The Charitable and Educational Trust

Registered charity 221332 · since 1963wcsim.co.uk·City of London, Southwark·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Your work fits best if it relates to scientific instrument making, science and technology education, or, for individuals, hardship among members of the company or support for their dependants.
The stated geographic focus is the City of London, with Southwark as a priority, so say clearly where your work is based and who it reaches.
The awards quoted range from £500 to £5,000 per programme, and the annual grants total is not stated, so a modest, specific request tied to one of these programmes is the sensible starting point.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but university-student awards must go through the applicant's university rather than to the charity directly, and the Cornish medal is applied for through the InstMC website.
Do not seek general funding of studies, and do not apply for the IPEM and WCSIM essay prize unless you are a member of both bodies and within roughly 10 to 15 years of graduation or of starting relevant work.

Overview

The Charitable and Educational Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 221332).

The Charitable and Educational Trust was established by the founders of the company and has benefited from regular donations from liverymen and some substantial legacy gifts. It makes grants and donations to charitable organisations promoting education and training in the field of science and technology, and it supports relief for necessitous members of the company and the dependants of deceased members. Its fund now stands at over £3M, and it commits almost 70% of its charitable giving to educational and training disbursements, totalling approximately £94,000.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Trust supports relief for necessitous members of the Company and the relief or educational support of dependants of deceased members. It awards grants to individuals, groups and organisations whose work aligns with scientific instrument making, its design, implementation and evaluation. Its education giving includes scholarships and prizes recognising advances in scientific instrument design and construction, and grants or donations to charitable organisations promoting education and training in science and technology. Its organisation-facing giving includes science-related grants and project or equipment support for schools in Southwark. Study awards are based on recommendations from partner universities and organisations specialising in instrumentation, and the Cornish medal recognises excellence in instrument making across industry, academia and laboratories.

Themes

Scientific instrument advancement
Science and technology education
Member hardship
Support for dependants

Geographic Focus

City of London. Priority: Borough of Southwark.

What they don't fund

Requests for general funding of studies
University Students only: direct applications to us; applications for these awards must be made via the applicant’s University
The IPEM and WCSIM Essay prize only: applicants who are not members of both organisations; applicants who are not in the early stages of their career (typically within 10-15 years of graduation or of commencing relevant employment)

How to apply

Applications for the Cornish medal award are made via the InstMC website.

Who can apply:

The IPEM and WCSIM Essay prize: The prize is open to members of both organisations who are in the early stages of their career (typically within 10-15 years of graduation or of commencing relevant employment).
University Students: You cannot apply for these directly to us only via your University.

What to send:

The IPEM and WCSIM Essay prize: The essay should be a maximum 1000 words and written to be understood by members of the general public.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Cornish award recognises applicants who have excelled in some dimension of scientific instrument making.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Charitable and Educational Trust.

The Stoneygate TrustNo public processGave £1.7M Merchant Taylors' Educational TrustRollingGave £296k Carpenters’ Company Charitable TrustNo public processGave £1.4M The Worshipful Company of World Traders Charitable TrustRollingGave £64,649 The Mary Kinross Charitable TrustNo public processGave £929k The Amar-Franses & Foster-Jenkins TrustInvitation onlyGave £299k The Tallow Chandlers’ Benevolent FundFixed deadlinesGave £468k Shree Swaminarayan Temple WillesdenInvitation only The Rowlands TrustRollingGave £649k The Longhirst Hall Educational TrustRollingGave £117k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 30 September 2021	£93,820	£94,396	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2021
year to 30 September 2022	£154,955	£158,153	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2022
year to 30 September 2023	£129,055	£143,226	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2023
year to 30 September 2024	£3,436,957	£172,590	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2024
year to 30 September 2025	£156,278	£505,423	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2025

— No grants figure for that 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.