The Evelyn Trust

Charity Number: 232891

Annual Expenditure: £1.2M
Cambridgeshire

Contact Info

Website:www.evelyntrust.com

Phone:01954 230389

Email:office@evelyntrust.com

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,173,670 (charitable activities expenditure, 2023-24)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Within 4 weeks for small grants; varies for large grants
  • Grant Range: £4,000 - £250,000
  • Geographic Focus: Cambridgeshire (City of Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, and surrounding areas)

Contact Details

Website: www.evelyntrust.com

Email: office@evelyntrust.com

Phone: 01954 230389

Address: PO Box 1436, Cambridgeshire, CB24 5YX

Online Portal: https://evelyntrust.flexigrant.com/

For initial advice on applications, contact the Charity Director or Grants Coordinator via the email above.

Overview

Established as a charity in 1920, The Evelyn Trust originally owned and managed the Evelyn Hospital in Cambridge. Following the hospital's sale in 2003, the Trust invested the proceeds to become a dedicated grant-making charity. Since 2003, the Trust has awarded over £24 million across 400 grants to biomedical researchers and charitable organisations. With total income of £1,059,752 in 2023-24 and charitable expenditure of £1,173,670, the Trust makes annual grants typically totalling between £500,000 and £1.5 million. Currently supporting 140 active grants worth £9.7 million, the Trust's mission focuses on medical research and health and wellbeing projects that deliver transformational change in Cambridgeshire. The Trust particularly aims to develop young or newly-established researchers and help them generate data for more substantial bids to larger grant-giving bodies.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Medical Research Grants

  • Amount: £4,000 - £250,000
  • Description: Supports biomedical research programs, particularly for younger or newly established researchers seeking their first funding. The Trust is especially interested in demonstration or pilot projects with potential to deliver transformational change.
  • Application deadline: 14th November (fixed annual deadline)

Health & Wellbeing Grants

  • Amount: £10,000 - £120,000
  • Duration: Up to two years
  • Description: Healthcare projects that support population health and wellbeing in Cambridgeshire
  • Application deadline: 14th November (fixed annual deadline)

Small Health & Wellbeing Grants

  • Amount: £4,000 - £10,000
  • Description: Supports smaller charities where grants can make a significant difference. Can cover project, core, or capital costs.
  • Application method: Rolling basis with three annual rounds (July, November, March)
  • Decision timeline: Within 4 weeks of closing date

Priority Areas

Medical Research Focus:

  • Specific, planned biomedical research programs
  • Innovative medical/care team initiatives
  • Research projects that generate preliminary data for larger grant applications
  • Projects supporting young or newly-established researchers

Health & Wellbeing Focus:

  • Population health initiatives in Cambridgeshire
  • Healthcare support services
  • Mental health and bereavement services
  • Services for vulnerable populations (homeless, disabled children, refugees)
  • Community health projects

Recent Funded Projects Include:

  • Parkinson's Disease research (£448,662 - £1,054,482)
  • CNS inflammation and microglial research
  • Time-restricted eating and metabolic function studies
  • Multiple sclerosis gut microbiota research
  • Cambridge Cancer Help Centre support programs
  • Mental health services for COVID-19 impacts
  • Forest School programs for adults with learning disabilities
  • Immigrant and refugee women's health initiatives

What They Don't Fund

Medical Research Exclusions:

  • Projects with alternative funding available from non-charitable organisations
  • Research in well-funded fields (specifically mentioned: heart and cancer research)
  • Projects from established researchers with good funding track records
  • Ongoing overhead or administrative costs
  • Individual researchers (must be organisations)
  • Conferences or travel expenses
  • MPhil or PhD studentships (limited exceptions may apply)
  • Principal Investigator salaries (unlikely to fund)
  • Research involving live animals (unless adhering to specific ethical guidelines)

General Exclusions:

  • Organisations outside Cambridgeshire
  • Individuals (grants only to non-profit organisations)

Governance and Leadership

Board Structure:

  • Board typically consists of 10 Trustees
  • Trustees meet three times annually
  • Medical Advisory Committee assists with grant application review
  • Medical Grant Outcomes Review Panel (3 independent experts) assesses completed medical research projects
  • 5 Honorary Patrons provide strategic guidance

Key Personnel:

  • Charity Director: Mrs Rebecca Wood
  • Grants Coordinator: Available via office@evelyntrust.com
  • Accountant: Supports financial operations

Recent Trustee Changes:

  • Helen Jones, Trustee, recently appointed as CEO of Cambridge and District Citizens Advice
  • Catherine Thomas stepped down as Trustee in November but continues as a Patron
  • Dr Ashley Shaw joined the Medical Advisory Committee after appointment as Medical Director at Cambridge University Hospitals in 2017

The Trust is operated by the Charity Director and Grants Coordinator with close involvement from the Board.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All Grant Programs:

  • Online application system via Flexigrant portal: https://evelyntrust.flexigrant.com/
  • Applicants must register for an account before accessing application forms
  • Applications must be accompanied by a letter from the head of the organisation applying
  • Must carefully read and follow the latest application guidelines

Large Grants (Medical Research & Health and Wellbeing):

  • Fixed annual deadline: 14th November at 5pm
  • Decision timeline not publicly specified

Small Health & Wellbeing Grants:

  • Three rounds per year:
  • Round 1: July 11 at 5pm
  • Round 2: November 7 at 5pm
  • Round 3: March 13 at 5pm
  • Decisions within 4 weeks of closing date
  • Simpler approval process based on application form alone

Decision Timeline

  • Small Grants: Applicants usually notified within 4 weeks of closing date
  • Large Grants: Timeline not publicly specified; likely several months given annual deadline cycle
  • The Trust's grant decisions are final and will not be discussed with applicants

Success Rates

Success rate information is not publicly available. The Trust currently supports 140 active grants worth £9.7 million, with annual grant-making of approximately £500,000 to £1.5 million.

Reapplication Policy

Previous Grant-Holders:

  • Must wait 12 months after their grant ends before submitting another application

Unsuccessful Applicants:

  • Must wait 12 months from the submission date of their previous application before reapplying

Application Success Factors

What the Trust Looks For:

  1. Transformational Potential: The Trust explicitly seeks projects that have “the potential to deliver transformational change.” Focus on innovative approaches and meaningful impact rather than incremental improvements.
  1. Emerging Researchers: For medical research grants, the Trust prioritises younger or newly-established researchers. If you're an early-career researcher seeking your first funding, emphasise this in your application.
  1. Pilot and Demonstration Projects: The Trust views its role as helping researchers generate preliminary data for larger grant applications. Frame your project as a stepping stone to more substantial research.
  1. Strategic Fit with Cambridgeshire: Projects must clearly demonstrate benefit to the Cambridgeshire area. Geographic limitation is strict.
  1. Funding Necessity: The Trust welcomes projects where their funding “will be key to the project getting off the ground.” Demonstrate that this funding is crucial, not supplementary.
  1. Clear Project Definition: Applications should describe specific, well-defined projects rather than general ongoing activities or operational costs.

Language and Terminology:

  • Emphasis on “transformational change”
  • “Population health and wellbeing”
  • “Pilot projects” and “demonstration projects”
  • “Biomedical research”
  • “Innovative approaches”

Grant Payment Terms:

  • Grants paid quarterly in arrears
  • Regular reporting required
  • Applicants should be prepared for this payment structure

Common Rejection Reasons (Based on Exclusions):

  • Alternative funding available from non-charitable sources
  • Projects in well-funded research fields
  • Applications from established researchers with strong funding records
  • Requests for ongoing overheads rather than specific projects
  • Projects outside Cambridgeshire

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Geographic Requirement is Strict: Ensure your organisation and project beneficiaries are clearly based in or serving Cambridgeshire. This is a fundamental eligibility criterion.
  1. Frame as Transformational, Not Incremental: Use language that emphasises how your project will deliver meaningful, transformational change rather than incremental improvements to existing services.
  1. Early-Career Researchers Have an Advantage: If applying for medical research grants, highlight if you are a younger or newly-established researcher. The Trust explicitly aims to develop emerging talent.
  1. Position as a Stepping Stone: For research projects, demonstrate how this grant will generate preliminary data or pilot results that will support applications to larger funding bodies.
  1. Mind the Waiting Period: Plan your reapplication timeline carefully. Unsuccessful applicants must wait 12 months before reapplying, and previous grant-holders must wait 12 months after their grant ends.
  1. Consider Small Grants for Quick Funding: With three annual rounds and 4-week decision times, small grants (£4,000-£10,000) offer a faster route to funding than the annual large grant cycle.
  1. Avoid Over-Funded Fields: Explicitly avoid positioning your medical research in heart or cancer research, which the Trust considers well-funded by other bodies. Focus on under-resourced or emerging research areas.

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References

  1. The Evelyn Trust official website - Homepage. https://evelyntrust.com/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - About Us. https://evelyntrust.com/about/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Our Grants. https://evelyntrust.com/our-grants/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Medical Research Grants Application Guidelines. https://evelyntrust.com/our-grants/medical-research-grants/application-guidelines/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Health & Wellbeing Grants. https://evelyntrust.com/our-grants/health-wellbeing-grants/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Small Health & Wellbeing Grants. https://evelyntrust.com/our-grants/small-health-wellbeing-grants/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Governance. https://evelyntrust.com/about/governance/
  1. The Evelyn Trust - All Supported Projects. https://evelyntrust.com/supported-projects/
  1. Charity Commission - THE EVELYN TRUST (Charity Number 232891). https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?subid=0&regid=232891
  1. University of Cambridge - Philanthropy - Medical research with the potential to deliver transformative change: grant from the Evelyn Trust. https://www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/impact-of-giving/gift-announcements/medical-research-with-the-potential-to-deliver-transformative
  1. The Evelyn Trust - Updates from the team. https://evelyntrust.com/news/updates-from-the-team-at-the-evelyn-trust/
  1. Companies House - THE EVELYN TRUST (Company Number 00166995). https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00166995