The Sherling Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £243,380 (FY ending March 2025)
• Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only/trustee discretion)
• Decision Time: Not disclosed
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: Buckinghamshire and Dorset

Contact Details

Address: 26 Burkes Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1PF

Email: info@sherlingcharity.org

Phone: 07831 127365

Overview

The Sherling Charitable Trust was registered as a charity in England and Wales on 1 March 2000 (charity number 1079651). This family trust, governed by trustees Adrian Mark Sherling, Clive Richard Sherling (Chair), Sally Ann Sherling, and William David Sherling, holds substantial assets with unrestricted reserves of £5,719,255. In the financial year ending March 2025, the trust had a total income of £416,315 and distributed £243,380 in grants. The trust operates as a traditional family foundation with trustees exercising absolute discretion in identifying and supporting charitable organizations primarily in the fields of education, sport, arts, and health within Buckinghamshire and Dorset. No trustees receive remuneration or payments from the charity.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

The trust supports charities operating in the following fields:

• Education: Educational initiatives and learning programs
• Sport: Amateur sport and sporting activities
• Arts, Culture, Heritage & Science: Cultural programs, arts initiatives, heritage projects
• Health: Health advancement and life-saving activities, including wellbeing programs
• Environment & Conservation: Environmental conservation and heritage protection
• Animal Welfare: Animal-related charitable causes
• Disability: Support for people with disabilities
• Social Welfare: Programs supporting children, young people, elderly people, and addressing social isolation

Beneficiaries

The trust's grants benefit:

• Children and young people
• Elderly and older people
• People with disabilities
• Other charities and voluntary bodies
• Communities in Buckinghamshire and Dorset

Known Grant Recipients

Chiltern Open Air Museum (Buckinghamshire): Received funding for a wellbeing project supporting older adults experiencing social isolation, including an Accompanied Walks programme that ran throughout 2021. The project promotes health and wellbeing through social prescription, offering participants outdoor experiences in a rural setting with social interaction.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

• Clive Richard Sherling (Chair)
• Adrian Mark Sherling
• Sally Ann Sherling
• William David Sherling

The trust operates as a family charitable trust with all four trustees being members of the Sherling family. The governing documents give trustees absolute discretion to distribute trust funds and income to charitable institutions, bodies, funds, or purposes as they determine. No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity, and the trust has no trading subsidiaries or employees.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Sherling Charitable Trust operates with trustees exercising sole and absolute discretion in identifying and supporting charitable causes. Grants are made on an invitation-only basis, with trustees proactively selecting organizations to support rather than accepting unsolicited applications.

The trust's governing documents authorize the trustees to pay or apply income and capital to legally charitable institutions, bodies, funds, or purposes as determined by the trustees in their absolute discretion. This means:

• No application forms or guidelines: The trust does not publish application criteria, forms, or deadlines
• Trustee-initiated giving: Funding decisions are made independently by the trustees
• Invitation only: Organizations are selected by the trustees rather than through an open application process

Decision Timeline

Not disclosed. As the trust operates on a trustee-discretion model without a formal application process, there are no published decision timelines or notification methods.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The trust does not accept unsolicited applications, so traditional success rate metrics do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to the invitation-only nature of the trust's grant-making.

Application Success Factors

Given the trust's invitation-only approach and trustee-discretion model, there are no formal application success factors. However, based on the trust's known funding patterns, the following characteristics appear to align with their interests:

Geographic Focus: Organizations operating in Buckinghamshire and Dorset are clearly within the trust's geographic remit.

Supported Causes: The trust demonstrates interest in:

• Wellbeing programs for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults
• Community-based initiatives addressing social isolation
• Projects combining health, outdoor access, and social interaction
• Cultural and heritage organizations
• Educational and sporting initiatives

Example Funded Work: The Chiltern Open Air Museum project demonstrates the trust's interest in innovative, community-based wellbeing interventions that address social isolation through accessible outdoor activities and volunteer engagement.

Multi-Funder Projects: The Chiltern Open Air Museum project was co-funded with the King/Cullimore Charitable Trust, suggesting the trustees may be comfortable with collaborative funding arrangements.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This trust cannot be applied to through traditional grant application methods. Organizations should not submit unsolicited proposals.
• Geographic specificity: Focus is exclusively on Buckinghamshire and Dorset, making geographic alignment essential.
• Family trust model: As a family charitable trust with four related trustees, decisions reflect the family's philanthropic interests and values.
• Broad thematic interests: While the trust supports education, sport, arts, and health, specific sub-themes or strategic priorities are not publicly disclosed.
• Wellbeing focus evident: Known funding includes wellbeing programs for isolated older adults, suggesting interest in social welfare initiatives.
• Trustee discretion: All funding decisions rest entirely with the trustees, who have absolute discretion in selecting beneficiaries.
• Contact information available: While unsolicited applications are not invited, contact details are publicly available for inquiries.

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Carrington Charitable Trust
• The Jim Marshall Charitable Trust
• The Lionel Abel-Smith Trust
• THE WILLIAM DELAFIELD CHARITABLE TRUST
• The Pharsalia Charitable Trust
• John Jackson Charitable Trust
• The Clare Foundation Ltd
• Mobbs Memorial Trust Limited
• The Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust
• The Balney Charitable Trust

References

• Charity Commission for England and Wales. “The Sherling Charitable Trust - Charity Overview (Registration Number 1079651).” Register of Charities. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1079651&subid=0
• Giving is Great. “The Sherling Charitable Trust - Charity Factsheet.” https://givingisgreat.org/charity-factsheet/?regNo=1079651
• Heart of Bucks Community Foundation. “Inspiring Buckinghamshire - Jacqui Gellman.” https://heartofbucks.org/inspiring-buckinghamshire-jacqui-gellman/
• Chiltern Open Air Museum. “Accompanied Walks Project.” https://coam.org.uk/accompanied-walks-project/
• Charity Choice. “The Sherling Charitable Trust.” https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/the-sherling-charitable-trust-67496