The Seneca Trust

Charity Number: 1137147

Annual Expenditure: £2.7M

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £2.6 million (2024)
Success Rate: Not publicly available (trustee-selected grants)
Decision Time: Not disclosed (proactive grantmaking)
Grant Range: Variable - project-specific (£400,000+ for major initiatives)
Geographic Focus: UK and International
Total Income: £3.4 million (2024)

Contact Details

Address: Ixworth House, 37 Ixworth Place, London SW3 3QH, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7589 8899

Note: The Seneca Trust does not appear to accept unsolicited applications. Grants are made to organizations and projects identified by trustees at their discretion.

Overview

The Seneca Trust (registered charity 1137147) was established in 2010 as a humanitarian-focused charity. With annual charitable expenditure of £2.6 million and total income of £3.4 million (year ending December 31, 2024), the Trust operates with a distinctive model where 100% of donor funds go directly to programmes, with all costs and central overheads paid for by the trustees. The Trust's mission is to “relieve poverty and enrich the lives of people in need by promoting health, welfare and the advancement of education.” The organization describes its unique philanthropic approach as seeking to identify the “gaps between the gaps” - supporting life-enhancing projects that are overlooked by mainstream philanthropy, with a focus on high-impact initiatives that can be scaled. The Trust is closely affiliated with Aurum Fund Management, which channels 50% of management fees from its second Embedded Impact fund to the Trust's humanitarian programmes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Seneca Trust operates through trustee-directed grantmaking rather than open application processes. Grants are provided to charities, organizations, and individuals in the UK and internationally as identified by trustees at their discretion. Recent funding has included:

Major Infrastructure Projects: £400,000+ (e.g., Fair Play Barnet accessible playground - total project £500,000 with £400,000 from Seneca-led coalition of funders)
Health Services: Support for medical programmes including SLAPWA (Sierra Leone Association of Persons with Albinism) health services
Disability Inclusion Initiatives: Various programmes supporting accessible design and facilities

The Trust focuses on high-impact projects with potential for scaling and replication.

Priority Areas

The Seneca Trust concentrates on four primary domains:

Disability: Accessible playgrounds, inclusive design, support for people with disabilities
Displacement: Relief of sickness and financial hardship for displaced people and refugees
Education: Advancing education for people who lack educational opportunities or suffer from lack of education
Health & Wellbeing: Promoting health with particular focus on people who suffer from sickness or have disabilities
Child Protection: Safeguarding and enriching lives of vulnerable children

The Trust specifically targets projects that:

Are overlooked by mainstream philanthropy
Have high impact and can be scaled
Provide housing and associated amenities for disabled persons in necessitous circumstances
Offer psycho-social support, nutrition, sanitation, and health advice for refugees and displaced people

What They Don't Fund

Not explicitly stated, but the Trust operates on a proactive selection model rather than responding to applications, suggesting they do not fund:

Projects outside their four priority domains
Organizations they have not independently identified
Unsolicited requests (based on operational model)

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Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel

Adam Sweidan - Trustee (appointed 2010) and founding member/Chief Investment Officer of Aurum Research Ltd, with almost 30 years in the alternative investment industry. Adam is also Chairman of Synchronicity Earth and a member of the Oceans Board for Greenpeace UK and the board of directors for Arcus Foundation.

Deborah Gundle - Trustee and Programmes Manager, also founder and programmes manager of Jweb

Trustees: The Trust has 5 trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits. Trustees personally fund all operational costs and overheads.

Leadership Perspective

Deborah Gundle has articulated the Trust's values in public statements: "We celebrate Barnet Council's vision for wanting to make it possible for people of all cognitive and physical abilities to be able to use their public playgrounds.“ She noted that ”Fair Play will be a shining example in terms of design and purpose of how a public playground can be inclusive and accessible to all."

The Trust's philosophy emphasizes partnership and scalability, working with local authorities and other organizations to create replicable models of inclusive infrastructure and services.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Important: The Seneca Trust does not appear to operate an open application process. According to their charitable objectives, they “will accomplish these objectives by providing grants to charities or other organisations or individuals in the UK or internationally, identified by the trustees at their discretion.”

This indicates a proactive, invitation-only grantmaking model where trustees identify and select beneficiaries rather than responding to external applications.

Organizations interested in the Trust's support would need to:

Align closely with the Trust's four priority areas (disability, displacement, education, health)
Represent an overlooked need in mainstream philanthropy
Demonstrate high impact and potential for scaling
Potentially connect through the Trust's network (Aurum Fund Management affiliates, existing partners)

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As a trustee-directed fund, decision timelines are determined by the trustees' identification and evaluation processes rather than fixed application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable given the proactive selection model.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the proactive selection model.

Application Success Factors

For Organizations Seeking to Position Themselves Favorably

While unsolicited applications are not accepted, organizations working in the Trust's priority areas should note:

Key Alignment Factors:

“Gaps between the gaps”: Projects that fall through the cracks of mainstream philanthropy stand out
Scalability and replicability: The Trust seeks “high impact projects that can be scaled”
Inclusive design philosophy: Demonstrated commitment to accessibility for all cognitive and physical abilities
Partnership approach: Ability to work collaboratively with local authorities and other funders
Clear humanitarian impact: Direct benefit to people with disabilities, displaced persons, those lacking education, or health services

Recent Funded Projects as Examples:

Fair Play Barnet: UK's first-of-its-kind maximum accessibility playground with safety surfacing for wheelchair accessibility, communication boards for non-verbal individuals, textured path surfaces for navigation, and inclusive picnic areas (£400,000 from Seneca-led coalition)
SLAPWA Support: Health services in Sierra Leone for people with albinism
Various disability inclusion and accessible infrastructure initiatives

Language and Values:

Emphasis on “overlooked” populations and projects
Focus on “life-enhancing” rather than purely remedial interventions
Commitment to full programme funding (100% to programmes, 0% to overhead from donor funds)
Celebration of innovative inclusive design
Support for marginalized communities internationally

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

This is NOT an open application funder: The Seneca Trust operates through trustee discretion with no public application process
Network matters: Strong connections to Aurum Fund Management or existing Trust partners may be beneficial for visibility
Think big and replicable: The Trust funds substantial projects (£400,000+) with potential for scaling and creating models for others
Focus on the overlooked: If your project serves a population or need that mainstream funders ignore, you align with their core mission
International scope welcome: The Trust operates both in UK and internationally, particularly for displacement and health priorities
Partnership approach: Demonstrated ability to co-fund and collaborate with local authorities and other funders is valuable
Inclusive design expertise: For disability-focused projects, deep understanding of accessibility for all abilities is essential
Consider alternative routes: If you cannot apply directly, consider whether your work might come to trustees' attention through impact reports, sector networking, or partnerships with organizations in their network