The Aurum Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1121227

Annual Expenditure: £1.1M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,098,183 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation-only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
  • Geographic Focus: England and Wales
  • Charity Number: 1121227

Contact Details

Registered Address: c/o Coutts & Co (trustee)

Note: The Aurum Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited applications. Contact information is not publicly available for grant inquiries.

Overview

The Aurum Charitable Trust was established by trust deed on 20 September 2007 as a private grant-making foundation. The trust is governed by trustees Mrs Elizabeth Jack, Mr Roderick Daniel Jack, and Coutts & Co, who exercise absolute discretion in selecting beneficiaries. With annual expenditure of approximately £1.1 million, the trust supports charities and voluntary bodies across England and Wales. The trust operates on an invitation-only basis, with the trustees identifying and selecting beneficiaries rather than accepting unsolicited appeals. The Jack family trustees have demonstrated particular interest in education, social welfare, and more recently environmental conservation, including supporting Cambridge Zero's climate change initiatives ahead of COP26. No trustees receive remuneration from the charity.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Aurum Charitable Trust operates through trustee-directed grant-making rather than formal application programs. The trustees exercise absolute discretion to support “such objects or purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales in any part of the world.”

Application Method: Invitation-only; no open application process

Priority Areas

Based on publicly identified beneficiaries, the trust has supported:

  • Education and Young People: Supporting organizations like IntoUniversity that address educational disadvantage
  • Arts and Social Inclusion: Including support for organizations like Magic Me and Liberty Choir
  • Disability and Accessibility: Such as The Stables Horse Activity Centre
  • Environmental Conservation: The Jack family trustees have expanded their philanthropic focus to include climate change initiatives

The trust's charitable objectives are deliberately broad, allowing trustees to support a wide range of causes at their discretion.

What They Don't Fund

  • The trust does not accept unsolicited appeals from any organizations
  • No information available about specific exclusions, as the trustees exercise absolute discretion
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Mrs Elizabeth Jack (Trinity College, Cambridge 1981)

Co-founder and trustee. Elizabeth Jack has recently expanded her philanthropic focus to include climate change, supporting Cambridge Zero's COP26 Coordinator role. She and her husband exercise discretion over all grant-making decisions.

Mr Roderick Daniel Jack (Trinity College, Cambridge 1982)

Co-founder and trustee. Roderick Jack works alongside his wife in directing the trust's charitable activities, with a growing focus on environmental issues alongside traditional charitable causes.

Coutts & Co

Corporate trustee providing administrative and fiduciary oversight.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Aurum Charitable Trust operates on an invitation-only basis. The trustees identify and select beneficiary organizations through their own research and networks. Unsolicited appeals are not accepted, and there is no application form, portal, or formal process for organizations to request funding.

Grants are awarded entirely at the trustees' absolute discretion based on organizations they have identified or with which they have established relationships.

Getting on Their Radar

Limited information is available about how organizations come to the trustees' attention. Based on the known beneficiaries and the trustees' background:

  • Educational connections: Both Elizabeth and Roderick Jack are Cambridge University alumni (Trinity College), and have made gifts to the university. Organizations with Cambridge connections or working in higher education may be within their sphere of awareness.
  • Environmental networks: The Jacks' recent support for Cambridge Zero ahead of COP26 suggests they are engaged with climate change and environmental conservation networks. Organizations working in these spaces and participating in related convenings may encounter the trustees.
  • Quality and impact focus: Known beneficiaries like IntoUniversity suggest the trustees value evidence-based approaches to social challenges.

Note: There is no evidence that approaching the trust directly will be successful, and the trust's stated position is that they do not accept unsolicited appeals.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The trust operates according to the trustees' discretion and timeline.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the trust does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Understanding This Funder's Approach

Since The Aurum Charitable Trust does not accept applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding the trustees' interests and approach can be valuable context:

Trustee Interests and Values:

  • Evidence-based interventions: Support for organizations like IntoUniversity suggests interest in charities with proven impact methodologies
  • Educational equity: Historical focus on reducing educational disadvantage
  • Environmental urgency: Recent expansion into climate change, with Elizabeth and Roderick Jack stating their commitment to addressing environmental challenges through their philanthropy
  • Social inclusion: Support for arts and community organizations that bring people together across divides

Operational Style:

The trust operates with minimal overhead - no staff are employed, and all resources go toward grant-making. This suggests the trustees value efficiency and direct impact.

Relationship-Based Grant-Making:

Beneficiary organizations appear to be identified through the trustees' networks, university connections, and engagement with causes they personally champion. This is relationship-driven philanthropy rather than responsive grant-making.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No application route: The Aurum Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited appeals. Organizations cannot apply for funding through any formal process.
  • Private discretionary trust: The trustees (Elizabeth Jack, Roderick Jack, and Coutts & Co) select beneficiaries at their absolute discretion based on their own research and relationships.
  • Broad charitable scope: While the trust has supported education, social inclusion, disability services, and environmental causes, the trustees maintain complete flexibility in their grant-making.
  • Significant annual giving: With annual expenditure exceeding £1 million, this is a substantial funder, though access is limited to organizations the trustees identify.
  • Cambridge connections: Both individual trustees are Cambridge alumni and have supported university initiatives, suggesting educational and university connections may be relevant to their sphere of awareness.
  • Evolving priorities: The trustees have demonstrated willingness to expand into new areas, recently adding climate change to their philanthropic interests.
  • Relationship-based model: Understanding this funder is valuable for sector knowledge, but grant writers should not invest time in attempting to secure funding unless specifically invited by the trustees.

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