The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £941,660 (charitable expenditure)
• Total Assets: Significant investment portfolio with £12.9M investment gains reported
• Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
• Geographic Focus: England/UK with potential international scope
• Application Process: No public application process - trustee discretion

Contact Details

Address: c/o Harcus Sinclair, 3 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3AA

Note: This trust does not accept unsolicited applications

Overview

The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust was established in 2017 and registered with the Charity Commission in December 2017 (charity number 1176080), following the philanthropic legacy of Drue Heinz (1915-2018), a British-born American philanthropist renowned for her support of literature and the arts. The trust operates as a private discretionary charitable trust managed by solicitors Harcus Sinclair, with three trustees overseeing its activities. With substantial investment income and charitable expenditure of approximately £941,660, the trust makes grants to organizations for general charitable purposes. The trust's charitable objectives give trustees full discretion to apply funds to “exclusively charitable objects and purposes (charitable under English law) in any part of the world,” with consideration given to charitable purposes favored by or of interest to the settlor, Drue Heinz. Given Drue Heinz's well-documented lifetime philanthropy focused on literary arts, cultural institutions, and education, the trust likely continues supporting similar causes.

Funding Priorities

Grant-Making Approach

The trust operates as a private discretionary trust where grants are awarded at the discretion of trustees rather than through a competitive application process. The trust's broad charitable objects allow flexibility in grant-making across any charitable purpose under English law.

Likely Priority Areas (Based on Settlor's Known Interests)

Based on Drue Heinz's documented philanthropic interests during her lifetime:

• Literary Arts & Publishing: Drue Heinz was publisher of The Paris Review, co-founded Ecco Press, and founded the Hawthornden Literary Retreat in Scotland
• Higher Education: She endowed the Drue Heinz Chair in American Literature at Oxford University (St John's College and Rothermere American Institute)
• Libraries & Literary Resources: Major supporter of The London Library, with the Drue Heinz Literary Fund enabling acquisition of nearly 10,000 books
• Cultural Institutions: Supported the Tate Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts (where she was a Trustee), and Royal Institute of British Architects
• Literary Prizes: Endowed the Drue Heinz Literature Prize at University of Pittsburgh

What They Don't Fund

No explicit exclusions are published, but as a private discretionary trust, grants are made only to organizations known to or selected by trustees.

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is managed by three trustees, with no trustees receiving remuneration for their services.

Known Trustee:

• Janet Lucy Gibson (appointed 2017) - Also serves as trustee for the Scott (Eredine) Charitable Trust and The Child Health Research CIO

Professional Administration: The trust is administered through Harcus Sinclair solicitors at their Lincoln's Inn Fields office in London.

How to Apply to The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust operates as a private discretionary trust where grants are awarded by trustees at their discretion. The trust does not accept unsolicited applications or maintain published grant guidelines or application forms.

Organizations are not able to apply directly to this trust. Grants are made to organizations selected by the trustees based on their interpretation of charitable purposes that would have been favored by or of interest to Drue Heinz.

Decision Timeline

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

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the trust's private discretionary nature, there is no application process to optimize. However, organizations working in areas Drue Heinz supported during her lifetime may be of interest to trustees:

• Literary focus: Organizations advancing literature, creative writing, publishing, or supporting writers
• Educational institutions: Particularly those with strong literary or American studies programs
• Cultural heritage: Museums, galleries, libraries, and cultural institutions with literary or arts focus
• UK connections: While the trust can fund internationally, UK organizations (particularly in England and Scotland where Drue Heinz had strong connections) may align with trustee interests
• Established organizations: The trust appears to support established cultural and educational institutions rather than grassroots organizations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No application process: This trust cannot be applied to through any public application process
• Private discretionary trust: Grants are made at the full discretion of three trustees
• Literary and cultural focus likely: Based on settlor's documented lifetime interests in literature, arts, and education
• Substantial resources: With charitable expenditure approaching £1M annually and strong investment performance, the trust has significant grant-making capacity
• Professional management: Administered by Harcus Sinclair solicitors, suggesting formal governance processes
• Relationship-driven: Trustees select beneficiaries; organizations cannot solicit grants
• Not suitable for inclusion in grant prospecting: Grant writers should not include this funder in application plans or funding pipelines

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Elaine And Angus Lloyd Charitable Trust
• The Ten Charitable Trust
• Sir Jeremiah Colman Gift Trust
• The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust
• The Samuel Storey Family Charitable Trust
• Lord Leverhulme's Charitable Trust
• The Willan Charitable Trust
• Joan Ainslie Charitable Trust
• The Carrington Charitable Trust
• J A Gillett Charitable Trust

References

• Charity Commission Register, The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust (Charity No. 1176080), https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1176080&subid=0
• The London Library, “In Memory of Drue Heinz (1915-2018)”, https://www.londonlibrary.co.uk/about-us/latest-news/1787-in-memory-of-drue-heinz-1915-2018
• Rothermere American Institute, Oxford, “Mrs Drue Heinz, DBE, 1915-2018”, https://www.rai.ox.ac.uk/article/mrs-drue-heinz-dbe-1915-2018
• Wikipedia, “Drue Heinz”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drue_Heinz
• Grantmakers in the Arts, “Remembering Drue Heinz, Cultural Philanthropist and Director Emeritus of Heinz Endowments”, https://www.giarts.org/blog/carmen-graciela-diaz/remembering-drue-heinz-cultural-philanthropist-and-director-emeritus