The Billmeir Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £289,837 (2024)
• Annual Income: £243,001 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (unsolicited applications rarely successful)
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Number of Grants: Less than 30 per year (up to 20 are regular grants)
• Geographic Focus: Principally Surrey, UK

Contact Details

Email: tom.payne@crsblaw.com

Phone: 020 7427 6432

Charity Number: 208561

Note: The trust is administered through Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS Law), a law firm providing trustee services.

Overview

The Billmeir Charitable Trust was established in 1962 (registered September 22, 1962) and operates as a private grant-making trust with a focused, selective approach to philanthropy. Named after Jack Billmeir CBE, a prominent British shipowner who established a trust in 1957, this charitable organization concentrates its support principally within Surrey. With total expenditure of £289,837 in 2024, the trust maintains a deliberate low-volume, high-quality grant strategy, typically making fewer than 30 grants annually, of which up to 20 are described as “regular” grants to recurring beneficiaries. The trust operates with three trustees, none of whom receive remuneration, and maintains no employees, reflecting its streamlined and focused operational approach.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Instead, trustees actively search for appropriate beneficiaries through their own networks and knowledge of the Surrey charitable landscape.

Priority Areas

Based on Charity Commission filings, the trust's charitable purposes include support for:

• Disability services and organizations
• Armed forces and emergency services efficiency and welfare
• Health advancement and life-saving initiatives
• Amateur sport development
• Environment, conservation, and heritage projects
• Education and training programs
• Arts, culture, heritage, and science
• General charitable purposes as identified by trustees
• Other charities and voluntary bodies

The geographic focus is principally Surrey, suggesting strong preference for local organizations within this county.

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not documented, the trust's focus on trustee-identified beneficiaries means they effectively do not fund:

• Organizations outside their core interest areas
• Applications from organizations unknown to the trustees
• Projects outside Surrey (though exceptions may exist for compelling cases)

Ready to write a winning application for The Billmeir Charitable Trust?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by three trustees who serve without remuneration or any benefits from the charity. The trustees operate with complete discretion in identifying and supporting beneficiaries, maintaining a hands-on approach to grant-making.

The trust is professionally administered through Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS Law), a respected UK law firm with extensive experience in trust management. The contact person is Tom Payne at the firm.

This governance structure reflects a traditional private charitable trust model where trustees leverage their personal knowledge, networks, and expertise to identify worthy causes rather than responding to open applications.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

According to their official Charity Commission registration: “Trustees search for appropriate beneficiaries principally in Surrey. Unsolicited applications are not welcome, and are rarely successful.”

Grants are made at the trustees' discretion, with beneficiaries identified through the trustees' own networks, knowledge, and research. The majority of grants are regular, suggesting ongoing relationships with established beneficiaries.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. Given that up to 20 of the fewer than 30 annual grants are “regular,” it appears the trust maintains ongoing relationships with core beneficiaries throughout the year.

Success Rates

For unsolicited applications: Rarely successful (as stated by the trust).

The trust makes fewer than 30 grants per year, with up to 20 being regular grants to existing beneficiaries, leaving potentially 10 or fewer grants for new beneficiaries annually.

Reapplication Policy

Given that unsolicited applications are not welcome, formal reapplication is not applicable. However, the high proportion of “regular” grants suggests that once an organization is supported, ongoing support may be available if the relationship proves successful.

Application Success Factors

Since this trust does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding what the trustees value may be helpful for context:

• Surrey connection: The trust explicitly focuses on Surrey beneficiaries, making geographic location the primary factor
• Alignment with charitable purposes: Organizations working in disability, armed forces support, health, education, environment, arts, or amateur sport appear most aligned
• Established reputation: The preference for regular grantees suggests trustees value proven track records and reliable organizations
• Personal connection or trustee knowledge: As trustees “search for appropriate beneficiaries,” being known to or recommended to trustees appears to be the primary pathway to support
• Efficient operations: With only three trustees and no staff, the trust likely values straightforward, well-governed organizations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This trust is not suitable for organizations seeking to submit grant applications through normal channels
• Surrey-focused: Geographic limitation to principally Surrey means organizations outside this area are unlikely to receive support
• Trustee-led identification: The trustees actively search for beneficiaries rather than responding to applications
• Regular grantees dominate: Two-thirds or more of annual grants go to regular beneficiaries, suggesting long-term relationships are valued
• Modest scale: With fewer than 30 grants annually from total expenditure of £289,837, average grant sizes are likely modest (potentially £5,000-£15,000 range)
• Legal administration: Professional administration through a reputable law firm (Charles Russell Speechlys) suggests proper governance and potentially conservative grant-making
• Unsolicited applications rarely successful: The trust explicitly states that unsolicited applications are not welcome and rarely succeed

Strategic Note: Organizations seeking funding should focus their efforts on trusts with open application processes. If your organization has a strong Surrey presence in one of the trust's priority areas and has connections to individuals who may know the trustees, indirect relationship-building might be the only viable pathway to support.

References

• Charity Commission for England and Wales, “THE BILLMEIR CHARITABLE TRUST - Charity Number 208561,” Register of Charities, https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=208561&subid=0
• OpenCharities, “THE BILLMEIR CHARITABLE TRUST,” http://opencharities.org/charities/208561
• The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, “Billmeir Award Scheme,” https://www.shipwrights.co.uk/billmeir-award-scheme [Note: This relates to a separate Billmeir scheme administered by the Shipwrights Company, established by Jack Billmeir CBE in 1957]
• The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, “Education and Charitable Aims,” https://www.shipwrights.co.uk/education-and-charitable-aims