The Linbury Trust

Charity Number: 287077

Annual Expenditure: £9.9M
Throughout England And Wales

Contact Info

Website: www.linburytrust.org.uk

Phone: 020 7410 0330

Email: info@sfct.org.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £15.1 million (across 141 grants from June 2023 to July 2025)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only process)
  • Decision Time: 4-5 trustee meetings per year; up to 16 weeks for delegated programmes
  • Grant Range: £2,730 - £600,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily UK, occasional overseas emergency relief

Contact Details

Website: www.linburytrust.org.uk

Email: info@sfct.org.uk

Phone: 020 7410 0330

Important Note: The Linbury Trust does not accept unsolicited enquiries or applications. They proactively identify and invite organizations to apply.

Overview

The Linbury Trust is a UK-based grant-making foundation established in 1973 by Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG and his wife Anya, Lady Sainsbury CBE (the former ballerina Anya Linden). As part of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts network, the Trust has awarded over £100 million in grants since its inception. With an income of approximately £8 million (2024), the Trust focuses on public engagement with culture and supporting disadvantaged communities. The Trust operates with a small dedicated staff team and is committed to transparency, publishing grant data through 360Giving since June 2023. The Trust is a signatory to the Funder Commitment on Climate Change and prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion in its grant-making approach.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Direct Grants (Invitation-Only): £2,730 - £600,000

The Trust proactively identifies organizations through partnership work and research, then invites applications. Grants can support core costs, specific projects, and occasionally capital schemes. Most grants range from several thousand pounds to £300,000, with multi-year awards common.

Small Grants Programme (via Theatres Trust): Up to £7,500

This delegated programme has rolling deadlines and supports not-for-profit theatres across the UK for essential works. The Linbury Trust committed £450,000 to continue this programme until 2028.

Priority Areas

Culture and Arts:

  • Public engagement with arts, dance, museums, and heritage
  • Projects with measurable benefits including improved wellbeing and life opportunities
  • Dance programmes (reflecting founder Anya Linden's ballet background)
  • Community music education
  • Theatre resilience and sustainability

Social Welfare:

  • Homelessness initiatives (including Museum of Homelessness)
  • Refugee and asylum seeker support (including professional qualification accreditation)
  • Older people experiencing isolation and complex health needs
  • Projects improving choices for people experiencing disadvantage and inequality

Environmental Initiatives:

  • Climate-related projects
  • Energy efficiency for cultural organizations

What They Don't Fund

  • Substantive building or capital projects (rarely funded)
  • Performance-only arts activities (without broader community engagement)
  • Unsolicited applications from organizations not proactively identified by the Trust

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Mark Sainsbury (Chair)
  • Lady Anya Sainsbury (Co-founder)
  • Sarah Butler-Sloss
  • Julian Sainsbury
  • Richard Butler Adams
  • James Barnard
  • Emily Stubbs
  • Laura Marshall

All trustees serve without remuneration, payments, or benefits.

Staff

Stuart Hobley, Director - With almost 20 years' experience in grant-making and the not-for-profit sector, including philanthropic giving, social finance, and lottery grants. He was appointed to the National Lottery Community Fund Board in 2022.

Leadership Perspective

Stuart Hobley on the Trust's approach to small grants: "These small grants have proven time and again to have a big impact for local theatres, and the people they serve. We're pleased to continue supporting Theatres Trust, and their deep care for the sector, together improving the resilience and sustainability of theatres we know and love."

On community businesses: "From village shops to farmer's markets, community-owned businesses are central to rural life, supporting both local economies and local people. This funding will help Plunkett UK help community businesses to grow and thrive."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Direct Applications: The Linbury Trust does NOT accept unsolicited applications. The Trust states: “We aim to be more conversational than transactional and we invite applications for projects we are interested in supporting.” Organizations cannot submit open applications—they must wait to be invited based on the Trust's partnership work and research.

Small Grants Programme (Theatres Trust): This delegated programme has fixed deadlines throughout the year and accepts applications via the Theatres Trust website.

Alternative Resources: The Trust provides information on other funding sources on their website, recognizing that organizations seeking funding may need to explore other options.

Decision Timeline

  • Trustees meet 4-5 times per year to make final funding decisions
  • For the Small Grants Programme, decisions take up to 16 weeks after the deadline
  • The Trust aims for a conversational approach, suggesting dialogue may occur before formal trustee decisions

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. Given the invitation-only model, organizations invited to apply likely have higher success rates than traditional open grant programmes. The Trust has awarded 141 grants totaling £15.1 million from June 2023 to July 2025 (based on published 360Giving data).

Reapplication Policy

No public information available. The invitation-only model means reapplication processes differ from standard open programmes.

Application Success Factors

Key Alignment Factors

Mission Alignment: Organizations must demonstrate clear alignment with the Trust's priority areas—cultural engagement with community benefits, or work supporting disadvantaged groups.

Impact Focus: The Trust emphasizes projects with measurable benefits such as improved wellbeing, life opportunities, and reduced isolation. Projects should articulate clear outcomes.

Operational Approach: The Trust values being “more conversational than transactional,” suggesting they prefer building relationships rather than transactional grant-giving.

Recent Grant Examples

  • Create Arts: £150,000 over three years (2024) to expand arts-led programmes in North West England
  • National Youth Ballet: £90,000 over three years (2024) towards core running costs
  • English National Opera: £210,000 over three years (2024) for their Breathe programme
  • World Heart Beat Music Academy: £120,000 over three years (2024) for community music education
  • RefuAid: Ongoing support for refugee professional qualification accreditation programmes
  • Museum of Homelessness: Funding to establish London site and develop public programmes
  • Horatio's Garden: Activities at spinal injury unit garden in Shropshire
  • English National Ballet: Dance programmes supporting people with Parkinson's disease

Terminology and Language

The Trust uses language emphasizing:

  • “Public engagement” rather than just arts participation
  • “Improved wellbeing and life opportunity” as outcomes
  • “Disadvantage and inequality” when describing beneficiaries
  • “Conversational” and relationship-based approach
  • “Resilience and sustainability” for organizational support

Strategic Positioning

Organizations are more likely to attract the Trust's attention by:

  • Demonstrating innovation in cultural engagement with hard-to-reach communities
  • Operating at the intersection of culture and social welfare
  • Publishing impact data that the Trust can discover through research
  • Building sector partnerships that may connect to the Trust's network
  • Showing sustainability plans beyond single-project funding

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • You cannot apply directly - The Trust uses an invitation-only model based on their own research and partnerships. Focus on raising your organization's profile through sector networks, publications, and demonstrating impact.
  • Multi-year core funding is possible - Recent grants show the Trust is willing to provide substantial multi-year support (£90,000-£210,000 over three years) including for core costs, not just projects.
  • Cultural engagement plus social impact wins - Projects combining cultural/arts activities with clear social benefits (wellbeing, inclusion, opportunity) align perfectly with the Trust's dual focus.
  • Think beyond London - While the Trust supports national and international work, recent grants to North West England expansion and regional theatre support show geographic spread.
  • Transparency matters - As a 360Giving publisher committed to open data, the Trust values organizations that are similarly transparent about their work and impact.
  • Relationship-building is key - The Trust explicitly rejects transactional approaches. If you're invited to apply, expect dialogue and conversation rather than a rigid form-filling process.
  • For theatres, use the delegated programme - Small theatres should apply through the Theatres Trust Small Grants Programme (up to £7,500) rather than waiting for direct invitation.

Similar Funders

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References