The Willan Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £202,000 (expenditure in 2024)
• Annual Income: £32,849 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Not publicly available
• Geographic Focus: England-wide (education and disability support)

Contact Details

Principal Office:

2 Brooklands Road

Sale, Cheshire

M33 3SS

Email: tax@mck.co.uk

Phone: 0161 947 4888

Note: The email and phone number connect to McKellens Chartered Accountants, who appear to provide administrative services for the trust.

Overview

The Willan Charitable Trust (Charity Number 1012303) is a private family charitable trust that supports a variety of causes in the field of education and support for the disabled throughout England. The trust is governed by four trustees from the Willan family and associates: Mrs L.E. Willan, Ms J.G.E. Willan, Mr K. Alderson, and Mr R. Willan. The trust generates income from dividends from shares in unlisted UK companies, interest on special interest bank accounts, and Authorized Trust investments, which it then distributes to approved beneficiaries. In the year ending March 31, 2024, the trust had an income of £32,849 and expenditure of £202,000, indicating it draws on reserves to support its charitable activities. No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate named grant programs or publish specific grant amounts. Grants are made to “approved beneficiaries” selected by the trustees.

Priority Areas

Based on the trust's stated charitable purposes, priority areas include:

• Education: Supporting educational initiatives and institutions
• Disability Support: Organizations and programs that support disabled individuals

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. As a private trust supporting approved beneficiaries, they likely do not fund:

• Organizations outside their priority areas of education and disability support
• Individuals (as they are a grant-making trust supporting other organizations)
• Projects outside England

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The trust is governed by four trustees:

• Mrs L.E. Willan - Trustee
• Ms J.G.E. Willan - Trustee
• Mr K. Alderson - Trustee
• Mr R. Willan - Trustee

None of the trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. Administrative support appears to be provided by McKellens Chartered Accountants in Manchester.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The trust makes grants to “approved beneficiaries” at the discretion of the trustees. There is no public application portal, guidelines, or published criteria for how organizations become approved beneficiaries.

Grants appear to be awarded based on trustee knowledge, relationships, and discretionary decision-making rather than through an open application process.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Success Rates

Not available - the trust does not publish information about applications received or success rates.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the lack of a public application process, traditional application success factors do not apply to this trust. The trust operates on a model where trustees identify and approve beneficiaries based on their own knowledge and connections within the education and disability support sectors.

Organizations already known to the trustees or operating in areas of personal interest to the Willan family are most likely to receive support.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This trust awards grants at trustee discretion to approved beneficiaries only
• Focus areas are clear: Education and disability support throughout England are the stated priorities
• Private family trust: Operated by members of the Willan family with no public engagement structure
• Significant giving despite modest income: The trust's expenditure (£202,000) significantly exceeds its annual income (£32,849), indicating they draw on capital/reserves to fund grants
• Limited transparency: Very little public information is available about which organizations receive grants or how relationships with the trust are established
• Contact through accountants: Correspondence goes through McKellens Chartered Accountants, suggesting a preference for formal, professional communication
• Not a target for unsolicited applications: Organizations should not invest time in approaching this trust unless they have existing connections to the trustees

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• THE 1989 WILLAN CHARITABLE TRUST
• THE SIR JAMES KNOTT TRUST
• Garfield Weston Foundation
• The Rothley Trust
• THE BARBOUR FOUNDATION
• LGA Foundation
• FRAZER TRUST
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation
• Awards for All
• THE HEALTH FOUNDATION
• THE A B CHARITABLE TRUST
• The Greggs Foundation
• THE BALLINGER CHARITABLE TRUST
• Denise Coates Foundation
• The Henry Smith Foundation
• MOTABILITY Foundation
• The Edward Gostling Foundation
• The Tudor Trust
• Z V M Rangoonwala Foundation
• National Lottery

References

• The Willan Charitable Trust - Charity Commission Register -
• McKellens Chartered Accountants - Meet the Team -
• Charity Commission financial data for year ending March 31, 2024