Smith Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £218,465 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Information not publicly available
• Geographic Focus: UK and worldwide (discretionary)

Contact Details

Address: c/o Fladgate LLP, 16 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5DG

Email: fladgate@fladgate.com

Phone: 020 3036 7000

The trust is administered through Fladgate LLP, a law firm based in London.

Overview

The Smith Charitable Trust (registered charity number 288570) is a UK-registered grant-making trust with broad discretionary powers. According to Charity Commission records, the trustees have “full discretionary powers to apply income and capital of the trust for charitable objects and purposes in the United Kingdom or worldwide as they may think fit.”

With an annual income of £214,410 and charitable expenditure of £218,465 in the year ending April 5, 2024, the trust operates with minimal administrative overhead. The trust is managed by three trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trust does not raise funds from the public and operates as a private grant-making foundation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Specific grant programs and funding amounts are not publicly documented. The trust operates with full discretionary powers, meaning the trustees have significant flexibility in determining which charitable causes and organizations to support.

Priority Areas

The trust's charitable objects are broad, encompassing “charitable objects and purposes in the United Kingdom or worldwide.” No specific priority areas are publicly documented, suggesting the trustees exercise discretion based on individual applications and charitable needs they identify.

Geographic Focus

While the trust has the power to make grants both in the UK and internationally, the geographic distribution of their grants is not publicly available.

What They Don't Fund

No specific exclusions are publicly documented.

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by three trustees who serve without remuneration. The trustees exercise full discretionary control over the trust's grant-making decisions. The trust is administered through Fladgate LLP, a London-based law firm that handles correspondence and administrative matters.

The trust maintains a lean operational structure with no employees and no trading subsidiaries.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process or publicly available application guidelines.

The Smith Charitable Trust operates as a private grant-making trust where grants are awarded at the trustees' discretion. There is no online application portal, published application deadlines, or standard application form publicly available.

Organizations interested in seeking funding should contact the trust through their administrative contact at Fladgate LLP:

• Email: fladgate@fladgate.com
• Phone: 020 3036 7000

Given the discretionary nature of the trust's grant-making, initial contact should be made through the solicitors who administer the trust to determine whether the trustees would be willing to consider a proposal.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly documented and likely vary based on trustee meeting schedules and the nature of proposals under consideration.

Success Rates

Success rates and application statistics are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

No public information is available regarding reapplication policies or restrictions on unsuccessful applicants.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information available about this trust's grant-making preferences and recent awards, it is difficult to provide specific success factors. However, the following general considerations may apply:

• Alignment with charitable purposes: The trust has very broad charitable objects, so demonstrating a clear charitable purpose in the UK or internationally is essential.

• Clear and compelling case: As with any discretionary grant-making trust, a well-articulated case for support that clearly explains the need, the proposed solution, and the expected impact is likely to be important.

• Professional presentation: Given that the trust is administered through a law firm, proposals should be professionally presented and well-documented.

• Relationship building: For trusts without public application processes, building relationships with trustees or administrators may be beneficial, though no specific guidance on this is available for this trust.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This trust does not have published application guidelines or an open application process. Contact must be made through Fladgate LLP.

• Discretionary grant-making: Trustees have full discretion over all grant-making decisions, both in terms of which causes to support and funding amounts.

• Limited public information: Very little information is publicly available about grant recipients, funding priorities, or successful applications, making it difficult to target applications strategically.

• Initial inquiry recommended: Before preparing a full proposal, contact the administrators at Fladgate LLP to determine whether the trustees would be willing to consider your organization's work.

• Broad charitable scope: The trust can support any charitable purpose in the UK or worldwide, providing flexibility but also making it unclear what types of projects are most likely to be successful.

• Modest annual giving: With annual expenditure of approximately £218,000, grants are likely to be modest in size.

• Professional administration: The trust is administered by a reputable law firm, suggesting professional standards in all communications and submissions.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• Welsh Government
• Peacock Charitable Trust
• THE STEEL CHARITABLE TRUST
• P F Charitable Trust
• Garfield Weston Foundation
• THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUST
• SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUST
• The Goldcrest Charitable Trust
• National Lottery Heritage Fund
• The Dulverton Trust
• BBC Children in Need
• The Ashla Charitable Trust
• The Big Give Trust
• John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust
• THE CADOGAN CHARITY
• Edith Murphy Foundation
• National Lottery
• University of East Anglia
• HENRY SMITH
• Interreg

References

• Smith Charitable Trust - Charity Commission Register
• Smith Charitable Trust - Contact Information

Note: This overview is based on limited publicly available information from the Charity Commission register. Organizations considering an application should contact Fladgate LLP directly for more detailed information about the trust's current priorities and application procedures.