The Clarke Charitable Settlement

Charity Number: 702980

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

Geographic Focus: Throughout England And Wales

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £189,665 (2024)
Success Rate: Not applicable (no public application process)
Decision Time: Not applicable (trustee discretion)
Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
Geographic Focus: England and Wales
Application Method: Invitation only / No unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Administrator:

The Trust Partnership Ltd

6 Trull Farm Buildings

Trull, Tetbury

Gloucestershire GL8 8SQ

Phone: +44 1223 949853

Website: Not available

Email: Not publicly disclosed

Overview

The Clarke Charitable Settlement is a private charitable trust established by settlement deed on 2 April 1990, with subsequent variations made in May 1990 and November 1993. Registered with the Charity Commission (charity number 702980), the settlement has broad discretionary powers to support charitable causes throughout England and Wales. In the financial year ending April 2024, the trust distributed £189,665 in charitable grants despite having a modest income of £65,426, demonstrating its willingness to draw on capital to support charitable purposes. The trust is administered by The Trust Partnership Ltd, a social enterprise based in Gloucestershire that manages over 50 charitable trusts and foundations. The settlement does not invite unsolicited applications, with grants awarded at the trustees' discretion.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Clarke Charitable Settlement does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines or funding tiers. Grant-making decisions are made entirely at the trustees' discretion.

Grant Distribution:

Annual grant expenditure: £189,665 (2024)
Income: £65,426 (2024)
Makes grants to both individuals and organizations
No published information on individual grant sizes

Priority Areas

The trustees have extremely broad discretionary powers to “apply the trust fund for the benefit of any one or more charitable institution, purpose or object in the United Kingdom as they may in their discretion think fit.”

The charity's activities are classified under:

General charitable purposes
The advancement of health or saving of lives
Religious activities
Support for people with disabilities
Other defined groups

What They Don't Fund

No specific exclusions are published. The geographic limitation is England and Wales (within the United Kingdom).

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

Mrs Mary MacGregor
Mrs Sally Hayward
Mrs Jane Gerard-Pearse (also trustee of Derbyshire Community Foundation)
Mr Simon William Clarke

Governance Structure:

Four trustees oversee the settlement
No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity
The charity has no employees
No trading subsidiaries

Administration:

The settlement is professionally administered by The Trust Partnership Ltd, a Gloucestershire-based social enterprise that specializes in managing charitable trusts and foundations. The Trust Partnership provides comprehensive services including charity administration, grant management, bookkeeping and accounting, secretariat services, and governance consulting.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Clarke Charitable Settlement explicitly does not invite unsolicited applications. The Charity Commission register states: “The Charity does not invite unsolicited applications.”

Grants are awarded entirely at the trustees' discretion, through their own identification of beneficiaries and charitable purposes that align with the settlement's broad objectives.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are awarded through trustee discretion rather than through application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable due to the invitation-only nature of the trust.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable as there is no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Trustee Discretion Model:

The Clarke Charitable Settlement operates on a pure trustee discretion model. The trustees have complete freedom to identify and support charitable causes within their broad remit covering England and Wales.

Broad Charitable Remit:

The settlement deed provides the trustees with exceptionally wide powers to support “any one or more charitable institution, purpose or object in the United Kingdom.” This gives the trustees maximum flexibility in their grant-making.

Areas of Historical Interest:

Based on the charity's classifications, the trustees have demonstrated interest in:

Health advancement and life-saving activities
Support for people with disabilities
Religious activities
General charitable purposes across multiple sectors

Professional Administration:

The involvement of The Trust Partnership Ltd as administrator indicates professional grant management processes, even though applications are not publicly solicited.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No Public Application Process: This trust does not accept unsolicited applications from organizations or individuals seeking funding
Pure Trustee Discretion: All grant-making decisions are made by the four trustees without a formal application or selection process
Broad Charitable Powers: The trustees have wide-ranging discretion to support virtually any charitable purpose within England and Wales
Significant Grant Distribution: Despite modest income, the trust distributed nearly £190,000 in grants in 2024, indicating willingness to utilize capital
Professional Administration: The Trust Partnership Ltd manages the settlement, ensuring professional grant management even without public applications
Established Trust: Founded in 1990, this is a well-established charitable settlement with over 30 years of grant-making history
Focus Areas: Historical activity suggests interest in health, disability support, religious activities, and general charitable purposes