The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £283,585 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Discretionary
• Geographic Focus: Primarily Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, and London, with a particular focus on small, local charities in Oxfordshire

Contact Details

• Address: The Estate Office, Buscot Park, Faringdon, SN7 8BU
• Phone: 01367 240786
• Email: estbuscot@aol.com
• Website: None identified

Overview

The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust was registered with the Charity Commission on 24 January 2001 (charity number 1084690). The trust operates from the historic Buscot Park estate in Oxfordshire and has close connections to the Faringdon family and the Faringdon Collection. With an annual expenditure of approximately £283,585 (2024), the trust supports a broad range of charitable causes across its operational regions. The trust's scheme grants trustees considerable flexibility, providing them powers to apply income to any UK registered charity or charitable purpose. The trust has historically supported local community projects, museums and collections, education, healthcare, the arts and sciences, and relief for those in need. The trust maintains low administrative overhead with four trustees and no paid staff.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust operates a discretionary grant-making program without fixed grant amounts or formal application deadlines. The trust particularly focuses on supporting small, local charities in Oxfordshire for general charitable purposes.

Priority Areas

The trust's charitable objectives encompass a wide range of purposes:

• Education: Advancing education for persons in need, including scholarships
• Museums and Collections: Supporting public museums, public collections, and the maintenance and improvement of the Faringdon Collection
• Arts, Culture, and Science: Development and assistance of arts, sciences, physical recreation, and drama
• Healthcare: Hospitals, medical treatment provision, and relief for persons who are sick, convalescent, disabled, or infirm
• Care for the Elderly: Care and assistance of aged persons
• Poverty Relief: Relief for persons in need, hardship, or distress
• Research: Research into matters of public interest
• Environmental and Heritage Conservation: General support for conservation efforts
• Amateur Sport: Supporting recreational and sporting activities

What They Don't Fund

No specific exclusions are publicly documented, though the trust's scheme limits grants to UK registered charities or charitable purposes.

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Governance and Leadership

The trust is governed by four trustees who receive no remuneration for their services. While specific trustee names are not publicly disclosed in readily available sources, the trust operates from Buscot Park, which has been the family seat of the Barons Faringdon.

Connection to the Faringdon Family: The current Lord Faringdon is Charles Michael Henderson, 3rd Baron Faringdon, KCVO (born 1937), who succeeded to the title in 1977. He has a distinguished background as a stockbroker with Cazenove and served as chairman of Witan Investment Trust plc for twenty-three years. Lord Faringdon and his family live at and manage Buscot Park on behalf of the National Trust, which owns the estate. The contents of Buscot Park, including works by Rembrandt and Burne-Jones, are held by the separate Faringdon Collection Trust.

The estate office contact, Mrs S Lander, can be reached at the provided email address.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust does not appear to have a formal public application process with online portals, application forms, or published guidelines. Based on available information, grants are awarded at the trustees' discretion.

Organizations interested in support should contact the trust directly by:

• Writing to the estate office at the address provided
• Emailing estbuscot@aol.com
• Calling 01367 240786

Written applications should clearly outline:

• Your organization's charitable purpose and registration details
• The specific project or need requiring funding
• How your work aligns with the trust's charitable objectives
• The amount of funding requested
• Your organization's connection to the trust's geographic areas of interest

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. The trust's annual accounts are filed in October, suggesting trustees meet periodically to review the trust's affairs, though meeting frequency is not specified.

Success Rates

Application numbers and success rates are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

No specific information is available about reapplication policies or restrictions for unsuccessful applicants.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information about the trust's grant-making process, the following factors appear important based on available evidence:

Geographic Alignment: The trust has demonstrated a commitment to local charities, particularly in Oxfordshire. The trust's known grant to The Place, a Faringdon community organization supporting families with children under 5, demonstrates support for local community projects. Organizations with strong local connections to the trust's geographic areas of interest (especially Oxfordshire and the Faringdon area) may be well-positioned.

Alignment with Charitable Objectives: The trust's broad scheme encompasses education, healthcare, arts and culture, museums, care for the elderly, poverty relief, and environmental conservation. Applications that clearly demonstrate alignment with one or more of these objectives are essential.

Support for Small, Local Charities: Documentation specifically notes the trust's interest in “small, local charities in Oxfordshire for general charitable purposes,” suggesting smaller organizations with strong community roots may be particularly welcome.

Quality of Application: Given the absence of formal application forms, organizations should ensure their written applications are clear, concise, and compelling, with specific details about the project's charitable impact.

Relationship Building: As a private discretionary trust without a public application process, organizations may benefit from establishing contact with the estate office to understand whether their project aligns with current priorities before submitting a formal request.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Discretionary Trust: This is a private trust with discretionary grant-making—there is no guaranteed process or timeline, so patience and persistence may be required.
• Local Focus: The trust shows particular interest in small, local Oxfordshire charities, making geographic proximity a potential advantage.
• Broad Charitable Scope: The trust's wide-ranging objectives mean many types of charitable work could be eligible—from education to healthcare to arts and culture.
• Personal Contact: With no formal application portal, direct communication with the estate office via email or telephone is the appropriate first step.
• Historic Estate Context: Understanding the trust's connection to Buscot Park and the Faringdon family's legacy of supporting museums, collections, and the arts may provide useful context.
• Flexibility: The trust's scheme allows considerable flexibility to trustees, meaning they can respond to emerging needs and opportunities—organizations should clearly articulate why their work deserves support now.
• Evidence of Local Impact: Given the trust's support for The Place in Faringdon, demonstrating measurable community impact may strengthen applications.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• THE HOSPITAL SATURDAY FUND
• MOTABILITY Foundation
• THE CALLEVA FOUNDATION
• Denise Coates Foundation
• The Mohn Westlake Foundation
• Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
• THE SCREWFIX FOUNDATION
• Broome Family Charitable Trust
• OGLESBY CHARITABLE TRUST
• Z V M Rangoonwala Foundation
• John James Bristol Foundation
• P F Charitable Trust
• The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
• E B M Charitable Trust
• The Clore Duffield Foundation
• THE CADOGAN CHARITY
• THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUST
• THE HEALTH FOUNDATION
• The Arts Council of England
• National Lottery

References

• The Charity Commission Register of Charities: The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust (1084690). Retrieved from: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1084690&subId=0
• Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA): Trusts with an Interest in Oxfordshire. Retrieved from: https://ocva.org.uk/trusts-with-an-interest-in-oxfordshire/
• The Place Faringdon: About. Retrieved from: https://www.theplace-faringdon.org/about
• Buscot Park Official Website: Owners of the Buscot Park Estate. Retrieved from: https://buscot-park.com/history/owners-of-buscot-estate
• OpenCharities: The Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust. Retrieved from: http://opencharities.org/charities/1084690