The Bromley Trust

Charity Number: 801875

Annual Expenditure: £1.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,000,000
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Approximately 4 months from deadline to decision
  • Grant Range: £15,000 - £30,000 per year (multi-year)
  • Geographic Focus: UK national
  • Target Organisation Size: £100,000 - £1,200,000 annual income

Contact Details

Website: www.thebromleytrust.org.uk

Email: enquiries@thebromleytrust.org.uk

Phone: 020 8065 0292

Director: James Middleton

Grants Manager: Available to answer questions during application process

Overview

The Bromley Trust was founded in 1989 by businessman Toby Bromley "to help offset 'man's inhumanity to man'". Following Toby Bromley's death in 2003, the Trust continues to fund UK charities working on human rights and prison reform. With approximately £1 million in annual grant giving and around 65 live grants at any time, the Trust focuses on supporting small to medium-sized specialist charities with incomes between £100,000 and £1.2 million. The Trust reopened its funding programmes in July 2024 following a comprehensive strategy review, with a renewed focus on systemic change, collaboration, and unrestricted funding to maximize organizational flexibility. The Trust works toward “a society which respects the dignity and rights of marginalised people” and "a humane and effective prison system that supports people's rehabilitation."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Human Rights Programme: £15,000 - £30,000 per year (multi-year funding available)

  • Focus: Protecting the rights of people seeking sanctuary (refugees and asylum seekers) in the UK
  • Particular interest in immigration detention work
  • Applications accepted through online portal with fixed deadlines (March and September)

Prison Reform Programme: £15,000 - £30,000 per year (multi-year funding available)

  • Focus: Supporting a more humane and effective UK prison system that emphasizes rehabilitation
  • Work with people in prison in the UK
  • Applications accepted through online portal with fixed deadlines (March and September)

Priority Areas

Human Rights:

  • Protecting people seeking sanctuary (refugees and asylum seekers)
  • Immigration detention advocacy and support
  • Work with torture survivors and trafficking survivors
  • Support for most marginalized groups: women, children, people in detention, quasi-detention, or temporary accommodation

Prison Reform:

  • Systemic change in UK prisons
  • Rehabilitation-focused work
  • Priority given to work with: women, children, racially marginalized communities, foreign national prisoners, people who have committed sexual offenses, people with disabilities or mental health needs, neurodiverse people, and IPP prisoners

Cross-Cutting Requirements:

  • Organizations must demonstrate intent to bring about wider systemic change
  • Must work collaboratively with others
  • Must be able to influence decision-makers
  • Must build meaningful relationships with people they serve
  • Must involve people with lived experience in organizational decision-making
  • Must have evidence-based approaches with commitment to learning

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals
  • Projects or specific activities (only unrestricted core funding)
  • Organizations working outside the UK
  • Organizations with annual income below £100,000 or above £1.2 million
  • Drug/alcohol rehabilitation or housing programmes
  • Generic welfare support or mentoring
  • Research projects
  • Work in schools/universities
  • Religious promotion
  • International development, disaster relief, or conflict/post-conflict work
  • Domestic abuse organizations
  • Law Centres
  • Capital projects
  • General appeals
  • Work covered by state funding
  • Environmental projects
  • Organizations without demonstrable policy/practice change impact
  • Organizations that made an unsuccessful application in the last two years
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Governance and Leadership

Chair of Trustees: Fiona Cramb

Trustees:

  • Dr Jamie Bennett
  • Dr Ellie Brown
  • Rod Clark
  • Helen Curtis
  • Phillip Everett
  • Adam McCormack
  • Ali McGinley
  • Frederick Keith (Toby) Bromley

Director: James Middleton

Grants Manager: (Position exists, manages day-to-day operations)

The Trust was founded by Toby Bromley, who transformed the family firm Russell & Bromley into a fashion retail leader and endowed the Trust with much of his fortune. He served as Chair until shortly before his death in 2003. The Trust has established annual awards in his memory.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Complete the online eligibility quiz at www.thebromleytrust.org.uk - this determines if your organization meets basic criteria
  2. If eligible, you'll receive a link to the online application form
  3. Read thoroughly - review the Trust's approach, criteria, and Applicant FAQs before applying
  4. Submit application by the deadline (keep a backup copy of your answers)
  5. Next application deadline: 26 September 2025

Decision Timeline

For September 2025 deadline cycle:

  • 26 September 2025: Application deadline
  • 10 October 2025: Shortlisting decisions made
  • 29 October 2025: Additional information due from shortlisted applicants
  • 3-28 November 2025: Assessment meetings (site visits with shortlisted applicants, typically conducted by Director, sometimes with Grants Manager or Trustee)
  • 26 January 2026: Trustee meeting for final decisions
  • 28 January 2026: Final decisions communicated
  • 27 February 2026: Grants awarded

Total timeline: Approximately 5 months from application deadline to grant award

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly disclosed. The Trust typically maintains around 65 live grants at any time with approximately £1 million in annual giving. Not all applications that reach the trustee meeting stage are successful. The Trust conducts an initial screening, with unsuccessful applications at this stage notified without detailed feedback.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations that made an unsuccessful application in the last two years are NOT eligible to reapply. This means there is a mandatory two-year waiting period after rejection.

For existing grantees seeking continuation funding: In many cases there will be an opportunity to re-apply, but the re-application process is thorough and continuation funding is not automatically awarded.

All decisions made by trustees are final and appeals are not accepted.

Application Success Factors

What the Trust Values

Unrestricted Funding Philosophy: The Trust only provides unrestricted core funding, never project-specific grants. This reflects their belief that charities are best placed to decide how to use resources flexibly to meet changing needs.

Collaboration and Systemic Change: The Trust explicitly seeks organizations that:

  • Work collaboratively with similar organizations
  • Can demonstrate intent to influence policy and practice change
  • Have the capacity to influence decision-makers
  • Focus on creating wider systemic change, not just direct service provision

Lived Experience and Relationships: Organizations must:

  • Build meaningful relationships with people they serve
  • Involve people with lived experience in organizational decision-making
  • Show how beneficiaries shape the organization's work

Evidence-Based Approaches: The Trust looks for organizations committed to learning and evaluation, with evidence-based approaches to their work.

Organizational Health Indicators

The Trust requires:

  • Unrestricted reserves between 1-12 months of operating costs (not less than one month, not more than one year)
  • Full year's audited or independently examined accounts
  • Annual income between £100,000 and £1.2 million - this is a strict requirement
  • UK registered charity status

Recent Grantee Examples

Human Rights grantees include: Article 39, Baobab Center for Youth Survivors in Exile, British Institute of Human Rights, Children and Families Across Borders, Detention Action, and INQUEST.

Prison Reform grantees include: Bounce Back Foundation, Changing Tunes, Clean Break Theatre Company, Clinks, The Hardman Trust, The Butler Trust, Changing Paths Charitable Trust, Doncaster Community Arts, Mind in Camden, and Music in Prisons.

Standing Out

  1. Demonstrate systemic impact: Show how your work goes beyond direct service to influence wider change in policy or practice
  2. Evidence collaboration: Detail partnerships with other organizations and how you work collectively
  3. Center lived experience: Clearly articulate how people with lived experience shape your organization
  4. Show specialist expertise: The Trust funds “specialist charities” - demonstrate your unique expertise in your area
  5. Be transparent about challenges: The Trust values learning organizations that are honest about what works and what doesn't
  6. Align with priority groups: If working with particularly marginalized groups (women, children, torture survivors, IPP prisoners, etc.), make this clear

Common Reasons for Rejection

  • Organization too large or too small (outside £100k-£1.2m income range)
  • Insufficient unrestricted reserves (less than 1 month or more than 12 months)
  • Work doesn't align with specific Human Rights or Prison Reform focus areas
  • Unable to demonstrate systemic change potential
  • Seeking project funding rather than unrestricted core costs
  • Working outside the UK or with international focus
  • Previous unsuccessful application within last two years
  • Falls into exclusion categories (drug/alcohol rehabilitation, housing, domestic abuse, Law Centres, etc.)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Unrestricted core funding only - Do not apply if you need project-specific funding. The Trust will only fund organizational core costs, reflecting their trust-based philanthropy approach.
  1. Income requirements are strict - If your annual income is below £100,000 or above £1.2 million, you are not eligible. This is a hard boundary.
  1. Multi-year relationships preferred - The Trust likes to develop close relationships with grantees and provides multi-year funding. Frame your application as the beginning of a partnership, not a one-off transaction.
  1. Demonstrate systemic impact - Direct service provision alone is not enough. Show how your work influences wider policy, practice, or cultural change in the human rights or prison reform sectors.
  1. Collaboration is essential - The Trust explicitly values organizations that work collaboratively. Detail your partnerships, networks, and how you contribute to collective sector efforts.
  1. Two-year exclusion period - If unsuccessful, you cannot reapply for two years. Ensure your application is as strong as possible before submitting.
  1. Check reserves carefully - Having reserves below one month or above twelve months of operating costs will make you ineligible. Calculate this precisely before applying.
  1. Site visits for shortlisted applicants - If shortlisted, expect the Director (possibly with Grants Manager or a Trustee) to visit. This is an opportunity to build relationship and demonstrate your work firsthand.

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