The Godinton Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 268321

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M
Geographic Focus: Kent

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £148,012 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not published
  • Decision Time: Biannual trustee meetings
  • Grant Range: Variable - £14,000-£201,650 recorded
  • Geographic Focus: Kent-based charities
  • Established: 1974

Contact Details

Address: Godinton House, Godinton Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3BP

Phone: 01233 632652

Email: office@godintonhouse.co.uk

Website: https://godintonhouse.co.uk/about/the-trusts/

Overview

The Godinton Charitable Trust was established in 1974 by the late Alan Wyndham Green through generous gifts of land required for development by Ashford Borough Council. The trust is a privately funded grant-making charity with total assets of approximately £5 million (as of 2015). The trust celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. While the trustees have discretion to apply income or capital for charitable purposes generally, the primary intention has always been to provide long-term endowment for its associated charity, The Godinton House Preservation Trust. After Alan Wyndham Green's death in 1996, the trust continued funding the renovation and preservation of Godinton House, Gardens and Estate, while also making grants to other Kent-based charities. The trust issues no public appeals for funding and operates with minimal overhead costs.

Funding Priorities

Primary Focus

The trust's main purpose is supporting The Godinton House Preservation Trust, which maintains the Grade I listed 14th-century Godinton House and its gardens for public benefit in accordance with Alan Wyndham Green's wish that the house “should retain the warmth of a much-loved country home.”

Grant Programs

The trust makes both annual and one-off donations. Historical records show:

  • Annual donations: £14,000 (2015)
  • One-off donations: £201,650 (2015)

Applications are reviewed by trustees at biannual meetings. The trustees determine the proportions in which the charity's available income is provided for Godinton House projects versus other charities.

Priority Areas

  • Heritage preservation
  • Kent-based charitable organizations
  • Projects that meet the trust's grant-making policy

What They Don't Fund

Not specifically documented, but applications must meet the trust's grant-making policy to be considered.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The trust currently has three trustees:

  • M F Jennings
  • The Hon J D Leigh-Pemberton
  • The Hon W G Plumptre

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity. The trustees work closely with the Godinton House Preservation Trust trustees to decide which projects to support.

Staffing

The trust has no employees with benefits over £60,000 and operates with minimal administrative costs.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Godinton Charitable Trust does not operate a public, open application process. The trust is privately funded and issues no appeals for funding. The trustees received applications for grants which were considered at biannual trustee meetings, with grants awarded to those meeting the trust's grant-making policy.

Given the trust's primary focus on supporting Godinton House and its limited public information about accepting external applications, prospective applicants should contact the trust directly to inquire about current grant availability and application procedures.

Decision Timeline

The trustees meet biannually to review applications and make grant decisions. Specific timeframes from submission to decision are not publicly documented.

Success Rates

Not published. The trust reviews “many applications” according to historical documents, but specific numbers of applications received versus grants awarded are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information about the trust's grant-making criteria, the following factors appear relevant based on available documentation:

  • Geographic focus: The trust applies its income “mainly for the benefit of other Kent-based charities”
  • Alignment with grant-making policy: Applications must meet the trust's grant-making policy, though specific criteria are not publicly detailed
  • Relationship with Godinton House: The trust's primary mission centers on supporting its associated preservation trust
  • Public benefit: Applications are approved after trustees consider whether they meet the test of providing public benefit

The trust operates with significant discretion, and given its private nature and lack of public appeals, building a relationship or connection to Kent heritage preservation may be advantageous.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is a privately funded trust with no public appeal process and limited public information about grant-making
  • Primary focus is supporting Godinton House Preservation Trust, with secondary grants to Kent-based charities
  • Trustees meet biannually to review applications that meet their grant-making policy
  • Geographic focus on Kent organizations is essential
  • Contact the trust directly to inquire about current application procedures and availability of grants
  • The trust has substantial assets (£5+ million) but exercises discretion in grant distribution
  • No public information available about specific funding priorities beyond Kent geography and public benefit test

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