THE ASHWORTH CHARITABLE TRUST – Grants of up to £5,000
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to UK registered charities with an annual turnover of under £1 million that are working in the UK and/or overseas on projects that address humanitarian causes.
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o Application deadline: SATURDAY 31st AUGUST 2024.
o Funder: The Ashworth Charitable Trust (founded 1995. Charity number 1045492. Total value of all grants awarded during the year ended 5 April 2023: £209,241 (2022: £167,274; 2021: £173,672)).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities working in the UK and/or overseas, with a preference for supporting smaller charities with an annual turnover of under £1 million.
o Key words: Humanitarian Causes, Education, Social Justice, the Relief of Poverty, Disadvantaged People and Communities, Capacity Building, Community Development, Overseas, United Kingdom.
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The Ashworth Charitable Trust provides small grants, nominally up to £5,000 but usually averaging around £3,000, for project-based work in the UK and overseas. The Trust gives priority to smaller UK charities. The Trust’s underlying principles are:
o The oneness of humanity.
o The establishment of true justice.
o The paramount importance of education for all.
o The need to address the situation of the very poor and of those at the margins of society.
o That all people everywhere should be able to share the fruits of and be empowered to participate in the construction of a just, prosperous and sustainable society, and
o That to achieve these aims, it is necessary to build the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions.
Humanitarianism is usually accepted to be “an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional reasons“.
In the past, grants have been awarded to:
o Charities addressing social, physical, or educational rehabilitation.
o Charities offering information, support, relief or equipment for illness or disability.
o Charities supporting those members of society who may be considered as isolated, vulnerable, at risk or disadvantaged.
o Charities supporting victims of torture or human rights abuses.
o Charities helping to support carers.
o Holidays for disadvantaged children.
o Youth clubs, especially in disadvantaged areas.
o Women’s refuges.
o Homeless shelters.
o Orphanages.
o Charities supplying micro-loans, or other business enterprises in the Developing World, and
o Charities helping to provide access to medical care, food or water supplies in the Developing World.
During the year ended 5th April 2023, the Trust awarded 52 grants totalling £209,241 (2022: 49 grants totalling £167,274). Most grants were for between £3,000 and £5,000 with the occasional lower and higher award. There is no requirement for matched funding. However, charities that have previously been awarded a grant by the Trust cannot reapply for at least 3 years.
Funding is not available for:
o Animal welfare.
o Charities mainly involved in research, whether medical or otherwise.
o Charities which do not have a United Kingdom Registered Charity Number.
o Charities with a turnover of more than £1 million.
o Charities with disproportionately large reserves, unless there is an exceptional reason.
o heritage projects.
o Individuals.
o Museums, with the exception of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum.
o Non-humanitarian charities.
o Professionals representing individuals, unless they are applying from a registered charity.
o Projects promoting religious or political activities, or
o United Kingdom hospices (as the Trustees already sponsor a hospice of their choice within the South West region).
The Trust has two application deadlines each year, as follows:
1. 28th February annually for consideration at the Trust’s June meeting, and
2. 31st August annually for consideration at the Trust’s November meeting.
The next deadline for applications is therefore on Saturday 31st August 2024.
Further information, guidance, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and an online application form is available on the Trust’s website.