The Sutton Trust

Registered charity 1146244 · since 2012suttontrust.com·England, Scotland, Wales·Updated 29 October 2026

At a glance

£1.3M

Annual giving, year to 31 August 2025

From filed accounts

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.

Key takeaways

The Sutton Trust is by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send a cold application.
Its annual giving was £1,310,553, but no grant range is given, so it is not clear what size of request it expects, and that is worth raising in a first conversation.
It commissions or contracts partners for planned programmes and research, so the route in is a detailed conversation with its staff, followed by a written proposal setting out shared aims and expected outcomes.
Anyone whose request is for an individual's studies, for a project outside its operating plan, or for an external research proposal should not apply, as the Trust does not fund these.
Larger or recurrent funding is likely to involve regular monitoring, interim reports and independent academic evaluation, and its US Programme window opens in early November.

Overview

The Sutton Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1146244).

The Sutton Trust works to improve access to high-quality education and employment opportunities, aiming to improve educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds and increase social mobility. Its programmes focus on high-attaining students from lower-income families, and it also supports projects, policy advocacy and research. Each year, together with its university and employer partners, it supports over 10,000 young people, and 11,900 young people from across the UK access one of its programmes. Its annual giving was £1,310,553, and its funding goes directly to its own programmes and research, so it cannot support other projects.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Trust’s work centres on widening access to high-quality education and employment and improving social mobility for young people, particularly high-attaining students from lower-income families and those from socio-economically deprived and non-privileged backgrounds. It delivers programmes with university and employer partners, supports young people to access leading universities and careers, and undertakes research and policy work on educational inequality and social mobility. It may make grants to partner organisations where their work is commissioned or contracted to deliver activities aligned with its operating plan; it does not offer open support for unrelated projects. Its programme activity reaches students across the UK, with applications encouraged from regional social-mobility cold spots.

Themes

Social mobility
Early years
School years
Apprenticeships
University access
Workplace access

What they don't fund

Individuals or organisations for work not within our operating plan
Other projects
Funding for individual students’ studies
External proposals for research

How to apply

The Trust commissions or contracts external organisations for planned activities. Staff have detailed conversations with organisations considered for a programme or research project, define the partnership’s aims and expected outcomes, and submit a written proposal.

Application windows:

US Programme: Opens in early November

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Trust requires regular monitoring of all commitments.
Larger grants and recurrent programme funding are likely to involve independent academic evaluation.
Payments depend on interim reports, milestones and the Trust’s satisfaction with progress.
Partnerships are expected to use evidence and measure and share their impact.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Sutton Trust.

The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £2.3M Ormiston TrustNo public processGave £554k The Wrentham TrustNo public processGave £739k The Whirlwind Charitable TrustRollingGave £180k D C R Allen Charitable TrustRollingGave £172k The City Solicitors Educational TrustInvitation onlyGave £410k Kropifko Charitable TrustNo public processGave £23,000 The International Bankers Charitable TrustGave £226k The Chaffield Shaw TrustNo public process The Henry Lumley Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £80,000

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 August 2021	£6,133,807	£4,495,334	£1,124,843	Accounts for year to 31 August 2021
year to 31 August 2022	£5,829,676	£6,343,200	£1,834,479	Accounts for year to 31 August 2022
year to 31 August 2023	£7,123,285	£7,627,677	£1,579,094	Accounts for year to 31 August 2023
year to 31 August 2024	£7,463,664	£8,253,431	£1,539,288	Accounts for year to 31 August 2024
year to 31 August 2025	£7,059,592	£7,409,305	£1,310,553	Accounts for year to 31 August 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£1.1M grants

YE 2022

£1.8M grants

YE 2023

£1.6M grants

YE 2024

£1.5M grants

YE 2025

£1.3M grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 August 2021; year to 31 August 2022; year to 31 August 2023; year to 31 August 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 August 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

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.