The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Registered Charity Number: 284782
• Annual Income: £698,819 (2022)
• Annual Grant Giving: Approximately £75,000
• Total Assets: £6.2 million
• Decision Time: At trustee discretion (no fixed timeline)
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (discretionary)
• Geographic Focus: Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk (East Anglia)

Contact Details

Address:

Birketts LLP

Providence House

141-145 Princes Street

Ipswich, Suffolk

IP1 1QJ

Phone: 01473 232300

Website: None

Email: Not publicly available

Note: The trust is administered by Birketts LLP, a full-service law firm with specialist charities and trust administration teams.

Overview

The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust was established on 26 May 1982 following a trust deed dated 11 March 1982. With substantial assets exceeding £6.2 million and an annual income of approximately £699,000, this is a well-resourced discretionary charitable trust operating across the East Anglia region. The trust makes donations and grants to other charities and sponsors research programmes entirely at the trustees' discretion, with no formal application process or published criteria.

The trust's governing document gives the trustees “uncontrolled discretion” to determine which charitable trusts and purposes to support. In 2022, the trust distributed approximately £75,000 in charitable activities from its annual expenditure of £111,210. The trust operates with low overheads, spending just £28,067 on fundraising costs and maintaining substantial reserves equivalent to over 670 months of spending, indicating a sustainable long-term funding model primarily based on investment income (£152,709 in 2022) and donations (£523,990 in 2022).

The trust is professionally managed through Birketts LLP, a respected regional law firm in Ipswich, and operates with a board of four trustees who receive no remuneration for their service.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate formal grant programs with published criteria or funding amounts. All grants are made at the complete discretion of the trustees based on their assessment of charitable need and strategic priorities within the trust's broad charitable remit.

Grant-Making Approach:

• Discretionary awards determined by trustees
• No fixed grant ranges or tiers
• No published deadlines or funding rounds
• Grants made on a case-by-case basis

Priority Areas

The trust has a broad charitable remit covering multiple sectors:

• Health and Medical Research: Advancement of health, saving lives, and sponsoring medical research programmes
• Social Welfare: Support for elderly people, people with disabilities, and children and young people
• Animal Welfare: Supporting animal-related charitable causes
• Environmental Conservation and Heritage: Protecting natural environments and preserving heritage
• Capacity Building: Making grants to other charities and voluntary organizations

Known Beneficiaries:

• Suffolk Archives Foundation
• Sailors' Children's Society (supporting children of seafarers)
• Thalatta (educational adventure voyages)

Geographic Focus

The trust operates locally within Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk - the three counties of East Anglia. Organizations outside this geographic area are unlikely to receive funding.

What They Don't Fund

The trust's exclusions are not explicitly published, but as a discretionary trust operating at the trustees' complete discretion:

• Organizations outside Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk
• Projects that do not align with the trustees' current charitable priorities
• Applications submitted without prior trustee knowledge or invitation

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The trust is governed by four trustees who serve without remuneration:

• Mr Sam Wilson DL (Deputy Lieutenant designation indicates significant public service and standing in the community)
• Martyn Ralph Carr
• Marycita Jane Wilson
• Sara Anne Carr

The trust structure includes both established trustees and newer appointments (2021), suggesting succession planning and continuity. The family connection between trustees (Wilson and Carr families) indicates this may be a family foundation with multi-generational commitment to philanthropy in East Anglia.

Administration

The trust is professionally administered by Birketts LLP, a well-regarded full-service law firm based in Ipswich. Birketts has specialist teams in charity law and trust administration, with the Ipswich office home to practice head Liz Brownsell, senior associate Jennifer Marley, and legal director Louisa Saunders. The firm is known for providing “City quality at regional prices” and counts national charities such as Amnesty International and National Children's Bureau among its clients.

Governance Standards

• No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity
• No employees earning over £60,000
• No trading subsidiaries
• Does not raise funds from the public
• Professional administration through experienced solicitors

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust operates as a discretionary trust where grants are awarded entirely at the trustees' discretion. The trust's governing document explicitly states that trustees have “uncontrolled discretion” to determine which charitable trusts and purposes to support.

This means:

• There is no application form or portal
• No published guidelines or criteria
• No open calls for applications
• No fixed deadlines or funding rounds

Grants appear to be made to organizations that are already known to the trustees or come to their attention through their networks in the East Anglia charitable sector.

Getting on Their Radar

While there is no formal application process, organizations working in the trust's geographic area (Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk) in their priority sectors might consider:

Building Visibility in the East Anglia Charitable Sector:

The trust has supported well-established regional organizations with strong reputations such as Suffolk Archives Foundation and maritime/heritage organizations like Thalatta. Organizations with a solid track record and visible impact in the region are more likely to be considered.

Professional Approach Through Legal Channels:

Since the trust is administered by Birketts LLP's charities team, organizations might consider a brief, professional letter of introduction sent to the trustees via Birketts LLP at their Ipswich address. Such correspondence should:

• Be concise and professionally written
• Clearly demonstrate work within Essex, Norfolk, or Suffolk
• Align with the trust's known priority areas
• Highlight organizational credibility and impact
• Not request a specific amount (trustees determine this)
• Express interest in the trust's awareness of your work rather than making an explicit “ask”

Connections Through Trustees:

Understanding the trustees' backgrounds and connections in the region may help. Mr Sam Wilson DL's Deputy Lieutenant designation suggests significant involvement in Suffolk civic life. Organizations already connected to other charities or institutions where trustees may serve could benefit from those networks.

Decision Timeline

There is no published decision timeline. As a discretionary trust, decisions are made at trustee meetings according to their schedule, which is not publicly disclosed.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the trust does not accept open applications, so success rate data is not available.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - there is no formal application or reapplication process.

Application Success Factors

While there is no formal application process, organizations that have successfully received funding from The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust appear to share certain characteristics:

Geographic Alignment:

All known beneficiaries operate within or serve the East Anglia region (Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk). Geographic alignment appears to be a fundamental requirement.

Established Credibility:

Known beneficiaries like Suffolk Archives Foundation and Sailors' Children's Society are well-established organizations with strong reputations. The trust appears to favor organizations with proven track records over newer initiatives.

Alignment with Multiple Priority Areas:

Successful organizations often work across several of the trust's interest areas. For example, Thalatta combines youth development, maritime heritage, and educational outcomes - touching on children/young people, heritage, and social welfare.

Professional Governance:

Organizations likely to receive funding demonstrate strong governance, proper charitable structures, and professional operations - standards the trust itself maintains through its administration by Birketts LLP.

Regional Network Connections:

The trust's beneficiaries tend to be organizations embedded in the East Anglia charitable infrastructure, suggesting that visibility and reputation within regional networks matters.

Discretionary Trust Considerations:

As the trust's governing document emphasizes the trustees' “uncontrolled discretion,” funding decisions ultimately reflect the trustees' personal knowledge, interests, and assessment of charitable impact. Organizations that naturally come to the trustees' attention through their involvement in the region's civic and charitable life have the advantage.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Public Application Process: This trust does not accept unsolicited applications through any formal process. Traditional grant-seeking strategies will not work here.

• Discretionary Decision-Making: The trustees have complete discretion over all funding decisions. This is not a trust bound by published criteria or obligated to respond to inquiries.

• Geographic Limitation is Strict: Only organizations operating in Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk should consider this trust. This appears to be a non-negotiable requirement.

• Relationship-Based Funding: Success depends on being known to the trustees or coming to their attention through regional networks rather than through a written application.

• Well-Resourced for the Long Term: With £6.2 million in assets and sustainable income, the trust has significant capacity, but grants remain modest (approximately £75,000 annually in total giving), suggesting selective rather than broad-based grant-making.

• Professional Administration Matters: The trust's use of a respected law firm for administration indicates it values professional standards. Organizations approaching this funder should maintain equally high standards in any correspondence.

• Build Regional Visibility First: Rather than seeking funding directly, organizations should focus on building strong reputations in the East Anglia charitable sector, where trustees are likely to notice impactful work.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• The Elizabeth and Prince Zaiger Trust
• The Chalk Cliff Trust
• THE BRIDGE TRUST
• National Highways
• The Orr Mackintosh Foundation Limited
• The Swire Charitable Trust
• The Constance Travis Charitable Trust
• THE MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION
• THE CADOGAN CHARITY
• PROJECT GIVING BACK
• The Rank Foundation Limited
• Stelios Philanthropic Foundation
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust
• THE PRUDENCE TRUST
• MOONDANCE FOUNDATION
• NPT Transatlantic Limited
• The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation
• THE HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST
• National Lottery
• Environment Agency

References

• Charity Commission Register of Charities, The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust (Charity Number 284782), accessed 27 January 2026: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/284782

• OpenCharities, The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust profile, accessed 27 January 2026: http://opencharities.org/charities/284782

• Suffolk Archives Foundation, Our Supporters page, accessed 27 January 2026: https://www.suffolkarchivesfoundation.org.uk/?page_id=380

• Sailors' Children's Society, Funders page, accessed 27 January 2026: https://sailorschildren.org.uk/about/funders/

• Thalatta, Our Sponsors page, accessed 27 January 2026: https://thalatta.org.uk/educational-adventure-voyages/support-us/our-sponsors/

• Birketts LLP, Law Society profile showing charities practice, accessed 27 January 2026: https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/office/459911/birketts-llp

• Charity Commission financial data for year ending December 2022, showing income of £698,819 and expenditure of £111,210