The Skinners’ Charity Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Every one of its three programmes funds only projects in London and Kent, so groups working elsewhere should not apply, and the Foundation's exclusions also rule out organisations with turnover above £500,000 for poverty work, £300,000 for arts work or £1,000,000 for vocational work, and those with reserves above 12 months' expenditure.
- Its stated maximums are up to £5,000 for poverty and arts projects and up to £10,000 for vocational projects, so a modest request fits best.
- Start by emailing a short outline of the project, since full application details are sent only if you are eligible; committees meet in spring and autumn, full applications are due a week after the expression-of-interest deadline, and arts windows open in December with a February deadline.
- The Foundation looks for evidenced outcomes and proven models, may ask for a visit, online meeting or call, and makes future instalments conditional on year-end monitoring, so a clear track record matters.
- Organisations that do not provide direct services, and services that are a statutory responsibility, should not apply to the poverty or vocational programmes.
Overview
The Skinners’ Charity Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1199923).
The Skinners' Charity Foundation is a grant-making charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It supports three core themes: young people's vocational development, the relief of poverty and hardship, and arts, heritage and communities. It has awarded 162 grants.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Foundation supports projects in three areas: young people’s vocational development, poverty and hardship, and arts, heritage and communities. Its vocational programme helps young people who are not in employment, education or training prepare for and move into employment; it particularly values vocational qualifications and clear progression routes. Its poverty work focuses on grassroots organisations in local communities and addressing underlying causes, with families a priority. The arts, heritage and communities programme supports local projects conserving landmarks, landscapes, traditions and culture, as well as performing and visual arts and community projects with an arts or heritage element. Its project programmes give through registered not-for-profit organisations, while its general grants page also welcomes individuals. The programmes look for evidenced outcomes and proven approaches, and consider some awards for up to three years.
Themes
- Youth vocational development
- Poverty and hardship
- Arts, heritage and communities
Geographic Focus
London; Kent.
What they don't fund
- The Relief of Poverty and Hardship only:
- Projects in London and Kent
- Projects where successful outcomes cannot be evidenced
- Organisations without at least one set of audited or independently examined annual accounts
- Projects that have no community or charitable element
- Retrospective funding, deficits, or loans
- Organisations which are not a registered not-for-profit organisation
- Organisations with an annual turnover above £500,000
- Organisations with reserves of more than 12 months’ expenditure
- Requests that represent more than 20% of the current annual running costs of the organisation
- Organisations that do not provide direct services to clients
- Organisations which applied to us unsuccessfully within the previous 18 months
- Capital Costs
- Services which are a statutory responsibility
- Projects that are primarily for the advancement of religion or politics (this does not exclude faith-based charities; however, we may ask for a copy of your non-proselytizing policy)
- Overseas work
- Arts, Heritage and Communities only:
- Projects working outside London and Kent
- Projects without clear public value or where successful outcomes cannot be evidenced
- Organisations without at least one set of audited or independently examined annual accounts
- Projects that have no community or charitable element
- Community projects with no Arts or Heritage component
- Retrospective funding, deficits, or loans
- Organisations which are not a registered not-for-profit organisation
- Organisations with an annual turnover above £300,000
- Organisations with reserves of more than 12 months’ expenditure
- Organisations which applied to us unsuccessfully within the previous 18 months
- Services which are a statutory responsibility
- Projects that are primarily for the advancement of religion or politics (this does not exclude faith-based charities; however, we may ask for a copy of a non-proselytising policy)
- Overseas work
- Individuals
- Projects in hospitals, nursing, or residential care settings, which are a statutory responsibility – or for medical research
- We are unlikely to make a small contribution to a much larger funding pot
- Young People’s Vocational Development Charities Programme only:
- Projects based outside London and Kent
- Projects that do not support ‘NEET’ young people to move into employment
- Projects where successful outcomes cannot be evidenced
- Organisations without at least one set of audited or independently examined annual accounts
- Funding for general organisational costs
- Requests that represent more than 20% of the current annual running costs of the organisation
- Work that does not support young people into employment or to become employment ready
- Projects that have no community or charitable element
- Retrospective funding, deficits, or loans
- Organisations which are not a registered not-for-profit organisation
- Organisations with an annual turnover above £1,000,000
- Organisations with reserves of more than 12 months’ expenditure
- Organisations that do not provide direct services to beneficiaries
- Organisations which applied to us unsuccessfully within the previous 18 months
- Capital costs
- Services which are a statutory responsibility
- Projects that are primarily for the advancement of religion or politics (this does not exclude faith-based charities; however, we may ask for a copy of your non-proselytizing policy)
- Work that takes place outside London or Kent, including work overseas
- A funding period longer than five years
How to apply
Applicants first email a short outline of the project. If eligible, the Foundation provides full details for completing an application.
Deadlines:
- Committee meetings are held in spring and autumn.
- The full application deadline falls a week after the initial expression-of-interest deadline.
Application windows:
- Arts, Heritage and Communities: Reopens to new expressions of interest in December; the deadline for initial expressions of interest is in February.
Who can apply:
- Young People’s Vocational Development Charities Programme: The project is run by a registered not-for-profit organisation, with at least one set of audited or independently examined annual accounts; the charity's annual turnover does not exceed £1,000,000.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The poverty programme favours projects with a successful track record or a proven model.
- The poverty programme prioritises longer-term approaches to underlying causes and identifies families as a funding priority.
- The poverty programme looks for project outcomes that can be evidenced.
- The arts programme favours clear public value and evidenced outcomes.
- Where possible, the arts programme prefers to fund requests in full rather than part-fund them, and is unlikely to make a small contribution to a much larger funding pot.
- The vocational programme favours projects with a successful track record or a proven model.
- The vocational programme particularly favours work in which young people gain a vocational qualification.
- Where immediate employment is not possible, the programme expects clear progression routes, such as further qualifications or employability skills.
- Vocational projects are prioritised when they offer long-term tracking of beneficiaries and work in partnership with local organisations.
- The Foundation may request a visit, online meeting or telephone conversation during assessment.
- The Foundation encourages applicants using AI to ensure their application explains what makes their organisation and approach unique, the community need and their relevant experience.
- The Foundation monitors grants at the end of the year, and future instalments are conditional on that monitoring.
- Reapplicants should contact the Foundation before applying again and demonstrate project impact, effective use of previous funding and learning.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to The Skinners’ Charity Foundation.
3 years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 30 June 2023 | £102,473 | £1,842 | — | Accounts for year to 30 June 2023 |
| year to 30 June 2024 | £846,948 | £49,970 | £23,497 | Accounts for year to 30 June 2024 |
| year to 30 June 2025 | £735,347 | £2,280,116 | £414,846 | Accounts for year to 30 June 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 30 June 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 30 June 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- skinners.org.uk/our-grants · read on 30 October 2026
- skinners.org.uk/young-peoples-vocational-development-charities · read on 30 October 2026
- skinners.org.uk/the-relief-of-poverty-and-hardship · read on 30 October 2026
- skinners.org.uk/arts-heritage-and-communities · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 30 June 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to The Skinners’ Charity Foundation?
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Applying to The Skinners’ Charity Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required