The Christopher And Henry Oldfield Trust

Charity Number: 1156496

Annual Expenditure: £1.8M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,834,330 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (significant grants include major capital funding)
  • Geographic Focus: UK, particularly Kent and Medway

Contact Details

Address: Doddington Place, Church Lane, Doddington, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 0BB

Phone: 01795 886385

Website: Not available

Email: Not publicly available

Note: No public website or application portal. Contact information suggests direct approach may be required.

Overview

The Christopher and Henry Oldfield Trust was registered as a charity on 2 April 2014 (Charity Number: 1156496) and is named in memory of Christopher and Henry Oldfield, sons of Chair Richard Oldfield OBE DL. The trust has grown significantly, with total expenditure reaching £1,834,330 in March 2024, up from £1,553,025 the previous year, despite modest income of £213,514. This indicates the trust is drawing on capital to fund its ambitious grant-making. The trust's mission is to support programmes that reduce offending and reoffending, promote entrepreneurship amongst the young and disadvantaged, and tackle challenges such as homelessness and addiction. Through strategic grant-making, the trust aims to empower communities, foster opportunity, and support long-term, sustainable change.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

The trust focuses on three main areas:

  1. Youth Opportunities: Programmes that expand opportunities for disadvantaged young people, including education, skills development, and entrepreneurship
  2. Criminal Justice: Initiatives that reduce offending and reoffending
  3. Social Welfare: Projects tackling homelessness and addiction

Geographic Focus

Operates nationally across the UK, with particular interest in Kent and Medway region.

Known Grant Recipients

The trust has provided significant funding to organizations including:

  • Amber Foundation (major capital grant for Downsview centre in Ashford, Kent) - supports homeless young people aged 16-30
  • City Year UK (listed as principal funder 2022-23) - places young volunteers in schools to support students
  • Spitalfields Music (Neighbourhood Schools project and New Young Voice Collective)

What They Don't Fund

Not explicitly stated in public materials.

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Governance and Leadership

Chair: Richard John Oldfield OBE DL (appointed 2013) - Founder of Oldfield Partners LLP investment management firm, former High Sheriff of Kent (2008-09), former Vice Lord Lieutenant of Kent (2011-2020), President of Demelza Hospice Care for Children, Trustee of Clore Duffield Foundation and The King's Trust, and Chairman of Shepherd Neame brewery.

Other Trustees:

  • Baroness Jenkin (appointed 2019)
  • Christopher Oldfield (appointed 2017; deceased 2022)
  • Edward Oldfield (appointed 2017)
  • Leonora Rose Philipps (appointed 2013)
  • Amicia Oldfield

The trust operates as a family foundation. No trustees receive remuneration or benefits. The trust has no employees.

Leadership Perspective

Richard Oldfield stated about the Amber Foundation Kent project: "I've seen first-hand how Amber works and the Henry Oldfield Trust is delighted to be helping make its vision for a centre in Kent a reality."

On educational inequality, Oldfield emphasized: “Every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive in school, regardless of their background.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

No public application process is advertised. The trust does not appear to operate open grant rounds or have a website with application guidelines. Given the trust's substantial capital grants to specific organizations and the family foundation structure, it likely operates through:

  • Direct approaches to the trustees
  • Proactive identification of projects aligned with their mission
  • Relationship-based grant-making

Prospective applicants should consider writing to the trust at their registered address with a clear proposal aligned to their funding priorities.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly available.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information about the application process, success factors can be inferred from the trust's known activities:

Strategic Capital Funding: The trust has demonstrated willingness to provide significant capital funding for major projects, such as the Amber Foundation's Downsview centre in Kent. This suggests they value:

  • Transformational projects with lasting impact
  • Capital infrastructure that enables long-term service delivery
  • Projects with clear outcomes for beneficiaries

Geographic Connection: While operating nationally, the trust shows particular interest in Kent-based projects, reflecting the family's deep roots in the county (Doddington Place has been in the Oldfield family for over a century).

Evidence-Based Approaches: Supported organizations like City Year UK and Amber Foundation have strong track records and measurable outcomes (e.g., Amber's 77% success rate for residents finding safe accommodation).

Alignment with Personal Experience: The trust's focus on addiction and young people facing challenges reflects the personal experiences of the Oldfield family, suggesting applications demonstrating deep understanding of these issues may resonate.

Multi-Year Impact: Known grants suggest the trust prefers substantial, strategic funding over small grants, supporting organizations capable of delivering sustained change.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No open application process - This is a proactively managed family foundation; direct approach and relationship-building likely essential
  • Think big - The trust makes substantial grants relative to its size; small grant requests may not align with their strategic approach
  • Capital projects welcomed - Demonstrated appetite for significant capital funding that creates lasting infrastructure
  • Kent connection advantageous - While funding nationally, local Kent projects may receive particular attention
  • Alignment critical - Focus strictly on youth opportunities, criminal justice, homelessness, and addiction - these are not broad priorities but specific, personal commitments
  • Demonstrate impact - Supported organizations show strong track records and measurable outcomes; evidence-based approaches essential
  • Long-term thinking - The trust values sustainable change and transformational projects over short-term interventions

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References