St Mary's Priory Fernham Residual Fund

Charity Number: 229393

Annual Expenditure: £1.4M

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £1,426,969 (expenditure 2024)
Success Rate: Not publicly available
Decision Time: Not publicly available
Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
Geographic Focus: England and Wales (also India, Scotland, and United States)
Application Process: No public application process (trustee discretion)

Contact Details

Address: St Michael's Abbey, 280 Farnborough Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7NQ

Phone: 01252 546105

Email: Not publicly listed (administered by St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough - info@farnboroughabbey.org)

Website: None

Overview

St Mary's Priory Fernham Residual Fund was established in 1963 as a trust to advance the Roman Catholic religion through grant-making. Originally associated with a Benedictine community at Fernham, the charity is now administered by St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, a Benedictine monastery established in 1895. With total income of £139,680 and expenditure of £1,426,969 in 2024, the fund represents a significant grant-making resource for Roman Catholic charitable purposes. The charity's activities are divided into two main areas: caring for members of religious communities and supporting their individual ministries, and advancing the Roman Catholic religion primarily through grants to organizations. The fund operates throughout England and Wales, with some international reach including India, Scotland, and the United States.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The charity does not operate formal grant programs with set amounts or application cycles. All grants are made at the discretion of the trustees.

Areas of Support:

Roman Catholic religious institutions and projects
Catholic educational and archival initiatives
Support for religious communities and individual ministries
Charitable work connected with the advancement of Catholicism

Priority Areas

Advancement of the Roman Catholic religion
Support for religious communities and their ministries
Catholic heritage and archival projects
Religious education and formation
Charitable purposes aligned with Catholic teaching

Known Grant Recipients:

Venerable English College Archives (Schwarzenbach Reading Room project)
Projects supporting or directed by religious communities
Catholic charitable initiatives in England, Wales, and internationally

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly listed, but the charity's purposes are restricted to:

Charitable purposes that advance the Roman Catholic religion
Projects connected with or directed by Catholic religious communities
Work that aligns with Catholic teaching and values

Funding outside the Roman Catholic sphere is not within the charity's remit.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (2024)

The charity is governed by five trustees with deep connections to Catholic religious life:

Right Rev Dom David Cuthbert Brogan OSB - Benedictine monk
Rev Dom Michal Dymitr Mycka - Religious
Richard John Berkley-Matthews - Lay trustee
Additional trustees with Catholic backgrounds

The trustees operate the charity from St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, a Benedictine monastery that has maintained monastic life since 1895.

Governance Structure:

Legal form: Trust
No trustees receive remuneration or benefits
Policies in place for risk management and safeguarding
Not registered for HMRC gift aid

Administration

The fund is administered by the Benedictine community at St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, ensuring decisions align with Catholic religious values and priorities.

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, who are primarily Benedictine monks and Catholic lay leaders. The charity's purposes specify that grants support:

Charitable work carried on by or under the direction of religious communities
Charitable purposes connected with the advancement of the Roman Catholic religion as the trustees decide

There is no application portal, published criteria, or advertised funding rounds. Grants appear to be made to organizations and projects that come to the trustees' attention through:

Direct knowledge of Catholic institutions and their needs
Recommendations from within Catholic networks
Relationships with religious communities and Church leadership
Identification of strategic Catholic charitable projects

Application Success Factors

Understanding This Funder

Given the lack of a public application process, organizations seeking support should understand:

Alignment is Critical:

Projects must advance the Roman Catholic religion or support Catholic charitable work
Connection to religious communities or Catholic institutions is important
The fund has supported Catholic heritage projects (e.g., the Venerable English College Archives)

Relationship-Based Grant-Making:

Trustees make decisions based on their knowledge of Catholic needs and priorities
Grants likely flow to organizations already known within Catholic networks
The Benedictine administration suggests preference for contemplative, educational, and heritage work aligned with Benedictine values

Known Funding Example:

The charity helped fund the Schwarzenbach Reading Room at the Venerable English College Archives in Rome, demonstrating support for:

Catholic educational institutions
Heritage and archival preservation
Projects of significance to English Catholicism
Infrastructure that serves long-term Catholic formation and scholarship

Strategic Considerations

Organizations hoping to benefit from this fund should:

Be clearly aligned with Roman Catholic mission and values
Have strong connections within Catholic institutional networks
Focus on substantial projects that advance Catholic religious or charitable purposes
Understand that informal relationship and reputation likely matter more than formal applications

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No public application process - This fund operates through trustee discretion, not open applications
Catholic mission essential - Only projects advancing the Roman Catholic religion qualify
Substantial grant-making capacity - Annual expenditure of £1.4M+ suggests significant grants awarded
Benedictine administration - Fund managed by St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, reflecting contemplative values
Heritage and education - Known support for Catholic archival and educational projects
Relationship-driven - Connections within Catholic networks likely determine which projects receive consideration
No reapplication policy needed - Without applications, organizations cannot be “unsuccessful” in traditional sense