The Cooks Charity

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £239,895 (FY 2023-24)
• Success Rate: Low - successful requests represent “a relatively small proportion” of applications received
• Decision Time: Rolling review throughout the year
• Grant Range: £500 - No maximum (Elizabeth Fund: £500-£1,000)
• Geographic Focus: National (with City of London emphasis for Elizabeth Fund)

Contact Details

Website: www.cooks.org.uk

Email: clerk@cookslivery.org.uk

Phone: 07518 138883

Application Method: Email application (no application form required)

Overview

The Cooks Charity (Charity Number 297913) is the charitable arm of the Worshipful Company of Cooks, one of London's historic livery companies dating back to 1482. For the financial year ending June 30, 2024, the charity had a total income of £277,699 and total expenditure of £239,895. The charity operates with zero administration costs, meaning 100% of donated money goes directly to causes. Under the leadership of Past Master Oliver Goodinge, Chair of Trustees since 2013, the charity has developed a strategic framework around four pillars: Craft (advancing professional chef education), City (charitable activities in London), Company (welfare of members), and the Elizabeth Fund (small community grants honoring Queen Elizabeth II). The charity supports people at all stages of hospitality careers, from primary school through retirement, and has strengthened its impact through a Trustees' Advisory Panel that assesses applications and mentors approved projects.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Main Grant Programme: £500 - No maximum limit

• No minimum or maximum grant levels
• No matched funding requirement
• Applications accepted at any time via email
• Rolling basis review

The Elizabeth Fund: £500 - £1,000 (maximum £1,000)

• Small, one-off grants for food-related community projects
• Must be connected to City of London including City Fringe boroughs (Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Westminster)
• Preference for “start-up” projects with short-term, identifiable positive impact
• Rolling applications via email

Priority Areas

Craft Pillar (receives largest grants):

• Advancing education for professional chefs and cooks
• Professional culinary training and development
• Career progression in hospitality sectors

City Pillar:

• Food and cooking-related charitable projects in the City of London
• Educational programs teaching children about food and cooking
• Community nutrition and food access initiatives
• Intergenerational food projects

Company Pillar:

• General welfare of persons associated with the catering trade
• Support for hospitality workers in crisis

What They Don't Fund (Elizabeth Fund Exclusions)

• Food banks
• Routine charity operating costs
• Kitchen refurbishments
• Replacements for government or local authority funding
• Kitchen equipment (with rare exceptions)

Recent Grant Recipients

Long-term core partners include: Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Adopt a School, The Clink, Springboard (FutureChef programme reaching 214,000+ students), New City College, Capital City College Westminster Centre, Treloar's, City University, Hospitality Action (£5,000 funding for cost-of-living grants to chefs), Only a Pavement Away, No Going Back, Ceserani Foundation, Beyond Food Foundation, and Burnt Chef Project.

Recent Elizabeth Fund recipients (2024) include projects ranging from cancer support nutrition workshops (£500) to intergenerational cooking courses, refugee community kitchen equipment, and family cookery classes (£1,000 grants).

Ready to write a winning application for The Cooks Charity?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Past Master Oliver Goodinge - Chair of Trustees (since 2013)

• Former solicitor bringing expertise in charity law and governance
• Chairs the Trustees' Advisory Panel (since 2019)
• Quoted on charitable impact: acknowledged the difficulty of “letting down a hopeful and deserving yet unsuccessful applicant”

Past Master David Smith - Trustee

• Emphasized the charity's ability to make significant local impact, noting that “a relatively small sum of money... could have a swift and huge impact locally”

Simon Fooks - Renter Warden and Trustee (3.5 years)

Mike Richardson - The Warden (November 2024-2025)

• Sits on Cooks Trustees Advisory Panel
• Member of multiple committees including Property, Assistance of Cookery, and Masters

Peter V. Kenyon - The Master (November 2024-2025)

Past Master Virginia Bond - Advisory Panel member

• First lady master in company history since 1482

Trustees' Advisory Panel

The Panel plays a pivotal role in assessing applications and recommending grants to Trustees. Importantly, the Panel investigates promising applications and may assist applicants in re-working their requests to facilitate assessment and support a recommendation to the Trustees. Approved projects receive mentoring from Company members on a voluntary basis.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Email-based application - no application form required

Send applications to: clerk@cookslivery.org.uk

Required Information

Your application must include:

• Concise project description and its relevance to the charity's funding areas
• Objectives and definition of successful outcomes
• Justification for the amount of charitable funding needed
• Contact details: primary contact name, postal address, telephone number, and email address
• Supporting contextual information

Key advice from the charity: “The more detail you can give, the better.”

Decision Timeline

• Applications reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year
• No specific decision timeline published
• Nearly half of annual budget typically allocated early in the fiscal year
• Trustees make final decisions based on Advisory Panel recommendations

Success Rates

The charity openly states that successful requests represent “a relatively small proportion of all requests received each year.” No specific percentage is published, indicating highly competitive funding.

Reapplication Policy

No formal reapplication policy is published. However, the Trustees' Advisory Panel may work with applicants to re-work promising applications, suggesting some flexibility for revision and resubmission. Contact the Clerk for guidance on unsuccessful applications.

Application Success Factors

Alignment is Critical

Applications must clearly fit one or more of the three main funding areas:

1. Craft: Education associated with the catering industry and advancement of careers in cooking
2. City: Support of charitable organizations and general welfare associated with the City of London and/or catering trade
3. Elizabeth Fund: Food/cooking projects in City of London and specified boroughs

Project Characteristics That Get Funded

Based on recent Elizabeth Fund awards, successful projects demonstrate:

• Clear, measurable impact: Specific numbers of beneficiaries served (e.g., “75 children from 30 families”)
• Community focus: Direct service to vulnerable populations (refugees, families in hardship, cancer patients, people with learning disabilities)
• Educational component: Teaching cooking skills or nutrition knowledge
• Start-up or catalyst funding: Projects where a small grant creates immediate, identifiable impact
• Intergenerational or inclusive approach: Bringing different groups together through food

Language and Priorities

The charity values:

• Detail: Provide comprehensive information about your project
• Impact articulation: Clearly explain outcomes and success measures
• Efficiency: How will the funding create “swift and huge impact locally”?
• Connection to food/cookery: Explicit links to cooking, catering, or food education

Standing Out

• Demonstrate local impact potential: Past Master David Smith's quote emphasizes the value of swift, significant local impact
• Show alignment with hospitality sector: Links to catering trade, professional development, or culinary education strengthen applications
• Provide context: Supporting information helps the Panel understand your organization and need
• Be specific about outcomes: Define what success looks like and how you'll measure it
• Consider mentoring opportunity: Approved projects receive voluntary mentoring from Company members, so demonstrate openness to guidance

Advisory Panel Support

The Panel may reach out to help promising applications. Be responsive to communication and willing to re-work requests based on their guidance.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Zero administration costs mean competition is fierce - successful applications are a “relatively small proportion” of requests, so alignment and detail are essential

• The Elizabeth Fund offers the clearest path for smaller organizations - defined parameters (£500-£1,000, City of London focus, food-related) make it easier to assess fit

• Larger grants go to “Craft” pillar projects - if you're working on professional chef education or hospitality sector training, emphasize this

• Detail matters more than formal presentation - no application form exists, but the charity explicitly states “the more detail you can give, the better”

• Local impact is valued over scale - trustees appreciate projects where “a relatively small sum of money could have a swift and huge impact locally”

• The Advisory Panel can be a resource, not just a gatekeeper - they actively help promising applicants re-work requests and mentor approved projects

• Think beyond traditional grants - with no set minimum or maximum, focus on what you genuinely need rather than fitting a prescribed range

References

• The Cooks Charity official website - Charitable Giving page: https://www.cooks.org.uk/charity/

• The Elizabeth Fund page: https://www.cooks.org.uk/charity/the-elizabeth-fund.php

• Charitable Funding - Applying for Assistance: https://www.cooks.org.uk/contact/get-assistance.php

• Charity Commission Register - THE COOKS CHARITY (297913): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/297913/full-print

• “The Cooks Charity Strengthens Positive Impact” - What's Cooking: https://whatscooking.cooks.org.uk/winter-2024/the-cooks-charity-strengthens-positive-impact/

• "Eight Projects Get Boost from Cooks' Elizabeth Fund" - What's Cooking: https://whatscooking.cooks.org.uk/summer-2024/eight-projects-get-boost-from-cooks-elizabeth-fund/

• Contact the Cooks Company: https://www.cooks.org.uk/contact.php