The Borrows Charitable Trust
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- Your work fits best if it tackles disadvantage, poverty and its causes, or social isolation, and if you are a smaller grassroots charity; the trust's stated priorities are London, the south-east, the UK, Kenya and Nepal.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between £5,000 and £40,000, with a median of £10,000, so a request in that range is realistic, though its largest grant was £88,000.
- The trust does not fund core, revenue or capital costs, new or existing projects, or one-off initiatives, so frame any request around a specific activity.
- It invites charities to apply and rejects unsolicited applications, so do not send a cold request; if you are invited, send a concise application with numbered responses by email to applications@borrows-c-t.org, read the Support Criteria on its website first, and note that applications may be submitted at any time.
- Provide project updates, since a failure to do so is taken into account for future applications, and charities registered for less than a year, animal welfare charities, and organisations primarily funded by statutory authorities should not apply.
Overview
The Borrows Charitable Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1140591).
The Borrows Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales whose purpose is charitable benefit to the public, as its trustees decide from time to time. Its focus is primarily on smaller grassroots charities working to tackle disadvantage, poverty and social isolation. Its annual report records £730,872 paid in the most recent reported year.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The trust focuses primarily on smaller grassroots charities working to tackle disadvantage, poverty and its causes, and social isolation. It looks to support organisations that improve quality of life, help build resilience, encourage re-engagement, promote fulfilment of potential and positively affect life chances. Its focus is mainly on charities operating locally to it in London and the south-east. Its supported charities span a huge variety of sectors, and its grants have helped deliver projects predominantly throughout the UK, but also in Kenya and Nepal. Its grant-making is proactive: it seeks out charities and invites them to apply, and unsolicited applications are rejected.
Themes
- Disadvantage
- Poverty and its causes
- Social isolation
Geographic Focus
Priority: London; the south-east; the UK; Kenya; Nepal.
What they don't fund
- Core costs
- Revenue costs
- Capital costs
- New projects
- Existing projects
- One-off initiatives
- Organisations not registered as charities or those that have been registered for less than a year
- National charities unless there is a clear local presence and the project will help people in Surrey and/or London
- Charities which are primarily funded by statutory authorities or anything that directly replaces or negatively affects statutory funding
- Retrospective funding
- Organisations that have a high level of free reserves
- Campaigning or lobbying
- Work by non UK registered charities
- Grants to individuals
- Animal welfare charities
- Expeditions or overseas travel
- Umbrella or grant-making organisations other than the Community Foundation for Surrey
- Faith groups where the project is exclusively for the benefit of the members or for proselytising
- Unspecified expenditure and general appeals
- Fund-raising events/activities
- Unsolicited applications
How to apply
Send the application by email to applications@borrows-c-t.org.
Deadlines: Applications may be submitted at any time.
What to send:
- Organisation overview, including charitable status, geographic location, the need addressed, activities and clients or beneficiaries, and employee and volunteer numbers.
- Finance overview, including income and outgoings, free reserves, the percentage of income spent on overheads and fundraising, funding reliance and financial sustainability.
- Details of the request, what the grant is for, why it is necessary, intended outcomes, and who and how many will benefit.
- Costs, including the total cost and expenditure breakdown, funding plans and funds raised so far, plans to address any shortfall, and continuing funding plans.
- Timescale for raising funds and intended project start.
- Arrangements for measuring success and, if appropriate, monitoring and evaluating the project.
- A contingency plan for what will be done if all required funds are not raised.
- Any other information that may assist the application.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- It strongly advises applicants to read the Support Criteria page and confirm that they are a good fit.
- It prefers concise applications with numbered responses.
- It takes failure to provide a project update into account when considering future applications.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Kenya
- Nepal
- United Kingdom
- Buckinghamshire
- Isle of Wight
- London
- Berkshire
- East Sussex
- Hampshire
- Kent
- Oxfordshire
- Surrey
- West Sussex
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to The Borrows Charitable Trust.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 41 grants in year to 31 March 2025 by size
Median £10,000 (year to 31 March 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- The CSJ Foundation£88,000year to 31 March 2025
- Community Foundation for Surrey£84,049year to 31 March 2025
- London Business School£75,000year to 31 March 2025
- Royal Marsden Cancer Charity£60,000year to 31 March 2025
- Footsteps International£40,000year to 31 March 2025
- Phyllis Tuckwell Memorial Hospice£20,000year to 31 March 2025
- Missing People£17,000year to 31 March 2025
- The Eikon Charity£16,000year to 31 March 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 2 whose recipient could not be identified.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £538,798 | £392,061 | £385,637 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £295,060 | £428,959 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £297,135 | £691,850 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £483,130 | £533,163 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £478,262 | £741,916 | £730,872 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
In 1 of the 2 years shown, grants paid exceeded income.
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2021: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants paid out in the year.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- borrows-c-t.org · read on 30 October 2026
- borrows-c-t.org/how-to-apply · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to The Borrows Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- borrows-c-t.org
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission
Applying to The Borrows Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- borrows-c-t.org
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission