The Scurrah Wainwright Charity

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £60,000 - £75,000
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Approximately 8-12 weeks from deadline
• Grant Range: £1,000 - £5,000
• Geographic Focus: Yorkshire region (England) and Southern Africa (particularly Zimbabwe)

Contact Details

• Website: www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk
• Email: admin@wainwrighttrusts.org.uk
• Phone: Not publicly listed
• Administrator: Applications submitted via email; administrator acknowledges receipt

Overview

Founded in 1991 following the sale of Chas F Thackray Ltd, The Scurrah Wainwright Charity (registered charity number 1002755) takes its name from Henry Scurrah Wainwright OBE (1877-1968), a Leeds chartered accountant and social reformer who helped establish the medical company. The charity is run by family trustees who maintain the founder's legacy of liberal values and support for the socially disempowered. With an annual grant budget varying between £60,000 and £75,000, the charity supports charitable projects with a strong emphasis on social reform and tackling root causes of social inequity. Chair Martin Wainwright MBE, grandson of the founder and former Northern Editor of The Guardian, leads a board of family trustees who meet three times annually to allocate grants. The charity favors innovative, hard-to-fund work that addresses systemic issues rather than palliative solutions.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Yorkshire Programme: £1,000 - £5,000 per project

• Organizations need not be based in Yorkshire, but projects must directly benefit Yorkshire communities
• Applications accepted via three annual deadlines (14 January, 14 May, 14 September)
• Two-stage application process: preliminary registration followed by full application if invited

Southern Africa Programme: Currently paused

• Focus on Zimbabwe; grants currently channeled through Oxfam
• Direct applications not currently accepted for this programme

Reform Trust Redirects Programme: £1,000 - £5,000 per project

• For projects aligned with social justice work that meet charitable criteria
• Projects initially considered for the Andrew Wainwright Reform Trust but suitable for charitable funding

Priority Areas

• Social reform initiatives addressing root causes rather than symptoms
• Innovative, hard-to-fund work outside the mainstream
• Core costs (the charity will contribute to organizational core costs)
• Community development and economic empowerment
• Disability support and inclusion projects
• Poverty prevention initiatives
• Education and training programs
• Refugee and asylum seeker support
• Environmental justice campaigns
• Arts and cultural projects with social impact

Recent funded projects include:

• Bradford City of Sanctuary CIO (£4,000, 2024) - refugee support
• Active Independence, Doncaster (£4,000, 2024) - disability support
• Yorkshire Sound Women Network CIC (£2,000, 2024) - women in music
• Hope for Kids, Zimbabwe (£5,000, 2023) - international development
• Friends of Hebden Bridge Picture House (£5,000, 2023) - community arts

What They Don't Fund

• Individuals
• Large national organizations (unless Yorkshire-specific projects)
• Organizations with annual income over £250,000
• Animal welfare
• Buildings and capital projects
• Medical research
• Substitutes for statutory/government funding
• Unsolicited general appeal letters
• Retrospective activities (already completed)
• Organizations without UK bank accounts
• Long-term commitments (rarely funds for more than one year)
• Repeat funding (rarely provides repeat grants)

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Governance and Leadership

The charity is governed by family trustees, all members of the Wainwright family based in West Yorkshire. No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Chair: Martin Wainwright MBE

• Grandson of founder Henry Scurrah Wainwright
• Former Northern Editor of The Guardian (37 years)
• Author and journalist

Financial Adviser: Peter Dyson, Bairstow & Atkinson Chartered Accountants, Halifax

The trustees regularly consider appointing trustees from outside the family but remain satisfied that the current family-based board provides sufficient diversity and functions effectively. The family maintains strong connections to Yorkshire and continues the founder's tradition of supporting social reform and progressive causes.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Stage 1: Preliminary Registration

Submit a one-page registration form covering:

• Organization name and postal address
• Named contact person
• Brief project concept

Submit to: admin@wainwrighttrusts.org.uk

Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation only)

If trustees are interested after reviewing the registration, they will request:

• Most recent audited accounts or statement of income & expenditure

The charity emphasizes: “2 sides of A4 is sufficient” - keep applications concise and focused.

Decision Timeline

• Application Deadlines: 14 January, 14 May, 14 September
• Trustee Meetings: March, July, November
• Decision Time: Approximately 8-12 weeks from deadline to trustee meeting
• Notification: Administrator acknowledges receipt via email; no further notification except to successful applicants
• Post-Grant Reporting: Report required 12-15 months after grant award

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. The charity operates a two-stage process, with only shortlisted applicants invited to submit full applications, suggesting competitive selection.

Reapplication Policy

• Cannot reapply until a report has been submitted for any previous grant
• The charity “rarely repeat funds” - suggests limited opportunities for repeat grants
• No specific waiting period mentioned for unsuccessful applicants

Application Success Factors

Based on the charity's stated preferences and funded projects, successful applications demonstrate:

1. Focus on Root Causes

The charity explicitly states preference for "tackling the 'root causes' rather than palliative projects." Applications should articulate how the project addresses systemic issues, not just symptoms. For example, funded environmental justice work in Pont Valley focused on legal challenges to planning decisions rather than just local protest.

2. Innovation and Hard-to-Fund Work

The charity seeks “innovative, hard-to-fund work directed at root causes in the field of social reform” and “favours causes that are outside the mainstream, unlikely to be funded by other charities.” Demonstrate why your project is innovative and why mainstream funders may not support it.

3. Social Reform Emphasis

All funded work should advance social reform - addressing inequity, injustice, or systemic barriers. Recent grants include trauma support for refugees (Solace), destitution support for refused asylum seekers (Abigail Housing), and community development in deprived areas (Rainbow's End, Sheffield).

4. Clear Yorkshire Connection

For the Yorkshire programme, “the project itself must directly benefit the Yorkshire community” - articulate the specific Yorkshire community that will benefit and how.

5. Conciseness and Clarity

The charity explicitly requests applications be kept to “2 sides of A4” and states this is “sufficient.” Trustees value brevity - focus on essential information about aims and funding needs.

6. Core Costs Welcome

Unlike many funders, the charity “will contribute to core costs” - don't hesitate to include organizational overhead in your budget if it supports the project.

7. Smaller Organizations Preferred

The charity excludes organizations with income over £250,000, suggesting preference for smaller, grassroots organizations that may struggle to access mainstream funding.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Think systemic change: Frame your project as addressing root causes of social problems, not just providing services - this is the charity's core criterion
• Embrace the “hard-to-fund” angle: Explain why your innovative work falls outside mainstream funding priorities - this is a positive for this funder
• Keep it brief: Two pages maximum for the full application - be disciplined about including only essential information
• Yorkshire projects prioritized: If working in Yorkshire, emphasize the specific communities benefiting; if not in Yorkshire, focus on the Zimbabwe/Southern Africa programme (when reopened)
• Two-stage process: The preliminary registration is your pitch - make it compelling enough to secure an invitation for the full application
• Core costs are acceptable: Include reasonable organizational costs to support project delivery - this funder explicitly welcomes this
• No repeat funding expectations: Plan for one-year, one-time support; demonstrate how the project will be sustainable or completed within this timeframe
• Small is beautiful: This funder explicitly excludes larger organizations - highlight your grassroots nature and connection to communities if applicable

References

1. The Wainwright Trusts - About the Scurrah Wainwright Charity. Available at: https://www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk/swc.html

1. The Wainwright Trusts - What the Scurrah Wainwright Charity Funds. Available at: https://www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk/swc2.html

1. The Wainwright Trusts - How and When to Apply for the Scurrah Wainwright Charity. Available at: https://www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk/swc3.html

1. The Wainwright Trusts - Past Grantees of the Scurrah Wainwright Charity. Available at: https://www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk/sw4.html

1. Charity Commission - The Scurrah Wainwright Charity (Registration Number 1002755). Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1002755

1. The Wainwright Trusts - Contact Information for the Scurrah Wainwright Charity. Available at: https://www.wainwrighttrusts.org.uk/sw6.html