The Swire Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 270726

Annual Expenditure: £6.1M
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Throughout England And Wales

Contact Info

Website: www.swirecharitabletrust.org.uk

Phone: 020 7963 9417

Email: info@scts.org.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £7,000,000+ (2024)
  • Success Rate: 15-30% (70-85% of applications unsuccessful)
  • Decision Time: 2-3 months
  • Grant Range: No minimum - £50,000 (typical maximum)
  • Geographic Focus: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
  • Total Grants Awarded: 280+ charities (2024)

Contact Details

Website: www.swirecharitabletrust.org.uk

Email: info@scts.org.uk

Phone: 020 7963 9417

Address: Swire House, 59 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ

Pre-Application Support: Applicants are encouraged to review downloadable application guidelines, FAQs, and standard grant conditions before applying. Contact via email for queries.

Overview

The Swire Charitable Trust is an independent UK grant-making trust that has been supporting charitable organisations for 50 years. Funded by John Swire & Sons Ltd (founded in Liverpool in 1816), the Trust awarded over £7 million in grants to more than 280 charities in 2024. The Trust aims to support positive and lasting change to UK society through three core programmes: Opportunity (improving life chances), Nature (supporting UK biodiversity), and Heritage (regeneration through restoration). Governed by a board of six trustees who meet regularly, the Trust prioritises charities working in the most economically disadvantaged parts of the UK with the most marginalised and vulnerable populations. The Trust is notable for its willingness to fund core costs, salaries, and capital expenditure, and awards many grants on an unrestricted basis.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Opportunity Programme: £50,000 maximum per grant

  • Supports frontline charities delivering practical support to improve life chances
  • Target beneficiaries: care-experienced children and young people; those involved with or at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system; homeless or vulnerably housed youth; refugees and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; young people disengaged from education or employment; youth affected by caring responsibilities or domestic violence; ex-service men and women; victims of slavery and trafficking
  • Application method: Rolling basis via online portal

Nature Programme: £50,000 maximum per grant

  • Supports activities improving health and resilience of UK ecosystems and native species
  • Focus areas: habitat restoration (land, freshwater, marine environments); nature-friendly farming; urban farms and community green spaces; citizen science; environmental education
  • Application method: Rolling basis via online portal

Heritage Programme: £50,000 maximum per grant

  • Funds heritage restoration, regeneration, or conservation projects with significant social and economic benefits
  • Priorities: projects delivering benefits to deprived communities or disadvantaged people; protecting endangered heritage skills; training and employment in the heritage sector
  • Focus: Grassroots organisations with strong local community engagement
  • Application method: Rolling basis via online portal

Multi-Year Grants: Up to 3 years, only available to charities previously supported by the Trust

Priority Areas

  • Charities operating in economically disadvantaged parts of the UK
  • Organisations working with the most marginalised and vulnerable populations
  • Projects demonstrating clear needs and planned outcome monitoring and evaluation
  • Work with potential for broader systemic change
  • Organisations with strong leadership and prudent financial management
  • Core costs, salaries, and capital expenditure (many grants awarded unrestricted)

What They Don't Fund

Ineligible Organisations and Activities:

  • Non-UK registered charities
  • Individual applicants or single-person beneficiaries
  • Activities outside England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland
  • Statutory bodies or work primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities (e.g., residential, respite and day care, housing)
  • Local branches of wider networks (e.g., uniformed youth groups, YMCA, MIND, Mencap, Home-Start, RDA, Relate, Citizens Advice Bureau, Age UK)
  • Scholarships or bursaries
  • Work that has already taken place
  • Applications received by post or email (must use online form)
  • Charities that have applied in the last 12 months

Beneficiary Exclusions:

  • People primarily disadvantaged due to physical health issues, disabilities, or sensory impairments
  • People with learning disabilities or special educational needs

Financial Restrictions:

  • Requests exceeding 10% of the charity's last reported income

Governance and Leadership

Board Structure: Six trustees who meet regularly to consider eligible funding requests and award grants

Chairman: Samuel Compton Swire, who also chairs the Swire Chinese Language Foundation and serves on the board of John Swire & Sons Ltd

Staff: Small team based in John Swire & Sons Ltd's London offices, managing all UK-based Swire trusts and foundations

Funding Source: The Trust is funded by John Swire & Sons Ltd, the London-headquartered parent company of the Swire Group

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Online Eligibility Test: Complete the eligibility questionnaire on the website. If eligible, you'll automatically proceed to the full application form
  2. Application Form: Complete the online funding request form, briefly outlining why your work is needed and effective
  3. Financial Documents: Upload latest inspected or audited accounts; if too new for these, a bank statement is acceptable
  4. Submission: Applications assigned to next available trustee meeting upon submission

Important Requirements:

  • Submit applications at least 4 months before project start date
  • Total request must not exceed 10% of charity's last reported income
  • Applications only accepted via online portal (no post or email)
  • Must wait 12 months between applications

Helpful Resources: Download application guidelines, FAQ document, application form questions preview, and standard grant conditions from website before applying

Decision Timeline

  • Decision Time: 2-3 months from submission (occasionally slightly longer)
  • Meeting Schedule: Rolling programme with regular grantmaking meetings; no fixed deadlines
  • Notification: By email
  • Feedback: Not provided to unsuccessful applicants due to small team size

Success Rates

  • 2020: 85% of applications unsuccessful (15% success rate)
  • 2023: 70% of applications unsuccessful (30% success rate)
  • Volume: In 2024, awarded grants to 280+ charities from total applications received

The Trust receives many more applications than they can support and inevitably has to turn down many requests, even those closely aligned with their funding priorities.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants must wait 12 months before resubmitting an application. The Trust cannot consider requests from charities that have applied in the last 12 months, regardless of the outcome of the previous application.

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Trust:

  • “Concise answers are often the most compelling” - applicants should be clear and brief in their responses
  • Demonstrate that you “know what they are aiming to achieve and plan to monitor and evaluate outcomes”
  • Show you are “well placed and qualified to deliver the work”

What the Trust Prioritises:

  • Charities with a proven track record of delivering impact
  • Organisations that can clearly demonstrate the needs they are addressing
  • Groups that try to engage the most marginalised and vulnerable in their work
  • Strong leadership and prudent financial management
  • Potential for projects to deliver broader systemic change beyond immediate beneficiaries

Example Funded Projects:

  • Opportunity: The Snowdrop Project (supporting survivors of human trafficking), Beating Time (music programmes for vulnerable young people), Grow (mental health recovery through horticulture)
  • Nature: The Orchard Project (community orchards), Lake District Foundation (ecosystem restoration), Clean Rivers Trust (river conservation)
  • Heritage: The Island Trust (island heritage conservation), Leigh Building Preservation Trust (historic building restoration), Heritage Crafts Association (protecting endangered crafts)

Key Terminology and Language:

  • “Frontline charities delivering practical support”
  • “Improving life chances”
  • “Restoring nature” and “ecosystem health and resilience”
  • “Regeneration through restoration”
  • “Grassroots organisations”
  • “Social and economic benefits”
  • “Most marginalised and vulnerable”

Standing Out:

  • Clearly articulate how your work addresses gaps in provision for disadvantaged communities
  • Demonstrate strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks
  • Show evidence of need through data and community engagement
  • Highlight any potential for your work to influence wider systemic change
  • Emphasise local community engagement for Heritage applications
  • For Nature grants, demonstrate connection between environmental work and community benefit

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Low success rate (15-30%) means applications must be exceptionally strong and perfectly aligned with programme priorities - ensure your work fits squarely within their three programmes before applying
  • Core costs and unrestricted funding welcome - don't hesitate to request funding for salaries, running costs, or capital expenditure; the Trust explicitly supports these
  • 10% income cap is strict - calculate this carefully before applying; requesting more will make you ineligible
  • First-time applicants cannot receive multi-year grants - apply for one year only initially, even if you need longer-term support
  • Rolling applications with no deadlines - apply at least 4 months before project start, but you can submit whenever ready
  • 12-month waiting period between applications - time your application strategically; you only get one chance per year
  • Concise is compelling - the Trust explicitly states shorter answers are more effective; be clear, focused, and avoid unnecessary detail
  • Geographic and beneficiary focus matters - strongly emphasise if you work in economically disadvantaged areas with the most marginalised populations

Similar Funders

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References