Worshipful Company Of Insurers Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1175425

Annual Expenditure: £0.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £622,077 (FY 2024)
  • Total Assets: £4.4 million (following 2024 fund transfer)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Quarterly board meetings (minimum 3 months)
  • Grant Range: £1,500 - £120,000
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily London and UK-wide, with emphasis on disadvantaged London boroughs

Contact Details

Address: 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX

Website: www.wci.org.uk

Email: clerk@wci.org.uk

Phone: 020 7600 4006

Clerk to the Company: Victoria King

For grant applications, download the WCI Grant Application Form from the website or contact the Clerk's office directly.

Overview

The Worshipful Company of Insurers Charitable Trust (Charity No. 1175425) was established in 2018 through the consolidation of previous charitable trusts (279959 and 288397), reflecting centuries of philanthropic tradition from one of London's 111 Livery Companies. In 2024, the trust received a transformational £2 million transfer from the Chartered Insurance Institute's Education and Training Trust, creating a combined asset pool of approximately £4.4 million. The trust prioritizes long-term partnerships with charities focusing on employability, financial wellbeing, and early-stage educational initiatives. For FY 2024, the trust distributed £622,077 in charitable activities, demonstrating a strategic commitment to sustainable, multi-year funding relationships rather than one-off grants.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Charity Partnership Programme

  • Amount: Typically £5,000 - £10,000 annually
  • Duration: Multi-year partnerships with designated charity champions
  • Application: Next selection process Summer 2025 for partnerships effective October 2025
  • Format: Application forms released March 2025 (PDF and Word formats available)

Education Fund

  • Focus: Insurance sector education, disadvantaged students pursuing City careers
  • Range: £2,000 - £18,000 per student/programme
  • Examples: University scholarships (£6,000/year for 3 years), professional development prizes, cadet training expeditions

Member Matched Funding

  • Amount: Up to £1,500 per application
  • Eligibility: WCI members personally engaged in fundraising
  • Frequency: One application per member every two calendar years
  • Application: Must apply in advance of fundraising activity

Service Affiliations

  • Amount: £4,000+ annually per affiliation
  • Focus: Military cadet forces, reserve forces, Royal Navy

Priority Areas

Core Focus (Aligned with 2024-25 Master's Theme: “Levelling up the Playing Field”)

  • Employability programmes for disadvantaged youth
  • Financial wellbeing and education initiatives
  • Early-stage career development in insurance
  • Neurodiversity and inclusive employment (GAIN partnership)
  • Support for ex-military personnel entering insurance
  • Programmes in Newham and other deprived London boroughs

Current Charity Partners (as of 2024)

  • Action Tutoring (disadvantaged pupil tutoring)
  • Blind in Business (workplace accessibility)
  • City Harvest (£120,000 commitment for 2025)
  • GAIN (neurodiversity in insurance)
  • Go Kids Go
  • Livery Schools Link (career talks and mentoring)
  • Made in Hackney (community food education)
  • Mudchute Farm
  • St Lawrence Jewry Church
  • XLP (£5,000 annual grant - inner-city youth)
  • XO Bikes (ex-offender rehabilitation)

Lord Mayor and City of London Aligned Activities

  • Sheriffs' and Recorders' Fund
  • Sheriffs' Challenge
  • The Lord Mayor's Appeal

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the trust's legal objectives indicate they do not fund:

  • General educational purposes unrelated to insurance or career development
  • International development projects (geographic focus is UK, particularly London)
  • Capital building projects (focus on programme delivery)
  • Projects outside employability, financial wellbeing, or education themes
  • One-off requests without potential for sustained partnership
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Governance and Leadership

Current Officers (2024-25)

Master: Karl Jarvis

Senior Warden: Sara Fardon

Junior Warden: Ajay Gupta

Clerk: Victoria King

Assistant Clerk: Samantha Ball

Charitable Trust Structure

The WCI Charitable Trust operates with:

  • Board of eight trustees appointed by the Court
  • Quarterly full board meetings
  • General Fund Sub-committee: Reviews charity partnership applications between board meetings
  • Education Fund Sub-committee: Oversees education grants and scholarships

Master's Vision 2024-25

Karl Jarvis outlined his theme as “Levelling up the Playing Field,” focusing on three priority areas:

On Newham Borough Council: “I want to work with existing charities and Newham College to see if we can create more opportunities there.”

On Neurodiversity: "Many firms have recognised that to maximise creativity they need to think more broadly in terms of employee engagement... I'm keen to shine a light on this aspect so that we can look forward to not just a more inclusive marketplace but one that is as creative as possible."

On Military Networks: “The military gives great training and we as an industry can benefit from that, in terms of engagement of ex-military personnel.”

Karl's chosen charity is Barrow Farm Riding for the Disabled, “a local charity, based in Essex, that clearly makes a big difference for those in need.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Charity Partnership Programme:

  1. Check eligibility against priority themes (employability, financial wellbeing, early education)
  2. Wait for application window (next opens March 2025)
  3. Complete WCI Grant Application Form (available on website in PDF/Word)
  4. Submit to clerk@wci.org.uk
  5. Selection process occurs during Summer 2025
  6. New partnerships commence October 2025

For Education Fund:

  • Download WCI Grant Application Form from website
  • Demonstrate connection to insurance education or disadvantaged youth career development
  • Submit well in advance of funding need

For Member Matched Funding:

  • Must be a WCI member
  • Apply in advance of fundraising activity
  • Complete Matched Funding Application Form
  • Charity must be registered with Charity Commission or OSCR (Scotland)

Decision Timeline

  • Board Meetings: Minimum quarterly (every 3 months)
  • Sub-committee Meetings: Between board meetings for detailed scrutiny
  • Expected Timeline: 3-6 months from application to decision
  • Partnership Selection: Annual cycle with specific windows

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. However, the trust maintains partnerships with 11 designated charity partners plus numerous education and service affiliations, suggesting selective but sustained commitment to chosen organisations.

Reapplication Policy

Not explicitly stated. However, the emphasis on “long-term partnerships” and recognition that “many charities require long-term financial support to sustain the valuable work they do and that some projects only bear fruit if they are able to run for several years” suggests:

  • Multi-year commitments are standard for successful partners
  • The trust prefers deepening existing relationships over continuously seeking new partners
  • Reapplication timing should align with formal partner selection cycles (currently every few years)

Application Success Factors

Strategic Alignment is Critical

The trust explicitly prioritizes “employability, financial wellbeing and early-stage educational initiatives.” Applications outside these themes face significant challenges.

Connection to Insurance Sector

While not mandatory for all grants, demonstrating how your work connects to insurance industry values, workforce development, or the City of London's professional community strengthens applications.

Partnership Model, Not Transactional

The WCI assigns a member “champion” to each charity partner who:

  • Represents the WCI at charity events
  • Provides ongoing advice and support
  • Facilitates “two-way communication”

Demonstrate capacity to engage in genuine partnership, not just receive funding.

Long-term Impact Over Short-term Fixes

The trust explicitly recognizes that “some projects only bear fruit if they are able to run for several years.” Articulate multi-year vision and sustainability plans.

Current Strategic Priorities (2024-25)

Alignment with Master Karl Jarvis's theme “Levelling up the Playing Field” is advantageous:

  • Newham focus: Projects in Newham Borough or similar deprived areas
  • Neurodiversity: Programmes supporting neurodivergent individuals
  • Military transition: Supporting ex-military personnel into civilian careers

Examples of Funded Work

  • XLP: £5,000 annually for inner-city youth facing family breakdown, unemployment, educational failure
  • City Harvest: £120,000 commitment for redistributing fresh produce, delivering one million+ meals
  • XO Bikes: Training ex-offenders as bike mechanics to break reoffending cycles
  • Action Tutoring: Supporting disadvantaged pupils across UK
  • Made in Hackney: Community cookery school that delivered 42,000 emergency meals during lockdown
  • GAIN: Strategic partnership on neurodiversity with 46 corporate members employing 80,000+

Language and Values

The trust values:

  • Inclusivity: “More inclusive marketplace... as creative as possible”
  • Accessibility: “Creating greater accessibility to career opportunities”
  • Professional development: Supporting quality and professionalism in early-stage careers
  • Practical impact: “Clearly makes a big difference for those in need”

Governance Standards

With trustees appointed by the Court and formal sub-committee scrutiny, demonstrate:

  • Strong governance and financial management
  • Clear outcomes measurement
  • Charity Commission or OSCR registration

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Wait for the Window: The next charity partnership selection opens March 2025. Prepare applications now but wait for formal call to avoid premature submission.
  1. Align with the Three Pillars: Employability, financial wellbeing, and early education are non-negotiable priorities. If your work doesn't clearly fit one or more, this isn't the right funder.
  1. Think Partnership, Not Grant: The WCI assigns member champions to partners. Demonstrate willingness to engage deeply—attending events, providing feedback, welcoming member involvement.
  1. Connect to Current Master's Theme: While themes change annually, showing awareness of “Levelling up the Playing Field” and the three “spokes” (Newham, neurodiversity, military) for 2024-25 demonstrates engagement with the organisation.
  1. Emphasize Long-term Vision: One-off projects are less attractive than multi-year programmes with sustainable impact. Show how initial funding enables longer-term change.
  1. London Focus with Insurance Connection: While not exclusively London-focused, the trust strongly favors London-based work, particularly in disadvantaged boroughs. Any connection to the insurance sector or City of London professional community strengthens applications.
  1. Education Fund Alternative: If your work focuses specifically on insurance education, professional development, or disadvantaged students pursuing City careers, the Education Fund may be more appropriate than charity partnership applications.

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