The Bamford Charitable Foundation
Charity Number: 279848
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Quick Stats
- Annual Giving: £2,320,241 (expenditure, year ending March 2024)
- Annual Income: £15,733 (year ending March 2024)
- Success Rate: Not publicly available
- Decision Time: Not publicly available
- Grant Range: Not publicly available
- Geographic Focus: Primary focus within 40-mile radius of Rocester, Staffordshire; also UK-wide and international at trustees' discretion
Contact Details
Address: J C Bamford Excavators Ltd, Lakeside Works, Denstone Road, Rocester, Uttoxeter, ST14 5JP, England
Phone: 01889 593140
Website: Not available
Email: Not publicly available
Note: No public application portal or pre-application support information is available.
Overview
The Bamford Charitable Foundation was registered with the Charity Commission on 30 May 1980 (charity number 279848). Connected to the JCB family business, the foundation is chaired by Lord Anthony Paul Bamford with Lady Carole Gray Bamford also serving as a trustee. The foundation operates with broad discretionary powers to support charitable objects and purposes, primarily within a 40-mile radius of Rocester, Staffordshire, though grants may also be made anywhere in the UK and internationally at the trustees' discretion. For the year ending March 2024, the foundation had total income of £15,733 and total expenditure of £2,320,241, indicating substantial grant-making from accumulated reserves. The foundation makes grants to both individuals and organizations across general charitable purposes, serving beneficiaries including children and young people, elderly people, people with disabilities, and other charities or voluntary bodies.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programs
The foundation does not appear to operate specific named grant programs. Instead, grants are awarded at the trustees' discretion for general charitable purposes.
Application Method: Not publicly documented. No online portal or structured application process is available through public sources.
Priority Areas
The foundation supports:
- Children and young people
- Elderly and older people
- People with disabilities
- Other charities and voluntary bodies
- General charitable purposes
Geographic Priority: Within 40-mile radius of Rocester, Staffordshire, though trustees have discretion to fund projects UK-wide and internationally.
What They Don't Fund
No specific exclusions are publicly documented.
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Governance and Leadership
Trustees: 2 trustees (no trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits)
- Lord Anthony Paul Bamford (Chair)
- Lady Carole Gray Bamford
Lord and Lady Bamford are connected to JCB (J.C. Bamford Excavators), with the foundation registered at the JCB headquarters in Rocester. Lord Bamford also serves as chair or trustee of other related charitable foundations including The Lord Bamford Foundation (focused on promoting mechanical engineering).
No public quotes from leadership regarding funding priorities or application guidance are available.
Application Process and Timeline
How to Apply
No publicly available application process, guidelines, or online portal has been identified. The foundation appears to operate on a discretionary basis with grants awarded by trustee decision rather than through an open application system.
Recommendation: Contact the foundation directly by phone (01889 593140) to inquire about potential funding opportunities and application procedures.
Decision Timeline
Not publicly available.
Success Rates
Not publicly available. The foundation does not publish data on application numbers, awards made, or success percentages.
Reapplication Policy
Not publicly available.
Application Success Factors
Due to limited publicly available information about the foundation's grant-making practices, specific success factors are difficult to identify. However, based on the foundation's characteristics:
- Geographic relevance: Projects within the 40-mile radius of Rocester, Staffordshire may be prioritized given the foundation's stated geographic focus
- Connection to beneficiary groups: Projects serving children/young people, elderly people, people with disabilities, or other charitable organizations appear aligned with the foundation's stated beneficiaries
- Discretionary nature: The foundation operates at trustees' discretion, suggesting that relationship-building and direct contact may be important
- Local connection: Given the JCB connection and Staffordshire base, projects with local relevance to the area may be particularly suitable
No specific examples of funded projects, funder quotes, or documented success strategies are publicly available.
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- Discretionary approach: This foundation operates on trustees' discretion rather than through structured grant programs, meaning direct contact and relationship-building may be essential
- Limited public information: Very little information is available about application processes, grant sizes, or decision timelines
- Geographic focus: While the foundation can fund UK-wide and internationally, the 40-mile radius around Rocester, Staffordshire appears to be the primary geographic focus
- Contact essential: With no online application portal or public guidelines, telephone contact (01889 593140) is necessary to explore funding opportunities
- Substantial grant-making: The £2.3 million expenditure indicates significant grant-making activity, despite limited public visibility
- JCB connection: Understanding the foundation's connection to JCB and the Bamford family business may provide context for alignment
- Broad charitable remit: The “general charitable purposes” approach means the foundation is not restricted to specific causes, potentially making it suitable for various types of projects serving the identified beneficiary groups
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References
- Charity Commission Register of Charities. (2025). “THE BAMFORD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION - 279848.” Retrieved from https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=279848&subId=0 []
- Charity Commission Register of Charities. (2025). “Trustees, THE BAMFORD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION - 279848.” Retrieved from https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/279848/trustees []
- Giving is Great. (2025). “THE BAMFORD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | Charity Factsheet.” Retrieved from https://givingisgreat.org/charity-factsheet/?regNo=279848 []
- Charity Choice. (2025). “The Bamford Charitable Foundation.” Retrieved from https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/the-bamford-charitable-foundation-144626 []