The Rayne Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £2,000,000+
• Success Rate: ~8% (approximately 50 grants from 650+ applications annually)
• Decision Time: 3-4 months (recommend allowing 6 months)
• Grant Range: £10,000 - £250,000 (standard grants £10,000-£30,000; Where People Meet £60,000-£250,000)
• Geographic Focus: UK-wide (plus separate Israel programme via The Rayne Trust)

Contact Details

Address: 3 Bromley Place, London W1T 6DB

Website: https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk

Email: info@raynefoundation.org.uk

Phone: 020 7487 9657

Overview

Founded in 1962 by Lord Max Rayne, a prominent property developer and philanthropist, The Rayne Foundation has evolved from supporting medical research and cultural institutions to focusing on strategic, collaborative grantmaking that promotes positive social change. The Foundation makes approximately 50 grants annually totalling just over £2 million, prioritizing innovative approaches to some of society's most challenging issues. With charitable assets and a distinguished history spanning over 60 years, the Foundation emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and rigor in its grantmaking. In 1965, Lord Rayne also established The Rayne Trust, which focuses on increasing coexistence and reducing conflict in Israel. The Foundation is currently led by Director Crispin Truman OBE, who joined in 2022, bringing 25 years of charity leadership experience.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Standard UK Grants (Rolling basis)

• £10,000 - £30,000 per year for up to three years
• Average grant: £15,000
• Typical support: project and salary costs
• Application method: Online Expression of Interest (EOI), then full application if invited

Where People Meet Grant Programme (Pilot programme)

• £60,000 - £250,000
• Total programme fund: £2 million
• Focus: Community-led centres in disadvantaged areas
• Application method: Specific application windows for this pilot

Priority Areas

1. Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Early childhood (0-5 years)
• Care-experienced children and young people
• Creative and innovative approaches to mental health support
• Therapeutic interventions outside traditional settings
• Examples: Arts and wellbeing programmes, shared reading programmes, Shared Lives models for care leavers

2. Refugees and Asylum Seekers

• Employment and employability opportunities
• Mental health support, particularly for torture survivors
• Arts-based community building
• Educational wellbeing projects addressing barriers to education

3. People in Later Life and Their Carers

• Collaborative, place-based approaches
• Increasing agency and voice of older people
• Music in dementia care
• Better careers and working conditions in adult social care
• Innovative care delivery models

4. Community Centres and Community-Led Regeneration

• Holistic community centres in disadvantaged areas
• Spaces that enable connected, healthy lives
• Community ownership and leadership models

What They Don't Fund

• Individuals
• Organizations working or based outside the UK (except Israel programme)
• One-off events (performances, festivals, conferences, holidays, respite breaks, trips)
• Business-as-usual services or day-to-day running costs without innovative elements
• Work that has only local impact without potential for wider learning
• Large national organizations or “household name charities” unless uniquely positioned
• Medical research
• Capital equipment alone
• Retrospective funding

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Governance and Leadership

Rayne Foundation Trustees

• Jeremy Sandelson (Chair)
• Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger
• Sir Emyr Jones Parry
• The Hon Tamara Wood
• Nick Viner
• The Hon Natasha Rayne
• Miriam Rich
• The Hon Nicholas Rayne
• The Hon Alexander Rayne

Rayne Trust Trustees

• The Hon Robert Rayne (Chair)
• Lady Jane Rayne
• Damian Rayne
• The Hon Tamara Wood

Staff Team

• Crispin Truman OBE - Director
• Susan O'Sullivan - Head of Grants
• Holly Baine - Programme Development Lead
• Ragini Majithia - Finance Manager
• Selina Smith - Office Manager, PA to the Director
• Nasima Galiara - Grants and IT Administrator
• Nurit Gordon - Rayne Trust Manager (Israel)

Leadership Quotes

Crispin Truman, Director:

"I am hugely honoured and delighted to be offered this opportunity to lead one of the UK's great philanthropic foundations. I am inspired by the dedication of The Rayne Foundation to helping the most needy in our society and by their history of achievement and founding principle of building bridges to strengthen communities."

From a grantee:

"Rayne punches above its weight. There are so few trusts working in this field, it feels like they're being really thoughtful."

"The relationship is really important; it feels like we are working together and we're aligned in working collectively towards the same aims."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI)

• Complete online EOI form via the Foundation's website
• The Foundation seeks “a short, focused and clear explanation” at this stage
• No detailed project plans, budgets, evaluation metrics, or governance information required at EOI stage
• Rolling basis - no deadlines

Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation only)

• Detailed application including project plans, budgets, and organizational information
• The Foundation works collaboratively with applicants to develop the proposal
• Match-funding contributions encouraged
• Joint development of grant recommendation for the Board

Additional Support:

• Opportunities to meet with Programme Development staff during application period
• The Foundation emphasizes keeping processes “as simple as possible” and asking “only for the information we need”

Decision Timeline

• Typical timeframe: 3-4 months from submission to decision
• Recommended planning time: 6 months
• Decision-making: Trustees meet quarterly to make grant decisions
• Notification: Via email, with feedback calls offered to some unsuccessful applicants

Success Rates

• Applications received: 650+ per year
• Grants made: ~50 per year
• Success rate: Approximately 8%
• The Foundation acknowledges it receives “far more applications than it can fund”

Reapplication Policy

• Mandatory waiting period: 12 months after an unsuccessful application
• Unsuccessful applicants must wait at least one year before reapplying
• Limited detailed feedback on unsuccessful EOIs due to team capacity
• For specific funding calls, feedback given via email with follow-up calls to approximately 25% of unsuccessful applicants

Application Success Factors

Direct Guidance from the Foundation

Key values in grantmaking:

“When designing grant-making programmes, they use values as a framework, aiming to be trusting, collaborative, creative and rigorous.”

What they're looking for:

• Work that “could change the way issues are tackled in society”
• Projects with “lessons for others beyond the funded organisation”
• "Creative and collaborative approaches that build and test solutions to some of society's most difficult challenges"
• Organizations and causes "that don't typically receive widespread public support"
• Demonstrable positive impact with potential for wider application

Recent Projects Funded (2024 Examples)

Care-Experienced Young People:

• Testing Shared Lives model for young people leaving care with mental ill-health/learning disabilities
• Articulate's Arts and Wellbeing Programme for care-experienced children
• The Reader Organisation's 1:1 shared reading for care-experienced children

Refugee Support:

• REUK's Educational Wellbeing project supporting 80 refugee young people to remain in education

Community Centres:

• £250,000 pathfinder grant to Nudge Community Builders in Stonehouse, Plymouth

Standing Out Tips

1. Demonstrate innovation: Show how your approach is different from business-as-usual
2. Emphasize collaboration: Partnerships and collaborative working are highly valued
3. Show wider impact: Explain how learning from your project can influence sector-wide change
4. Be clear and focused: Short, clear explanations are preferred over lengthy documentation
5. Highlight creativity: Creative approaches to problem-solving are encouraged
6. Match their values: Align with their emphasis on trust, collaboration, creativity, and rigor
7. Don't oversell: The Foundation values honest, realistic applications over aspirational promises

Language and Terminology

• “Building bridges between communities”
• “Catalyst for new ideas and ways of working”
• “Increasing agency and voice”
• “Place-based approaches”
• “Systemic change”
• “Collaborative partnerships”
• “Shared learning”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

1. Innovate, don't replicate: The Foundation explicitly seeks work that changes how issues are tackled, not continuation of existing services. Demonstrate what's genuinely new or different about your approach.

1. Think beyond your organization: Success requires showing how your project will create learning and influence for the wider sector, not just benefit your local community.

1. Build genuine partnerships: Collaboration is a core value. Applications showing genuine partnership working and co-creation are more competitive than solo applications.

1. Match-funding strengthens applications: While not always required, demonstrating financial contributions from other sources shows wider buy-in and sustainability.

1. Keep it simple at EOI stage: Don't overwhelm with detail initially. A “short, focused and clear explanation” is what they want to see first - save detailed plans for full application if invited.

1. Relationship-oriented funder: This is a foundation that values working collaboratively with grantees. Show openness to partnership, learning, and adaptation rather than presenting a rigid, unchangeable plan.

1. Be realistic about odds: With only an 8% success rate, prepare for possible rejection. The mandatory 12-month waiting period means timing is crucial if you plan to reapply.

References

1. The Rayne Foundation official website - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk

1. Application Guidance - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/application-guidance/

1. UK Charity Commission - The Rayne Trust, Charity Number 207392 - https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/207392

1. About Us - Our Team - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/about-us/team/

1. Our History - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/about-us/history/

1. Where People Meet Grant Programme - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/where-people-meet-grant-programme/

1. Better Careers for Better Care: Insights from our funding call - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/better-careers-for-better-care-insights-from-our-funding-call/

1. CPRE announcement: “Crispin Truman OBE to be the new Director of The Rayne Foundation” - https://www.cpre.org.uk/crispin-truman-obe-new-director-of-the-rayne-foundation/

1. 360Giving GrantNav - The Rayne Foundation grants data - https://grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/org/GB-CHC-1179912

1. Funding for All - The Rayne Foundation profile - https://fundingforall.org.uk/funds/the-rayne-foundation/