The J R S S T Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 247498

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

Stay updated on changes from The J R S S T Charitable Trust and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £100,000 - £200,000 (grant-making capacity); £182,000 committed in 2024
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only grants)
  • Decision Time: Twice yearly decision cycles
  • Grant Range: £791 - £54,275 (typical grants £10,000 - £35,000)
  • Geographic Focus: United Kingdom
  • Total Assets: Over £4 million
  • Grants Since 2015: 62 grants totaling £1,426,545

Contact Details

Address: The Garden House, Water End, York, YO30 6WQ

Phone: 01904 715480

Email: info@jrsst-ct.org.uk

Website: https://www.jrrt.org.uk/what-we-do/jrsst-ct/

Note: Unsolicited applications are NOT accepted. Applications are by invitation only, by agreement of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board.

Overview

The JRSST Charitable Trust (Charity Registration No. 247498) was established in 1955 by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and operates as an independent grant-making trust. The charity's mission is “undertaking or supporting work which relates specifically to supporting the development of an increasingly democratic and socially just society in the United Kingdom.”

As a relatively small charitable trust with assets over £4 million, JRSST-CT has an annual grant-making capacity of between £100,000 and £200,000, awarding grants twice a year. In 2025, the trust committed to spending down its £4.6 million endowment over 10 years to accelerate progress on political inclusion and voter participation, which will increase annual giving significantly.

The trust focuses its funding on initiatives, campaigns, and research that achieve tangible democratic change, rather than direct support for educational programs or general information provision. JRSST-CT is committed to transparency and publishes all grant data to the 360Giving standard.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

JRSST-CT awards grants twice annually through an invitation-only process. Recent grants have ranged from £10,000 to £36,495, with most grants falling in the £20,000-£35,000 range for projects lasting 6-18 months.

Application Method: Invitation only - unsolicited applications are not accepted. Invitations are extended by agreement of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board.

Priority Areas

JRSST-CT's funding priorities are organized into three main themes:

1. Democratic and Constitutional Reform

  • Understanding threats to democracy and reform approaches
  • Research analyzing specific reform proposals and their demographic impacts
  • Use of participatory or deliberative processes to inform government and parliamentary reform initiatives
  • Evidence-based policy development for democratic improvement

2. Informed Citizens: Democracy Education

  • School-based citizenship education and youth political engagement campaigns
  • Information strengthening citizens' ability to participate democratically
  • Research on information access barriers for disengaged groups
  • Public interest journalism and local journalism supporting local democracy
  • Expanding understanding of active citizenship

3. Democracy Policy Research

  • Analysis of democratic reform proposals with strong evidence bases
  • Research on engagement and participation motivation across different demographics
  • Auditing democracy health indicators
  • Rapid response capacity to emerging political developments
  • Building connections between democracy campaigners and academics

What They Don't Fund

  • Direct support for general education programs
  • General information provision without change-making objectives
  • Work outside the United Kingdom
  • Projects unrelated to democracy, citizenship, or political participation
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The J R S S T Charitable Trust?

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

Board of Trustees (as of January 2025)

Andrew Neal, Chair

Former finance director at Lancaster University (2003-2012) and independent consultant. Appointed trustee in 2008, vice chair in 2013, chair in 2017. Background in accounting and management roles at Unilever.

Alison Goldsworthy, Vice Chair

Political strategist with 25+ years of experience in movement building and polarization reduction. Co-author of Poles Apart (2021). Former head of strategy at Which? and Sloan Fellow at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Craig Westwood

Former chief executive of the Legal Services Board. Spent eight years as director of communications at the Electoral Commission. Background in corporate affairs and Civil Service. Joined board October 2025.

Duncan Hames

Leads public policy teams at Transparency International UK. Former MP (2010-2015) and parliamentary aide to Deputy Prime Minister. Completed master's degree in conflict, security and development. Joined board December 2023.

Esmat Jeraj

Interim Executive Director of The Guardian Foundation. Extensive nonprofit sector experience focused on justice, equity, and civic engagement. Appointed October 2025.

Jess Garland, PhD

Director of Policy and Research at Electoral Reform Society. Former senior political adviser with expertise in electoral systems and political participation. Joined board March 2021.

Ben Whittaker

Trustee (biographical information not yet published).

Board Diversity Statistics

  • Female: 37.5%
  • Disability: 37.5%
  • Age 35-44: 50%
  • White British: 62.5%

The trust is committed to transparency and improving Board diversity through regular audits.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: JRSST-CT operates an invitation-only grants program. Unsolicited applications are not accepted.

Applications are extended by invitation only, by agreement of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board. Organizations cannot apply directly but may come to the trust's attention through:

  • The trustees' networks and sector knowledge
  • Recommendations from peer organizations
  • Public profile of work in the democracy and civic engagement space

Decision Timeline

Grants are awarded twice a year, though specific decision dates (e.g., which months) are not publicly specified. Based on recent grant award dates, decisions appear to be made approximately in:

  • Spring cycle (March/April)
  • Autumn cycle (September)

Success Rates

Success rate data is not publicly available due to the invitation-only nature of the grants program. Between January 2015 and March 2025, the trust awarded 62 grants totaling £1,426,545.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to the invitation-only application process. Organizations that have been funded previously may be considered for further funding at the trustees' discretion.

Application Success Factors

Recent Projects Funded

Examples of successful grants demonstrate the trust's priorities:

  • Shout Out UK - UK Democracy Dialogue Project (£10,000, 4 months): Stakeholder consultations bringing together academia, government, and civil society to elevate political and media literacy
  • Jo Cox Foundation - Jo Cox Civility Commission (£27,672, 9 months): Addressing abuse and intimidation of elected representatives
  • Campaign for Freedom of Information Scotland (£29,480, 18 months): Campaign supporting reform of FOI legislation
  • Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, University of York (£21,235): Survey experiments examining public reactions to threats against political candidates
  • Spotlight on Corruption (£34,896, 1 year): Pushing for reforms to UK's political integrity framework
  • Fawcett Society (£36,495, 1 year): Building coalition of MPs to make Parliament more modern and inclusive
  • mySociety (£31,114, 6 months): Making MPs' financial interests publicly accessible for transparency campaigns

What the Trust Values

Based on funded projects, JRSST-CT particularly values:

  1. Evidence-based approaches - Research, data analysis, and survey work that builds understanding
  2. Practical reform initiatives - Campaigns and projects with clear change objectives
  3. Collaboration and convening - Bringing together diverse stakeholders (academia, government, civil society)
  4. Transparency and accountability - Projects that shine light on political processes and integrity
  5. Innovation in democratic participation - New approaches to engaging citizens in democracy
  6. Inclusivity - Work addressing barriers to democratic participation for marginalized groups

Key Success Indicators

  • Clear connection to UK democracy, citizenship, or political participation
  • Tangible change objectives rather than awareness-raising alone
  • Time-limited projects with specific deliverables (typically 6-18 months)
  • Strong track record and organizational credibility in the democracy space
  • Evidence of collaboration or coalition-building
  • Alignment with current political and democratic challenges

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. You cannot apply directly - JRSST-CT is invitation-only. Focus on building your organization's profile and credibility in the democracy and civic engagement space to potentially come to trustees' attention.
  1. Focus on change-making, not education alone - The trust explicitly prioritizes “initiatives, campaigns and research that achieve change” over general education or information provision.
  1. Think UK-wide and timely - Projects should address current UK democratic challenges with evidence-based solutions and clear reform objectives.
  1. Bridge different sectors - Successful projects often bring together academia, government, civil society, and campaigners.
  1. Grants are modest but flexible - Most grants fall between £10,000-£35,000 for 6-18 months, supporting specific project costs rather than general operations.
  1. Transparency is valued - The trust publishes all grants to 360Giving standard and values transparency-focused projects.
  1. Strategic funding period ahead - With the trust spending down its endowment over 10 years starting 2025, there may be increased grant-making activity ahead, though still invitation-only.

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References