General Application Guidelines
Please note that the Trustees have recently changed their Guidelines for Applications and any applications made after 1st November 2020 should refer to the information below. The Administrators will contact any applicants who applied before that date to discuss their application with them. For opening and closing dates please see our Diary page.
Trustees are aware that the current circumstances of working under COVID, and the subsequent restrictions, has created the need for charities to adapt some or all of their services, and to react to and reach out to their clients in different ways. When completing your application form please feel free to detail how this has impacted your work and the circumstances of your client group and how you are coping with this impact.
The Woodward Charitable Trust only makes grants for core costs rather than specific projects as they recognise that smaller charities can find these hard to fund. They hope that this will have a more direct impact on the organisations that they choose to fund.
Trustees are keen to spare charities the wasted time and costs involved in applying when there is no prospect of success. Please note that only about 15% of applicants are successful and that there are very few grants made over £1,000. Grants that represent more than 10% of an organisations previous year’s income are unlikely to be made, and we rarely fund charities that hold more than 6 months of operating reserves.
It is strongly recommended that applicants take the time to read these guidelines in order to avoid submitting applications that are likely to be rejected. You may also like to refer to our previous Annual Reports and our FAQs both of which are available on our website. This should give you more of an idea of both the type of organisation supported and the amount awarded, although please note that prior to November 2020 this will include successful applications made using the previous Guidelines.
Please note that we DO NOT fund unsolicited applications from charities whose annual income exceeds £200,000. We will also NOT fund unsolicited applications from the following:
- Charities registered or only working overseas
- Construction projects such as playgrounds, village halls, and disabled accesses
- Educational fees and general school appeals
- Hospices
- Individuals in any capacity
- Medical research
- Parish facilities
- Requests for vehicles
Funding Priorities
The Trustees particularly look to fund projects that help families and young people and that are aiming to improve the life chances of the beneficiaries. They like projects that promote community cohesion and the development of skills that will change the outlook and outcomes for the users. Organisations that promote volunteering and involve both past and present users in their operations or management are encouraged. They only consider applications for core costs and are looking for organisations which aim to achieve a positive impact in at least one of the following areas:
- Children and young people who are isolated, at risk of exclusion or involved in anti-social behaviour and projects to help those who have been in the care system. This also covers gang violence and knife crime, education and mentoring as well as projects that work to raise self-esteem and employment opportunities and encourage an active involvement in and contribution towards the local community;
- Disadvantaged families, this covers parenting support and guidance, mental health, food poverty, refuges and domestic violence projects and would also include projects that benefit travellers, ethnic minorities and refugee families;
- Prisoners and ex-offenders and specifically projects that maintain and develop contact with prisoners’ families and help with the rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners and/or ex-offenders after their release.
Types of grants
The Trustees make two types of grants – the majority are smaller grants, around 100 per year, of up to £3,000, but usually of £1,000 or less; and a few larger grants of over £3,000, only to charities that are known to the Trustees. Please note that unsolicited grants for more than £3,000 will ALWAYS be rejected.
The Trustees favour small-scale, locally based initiatives and most grants are only for one year. Please note that we will only fund organisations for a maximum of 3 consecutive years, or 3 grants within 5 years, and that after the last grant you should wait 2 years before reapplying for a further grant.
In addition, 60-70 grants of £250-£1,000 per year are made towards Children’s Summer Playschemes. Applications for these are made separately and considered in April/May each year, grants are only given to charities whose annual income is under £100,000.
Trustees review grant applications twice a year, usually in March and October. Please consult the diary page for up-to-date deadlines for receipt of applications.
Application Process
As well as registered charities we will consider funding Charity Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs).
Trustees will only consider appeals made via their online application form (this will be made available when the grant round opens). For more information on grant round opening and closing dates, please visit the diary page. Every section must be completed including the Statement of Financial Activities. We are no longer accepting paper applications. If this is a problem for you please email the administrator Karin Hooper at contact@woodwardcharitabletrust.org.uk for advice.
APPLICATION FORM – Please complete the information requested and give us details on what the primary objectives of your charity are and who are your target users. Please note that details of specific projects that have been successful, and details on the successful outcomes for your users, are very important in the decision-making process. We are looking for charities that make a difference in their communities and who stand out in the work that they do.
Participation by past or current users is recognised and should be mentioned, as is sharing best practice and cross community work. We want to know what you do, what difference you make and what you are proud of in the area in which you work. We like to award grants to charities that are really changing the lives of their beneficiaries and whose users are able to progress as appropriate, and statistics or percentages that support this are desirable. We would also like to hear briefly about that other projects you have planned for the near future or are planning to run this year.
We also request that you tell us the region in which you operate (i.e. Scotland, North East or West, Northern Ireland, Wales, Yorkshire & the Humber, East or West Midlands, East Anglia, London, South East or South West or the Channel Islands). This is in order for the trustees to try and ensure that they support applications from across the whole of the UK.
Annual Report and Accounts
To reduce the carbon footprint of our application process, please do not send us your Annual Report & Accounts unless they are unavailable on the Charity Commission Website and are subsequently requested by the administrator.
We are interested in how much you hold as “free” or unrestricted reserves; which is that part of your funds free from any constraints as to their use. If you would like any clarification on this please read our FAQs and if still in doubt then contact the administrator. Please note the trustees are unlikely to fund any organisation with more than six months running costs in their unrestricted reserves. If your charity’s income is under £10,000, we will need to see evidence of your income and expenditure for the past year.
If your application passes the first round, we may contact you for further information.
Budget
Please provide us with your anticipated income and your proposed charitable and non-charitable expenditure for the year. Please also upload your Management Accounts for the current financial year either in full or in headline form if available.
Safeguarding Policies
The Trust now requires all organisations applying to submit a safeguarding policy and/ or child protection/ vulnerable adults policy in order to be considered for funding.