The Prudence Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £8,054,055 (2022)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Approximately 3 months from initial application to award
• Grant Range: £10,000 - £500,000 (varies by program)
• Usual Grant Range: £30,000 - £300,000 per year
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Contact Details

Website: www.theprudencetrust.org

Email: info@theprudencetrust.org | grants@theprudencetrust.org

Phone: 020 7566 2183

Overview

The Prudence Trust is a grant-making charity established in 2020 by founder Prue MacLeod, investing in the advancement of young people's mental health services and research in the UK. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded 135 grants to 88 recipients, totaling £24,657,141 between June 2020 and November 2024. With total charitable expenditure of £8,054,055 in 2022, the Trust focuses on young people aged 11-25 (some programs 10-30) from disadvantaged groups. The Trust operates with a strategic approach across three key areas: prevention, improved support, and understanding what works. The organization is committed to transparency, working with the 360Giving Initiative to publish all grant data under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licensing.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

What's Working? Strength in Data (2025)

• £1 million total budget for 5-6 grants
• Grant range: £10,000 to £300,000 (requests over £300,000 less likely)
• Up to three years funding
• Focus: Building monitoring and evaluation capacity for organizations delivering youth mental health support
• Application method: Two-stage application process with fixed deadlines

Early Support Hubs (2024 - now closed)

• £2 million total budget
• Grant range: £200,000 - £500,000
• Up to 24 months funding
• Focus: Drop-in mental health hubs for young people aged 11-25

General Youth Mental Health Grants

• Usual range: £30,000 - £300,000 per year
• Typical term: 1-3 years
• Application method: Rolling basis with specific program deadlines

Research Fellowships

• Awarded to universities (Bristol, Oxford, UCL, King's College London)
• Supporting early-career mental health researchers
• Variable amounts based on research scope

Priority Areas

1. Prevention

• Building resilience in young people to cope with life's challenges
• Access to protective mental health activities
• Awareness campaigns and help-seeking support

2. Improved Support

• Personalized mental health support for depression and anxiety
• Creative, nature-based, and arts-focused wellbeing programs
• Extra-curricular activities supporting self-esteem and wellbeing (in and out of school)
• Social prescribing initiatives
• Early intervention services

3. Understanding What Works

• Research on preventing mental illness among young people
• Evidence-building on non-pharmaceutical interventions effectiveness
• Early intervention research
• Building a community of talented researchers in youth mental health
• Data and evaluation capacity building

What They Don't Fund

• Service delivery costs (for capacity-building programs)
• Retrospective funding
• Grants exceeding 20% of applicant's annual income (for specific programs)
• Projects outside the UK
• Organizations not registered as UK charities or CICs

Ready to write a winning application for The Prudence 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

Trustees

• Prue MacLeod: Founder & Trustee Director
• Guy Elliott: Chair & Trustee Director
• Peter Bennett-Jones CBE: Trustee Director (entertainment business professional, former Chair of Comic Relief/Sport Relief and Save the Children UK)
• Beatrice Hollond: Trustee Director (Current Chairman of Venice in Peril)
• Peter Fonagy CBE FMedSci: Trustee Director
• Clem Macleod: Trustee

Senior Staff

• Tara Leathers: Director (previously Deputy Chief Executive of The Prince's Trust, Development Director for India at Human Rights Watch, former Trustee of Young Women's Trust)
• Sarah Denselow: Head of Grants
• Clare Killeen: Senior Grants Manager
• Karis Eaglestone: Head of Sector Engagement

Key Quote from Leadership

“The long-term health of the population is inextricably bound up with understanding and improving the mental health of young people.” - Wol Kolade, Mental Health Advisory Panel Member

“The wellbeing of our young people is one of the most pressing societal challenges of our time. To meet that challenge we need to fundamentally rethink our approach to research.” - Eamon McCrory, Mental Health Advisory Panel

“We would like our funding to make a real-life difference to young people with mental health conditions.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Application Process

Stage 1: Expression of Interest

• Online submission via the Trust's website
• Shorter form to assess basic fit with funding priorities
• Current program deadline: March 3, 2025 at 4pm

Stage 2: Full Application

• Only invited applicants proceed to this stage
• Invitations sent by late March
• Detailed application form
• Current program deadline: May 6, 2025 at 4pm

Information Webinars

The Trust offers information webinars for upcoming funding opportunities to help potential applicants understand requirements and priorities.

Decision Timeline

Typical Timeline (based on 2025 program)

• Stage 1 submission deadline: Early March
• Stage 1 decisions: Late March (approximately 3-4 weeks)
• Stage 2 submission deadline: Early May (6-8 weeks after Stage 1)
• Final decisions: Mid-June (5-6 weeks after Stage 2)
• Total process: Approximately 3 months from initial application to award

After Approval

• Grant Agreement letter sent detailing purpose, amount, funding period, and conditions
• First payment made after signed declaration and bank details confirmed
• First year payment typically made near start of grant period
• Subsequent payments made every other month

Notification Methods

• Direct email communication
• Final decisions made by board of trustees

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly disclosed. However, the Trust has awarded 135 grants to 88 recipients since 2020, indicating that many successful organizations receive multiple grants over time. For the current “Strength in Data” program, the Trust expects to award 5-6 grants from a £1 million budget.

Reapplication Policy

The Trust does not publicly disclose a specific reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants. Organizations are encouraged to contact grants@theprudencetrust.org for guidance on reapplying.

Application Success Factors

Key Selection Priorities (from What's Working 2025 program)

• Clear proposal with demonstrable impact potential
• Culture of data curiosity and evidence-based practice
• Ability to transform data into organizational improvements
• Commitment to sharing best practices and learning with the sector

Organizations They've Successfully Funded

• The Prince's Trust: Large-scale youth empowerment and mental health support
• OnSide Youth Zones: State-of-the-art youth centers providing safe spaces
• Student Minds: University mental health support across all four UK nations
• Place2Be: School-based mental health services and Children's Mental Health Week
• Young Minds: Youth mental health advocacy and support
• Groundwork London: Nature-based wellbeing programs in South London
• Comics Youth: Creative programs in Merseyside and Wirral
• Ebony Horse Club: South London community support through equine activities
• Research fellowships: University of Bristol, Oxford, UCL, King's College London

What Stands Out in Successful Applications

1. Clear focus on young people aged 10-30 with mental health needs, especially depression and anxiety
2. Evidence-based approaches or commitment to building evidence
3. Innovative methods using creativity, nature, arts, or social prescribing
4. Serving disadvantaged communities with demonstrated need
5. Strong evaluation framework or willingness to develop one
6. Potential for learning that can benefit the wider sector
7. Integration with local systems (healthcare, voluntary sector)

Language and Terminology They Use

• Prevention, early intervention, resilience-building
• Protective factors, social prescribing, non-pharmaceutical interventions
• Disadvantaged groups, personalized support
• Evidence-based, monitoring and evaluation, impact
• Mental health and wellbeing (holistic approach)

Trust's Philosophy (Key Quote)

“We value openness and want to hear about problems as well as successes.” - This indicates they prefer honest, realistic applications over overly optimistic proposals.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Focus on disadvantaged youth: Applications must clearly demonstrate how they reach young people aged 10-30 from disadvantaged backgrounds with mental health needs, particularly depression and anxiety.

• Evidence is critical: Whether building new evidence through research or demonstrating existing evidence-based practice, the Trust prioritizes data-driven approaches and organizations committed to rigorous evaluation.

• Innovation within three pillars: Frame your project within prevention, improved support, or understanding what works—successful applicants often address multiple pillars simultaneously.

• Organizational readiness matters: Ensure your organization meets income thresholds (£250,000+ for most programs), has published accounts, and demonstrates financial stability—the Trust won't fund more than 20% of your annual income in some programs.

• Embrace transparency: The Trust values openness about challenges and is committed to learning. Applications that honestly address risks and demonstrate adaptive capacity are likely to resonate more than perfect-scenario proposals.

• Think beyond your organization: Applications that demonstrate potential for wider sector learning, integration with local systems, and commitment to sharing best practices align with the Trust's systemic approach to improving youth mental health.

• Plan for the long game: With typical grant terms of 1-3 years and evidence that many grantees receive multiple grants, focus on building a relationship with the Trust through excellent delivery and reporting rather than viewing applications as one-off opportunities.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
• THE BRIDGE TRUST
• The Rank Foundation Limited
• The Waterloo Foundation
• The London Community Foundation
• The Clothworkers' Foundation
• PROJECT GIVING BACK
• The Leathersellers' Foundation
• The National Churches Trust
• THE CADOGAN CHARITY
• MOONDANCE FOUNDATION
• Alan Boswell Group Charitable Trust
• The Wolfson Foundation
• National Lottery
• THE STONE FAMILY FOUNDATION
• THE CONSTANCE TRAVIS CHARITABLE TRUST
• THE LORD MAYOR'S APPEAL
• ARDONAGH COMMUNITY TRUST
• THE ANTHONY AND ELIZABETH MELLOWS CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT
• THE OAKDALE TRUST

References

1. The Prudence Trust official website. https://theprudencetrust.org/
2. The Prudence Trust - Funding Priorities. https://theprudencetrust.org/what-we-fund/
3. The Prudence Trust - Our People. https://theprudencetrust.org/who-we-are/our-people/
4. The Prudence Trust - Our Work So Far. https://theprudencetrust.org/what-we-fund/our-work-so-far/
5. The Prudence Trust - Information for Grantees. https://theprudencetrust.org/what-we-fund/information-for-grantees/
6. The Prudence Trust - What's Working 2025: Strength in Data. https://theprudencetrust.org/what-we-fund/whats-working-2025-strength-in-data/
7. The Prudence Trust - Early Support Hubs. https://theprudencetrust.org/what-we-fund/early-support-hubs/
8. Charity Commission Register - THE PRUDENCE TRUST (1187700). https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1187700
9. 360Giving GrantNav - Prudence Trust. https://grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/org/GB-CHC-1187700
10. Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum - The Prudence Trust Grant Programme. https://cornwallvsf.org/supporting/funding/the-prudence-trust-whats-working-for-young-peoples-mental-health-grant-programme/