.

Grants to Individuals: £500 - £700 hardship grants distributed through Community Grant Partners using the Lightning Reach online portal.

Policy/System Change Funding: Grants to amplify policy issues and solutions to gender poverty with potential for practical application.

Innovation Fund: £5,000 - £10,000 seed funding for new projects (£180,000 total for 20 projects).

Priority Areas

  • Financial independence and resilience for women
  • Housing needs and resettlement support
  • Pathways to employment and financial literacy
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Supporting women experiencing racial inequality
  • Disabled women
  • Women with No Recourse to Public Funds
  • Women who are sole parents to children under 18
  • LGBTQ+ communities experiencing financial insecurity

Geographic Priorities

Must be based in England. Priority regions include: Greater Manchester and Lancashire, Liverpool and Merseyside, West Midlands (Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, rural Staffordshire), East Midlands (including rural Leicestershire and Derbyshire), Hull and Humberside, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, deprived coastal towns in the north of England, Newcastle, Middlesbrough/Tees Valley, and other North East areas.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Annual turnover less than £1 million
  • UK-based bank account with at least two unrelated signatories
  • Management committee with at least three unrelated members
  • Written governing document

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions not publicly listed. Applicants should review detailed guidance notes for each programme or contact the Trust directly.

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Governance and Leadership

Chair of Trustees

D'Arcy Myers (appointed October 2016) - Brings experience of leading charities through change and development, working with boards and leadership teams to promote productive governance culture.

On new trustee appointments, Myers stated: “We are delighted to welcome Ambreen and Faeeza to our Board. As well as possessing a wealth of experience from their leading roles in and around the voluntary and community sector, they will bring the knowledge and expertise that we want in order to strengthen our mission of enabling more women to be financially resilient.”

Trustees

  • D'Arcy Myers (Chair)
  • Maureen Margrie
  • Maria Toman
  • Andrew Tannatt Nash
  • Rachael Bailey
  • Anni Broadhead
  • Catherine Hine
  • Dr Ambreen Shah (joined December 2020)
  • Faeeza Vaid MBE (joined December 2020)

Leadership Team

Paul Carbury, CEO (joined January 2017) - 23 years senior leadership experience in the voluntary and community sector.

On the Trust's approach, Carbury stated: "We've begun to streamline our processes to enable more women to access our funds" and emphasised developing evaluation systems to better understand effective approaches.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Process:

  1. Stage 1: Complete online Expression of Interest (EOI) Form by deadline. Applicants can submit EOI as video or audio file as an alternative.
  2. Stage 2: Approximately 100 organisations invited to submit full application.

Application Portal: Lightning Reach online portal for individual grants; specific programme portals for organisational grants.

Support Available:

  • Online Application Guidance Webinars
  • Detailed guidance notes and FAQs on website
  • Can contact grants@smallwoodtrust.org.uk for support

Decision Timeline

All applications reviewed by Chief Executive and Head of Evaluation. Further information may be requested and applicants may be invited to telephone meetings. Final decisions approved by Trustee body. Specific timelines vary by programme.

Success Rates

In 2020, Smallwood's funding supported 19,000 women through their programmes. Specific success rate data not publicly available, though the two-stage process indicates approximately 100 organisations progress to Stage 2 from initial EOI submissions.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policy not publicly stated. Contact the Trust directly for guidance on unsuccessful applications.

Application Success Factors

Direct Guidance from the Funder

  • Attend webinars: The Trust offers Application Guidance Webinars to help applicants understand requirements
  • Alternative formats welcome: Can submit EOI as video or audio rather than written form
  • Show community connection: Judge Sharika Sharma noted the award recognised how “by partnering with groups rooted in communities, Smallwood ensures its funding is having the greatest impact”

Recent Funded Projects

  • Zinthiya Trust (Leicestershire): Holistic support service to tackle poverty and improve financial literacy
  • Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid: Resettlement support for financially vulnerable women leaving refuges
  • Sophie Hayes Foundation (Birmingham): Supporting female survivors of sex trafficking and modern slavery
  • Together Women (Hull): Community Grant Partnership
  • CoLab (Exeter): Community Grant Partnership
  • Lancashire Women: Community Grant Partnership

Key Language and Terminology

  • “Financial resilience” and “gendered poverty”
  • “Women-led and for women”
  • “Shifting power” to community organisations
  • “Frontline services”
  • Focus on “practical application” for policy work

Common Success Factors

  • Clear focus on women's financial resilience
  • Evidence of being rooted in local communities
  • Demonstrates understanding of gendered poverty
  • Shows how funding will have practical impact
  • Willingness to participate in evaluation and learning

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Alignment is critical: The Trust has a laser focus on enabling women to become financially resilient - every application must demonstrate clear contribution to this mission
  • Community-rooted wins: Judge feedback emphasised that partnerships with groups rooted in communities ensure greatest impact - demonstrate deep community connections
  • Overhead costs matter: Judge Shane Ryan commended payment of overhead costs showing “foresight and real understanding of the sector” - don't undersell core costs
  • Embrace the two-stage process: With ~100 progressing to Stage 2, a strong EOI is crucial. Consider using video/audio format if this better showcases your work
  • Participate in learning: The Trust values evaluation and learning - demonstrate willingness to contribute to broader understanding of what works
  • Priority groups boost chances: Applications supporting women experiencing racial inequality, disabled women, women with NRPF, sole parents, or LGBTQ+ communities align with stated priorities
  • Innovation welcomed: The Innovation Fund shows openness to new approaches - don't be afraid to propose creative solutions to gendered poverty

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