THE CHARLES PLATER TRUST LARGE GRANTS PROGRAMME
A limited number of revenue grants of between £5,001 and £60,000 are available to registered charities and not-for-profit groups in England and Wales for projects that advance social justice through education and align with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
__________
o Application deadline: WEDNESDAY 26th FEBRUARY 2025 at 5pm for the Large Grants programme (the Trust’s Small Grants programme, which offers grants of up to £5,000, becomes available each Autumn).
o Funder: The Charles Plater Trust (founded 2006. Charity number 309719. Total value of all grants awarded during the year ended 31 March 2023: £295,163 (2022: £137,479; 2021: £225,161)).
o Who can apply: registered charities and community groups in England and Wales that are aligned with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
o Key words: Revenue, Religion, Catholic Social Teaching and Thought, Social Justice, Education, Training, Poverty, Social Exclusion, Inequality, Environment, Wales, England.
___________
The Charles Plater Trust (CPT) is an independent charitable organisation that makes grants to a wide range of religious and non-religious organisations, people, and groups, supporting leadership, social action, and applied research projects across England and Wales. The Trust supports its partners to deliver social justice through education in its broadest sense. The Trust mainly supports (but not exclusively) voluntary sector organisations with annual incomes below £10 million, as typically it is these charities that struggle most to secure income.
The Trust has just launched it’s 2025 large grants programme with £385,000 available in large grants to plant seeds of hope in England and Wales this year.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ dedication of 2025 as a Jubilee Year, with its theme of “Pilgrims of Hope,” the CPT is reaching out to charities of all kinds who want to make Catholic Social Teaching values come alive in their practice, and to act as agents for hope for those in need. Please note that applicants do not need to be Roman catholic organisation. The Trust states that “some of our most successful past grants have been given to organisations that are not Roman Catholic or Christian, but whose objectives are clearly aligned with Catholic Social Teaching principles”.
The Trust’s wants to encourage three different types of change through its funding support.
(1) Change for individuals – achieving significant change for individuals who are the most marginalised in the UK today.
(2) Change for organisations – enhancing the capacity of organisations to respond more effectively to social needs, and
(3) Change for wider society – generating social or systemic change through policy or practice change.
The following grants are available:
(1) Large Grants Programme for grants of between £5,001- £60,000. Grants awarded are typically around £30,000 – £50,000, to be spent within two years. However, for exceptional projects the Trust may consider higher levels of funding for up to £60,000. A fully completed online application form with supporting documentation and an external reference must be completed for this type of grant.
(2) Small Grants Programme for grants of between £1,000-£5,000. Grants awarded are typically around £3,000 to £5,000 and are designed to support projects usually at parish or local levels. All projects should be completed within one year. To be eligible for a small grant an organisation must have an annual turnover of less than £100,000 and be a legally registered charity. A condensed online application form must be completed for this type of grant and an external reference and supporting documentation is required. The Small Grants programme normally opens to applications each Autumn.
Please note that the size of an applicant’s charity determines what type of grant the can apply for. Further information is available on the Trust’s website.
The closing date for applications to the Large Grants programme is Wednesday 26th February 2025, with successful applicants publicly announced at an award ceremony – which successful applicants will be expected to attend – held by The Trust on Tuesday 24th June 2025 in London.
Further details, guidance and information about how to apply is available on the Trust’s website.
Contact details for the Trust are:
Dr Philomena Cullen
Trust Manager
The Charles Plater Trust
39 Eccleston Square
London
SW1V 1BX
Tel: 020 7901 1907
Email: plater@plater.org.uk