Tudor Trust Grants

Currently closed for applications Active citizenship Addiction and substance misuse Adult Education/Learning Advice services Age Aged 60+ Black and minority ethnic Communities Community and neighbourhood development Community development Community safety and crime prevention Dependants and carers Education and learning Family and parenting Health promotion Health, wellbeing and sport Housing and homelessness Human rights and equality Medical conditions Offenders and ex-offenders People with disabilities Poverty and deprivation Rural development School, College and University Social inclusion Social partnership Social welfare and poverty Un/Employed Urban development Victims and survivors Voluntary and community infrastructure Young people (13-25) Africa Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain International Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Medium (up to £60,000) Micro (up to £1,000) Small (up to £10,000)

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Overview

As an independent grant maker an important part of their role is to support work which is untried and which has uncertain outcomes. However, innovation is not the be all and end all: they also recognise the need for sound, practical work which seeks to bring stability and wellbeing into difficult places and situations.

They trust the groups they fund and their funding guidelines are broad because they want to support the work that you really want to do. They seek to give you the opportunity and practical tools to do the work that you know is needed and they try to offer high levels of support and engagement when this is helpful and appropriate.

Their two-stage application process gives them more time to work creatively with applicants who reach the second stage. Through careful listening and constructive dialogue they hope to give you the opportunity to think about your options and develop a proposal which focuses on the real needs of your organisation and the people you are working with.

Who do they fund?

The Tudor Trust wants to support smaller groups, embedded in their communities, which work directly with people who are on the edges of mainstream society in ways which encourage inclusion, integration and independence. They are particularly interested in supporting work that develops and promotes the social connections and relationships which make such an important contribution to the well-being and quality of life of individuals, and which strengthens communities.

They are therefore much more likely to fund groups with an annual income of less than £1 million. In practice the majority of the organisations they support are much smaller than this: last year 83% of their grants went to groups with an annual income of less than £500,000. If you are from an organisation with an income of more than £1 million and want to discuss whether it is worth making an application please call the Information Team on 020 7727 8522 for advice.

About their grants

Many of their grants take the form of core funding: funding which goes towards the core costs of running an organisation, including salaries, overheads and day-to-day running costs. In 2019-2020 92% of their grants, by value, went towards core funding. Sometimes they may decide to offer unrestricted funding, through a grant which can be used entirely freely to further an organisation’s charitable objectives.

They can also provide project grants, capital grants for buildings or equipment and grants to help strengthen your organisation. In some situations they may look at making a short-term loan if this is the most helpful solution and you can demonstrate how you can pay it back: if you are interested in loan funding please ring the Information Team on 020 7727 8522 for advice before making an application.

There is no maximum or minimum grant, though in practice it is unusual for them to make a grant of less than £10,000. At the first stage of the application process they don’t ask you to specify exactly how much you are looking for, though it is fine to do so if you wish: if your application progresses to the second stage they will discuss your funding requirements in more detail then.

Usually grants are made over one, two or three years. They understand that tackling deep-rooted problems takes time so they sometimes fund over a longer period, usually by making a further grant following on from the original one. In 2019-2020 36% of their grants were for continuation funding. However, their interest in supporting work in the longer term has to be balanced against their need to encourage new groups and new thinking. This means that their funding can’t continue indefinitely.

Although their primary focus is grant making they also engage with the groups they support in other ways, offering advice and development support where this is needed. They're particularly keen to work with organisations where this kind of enhanced engagement will be of real benefit and make a significant contribution to what you want to achieve.

Funding Criteria

Tudor doesn't have specific funding programmes. They want to support organisations which -

1) Display positive organisational characteristics

Encourage and develop positive social connections and relationships
Are embedded in their community and can identify and channel the potential within that community
Have vision, energy and commitment and are reflective and open to change
Want to make a step change in the way they work, but need support to do this

2) Address marginalisation

Engage with a marginalised community or engage with a particularly marginalised group of people or ‘community of interest’
Provide direct support to individuals who are in real need
Are rooted in overlooked and neglected areas where funding is hard to come by
Affect the lives of marginalised people and communities in a positive way
Listen to and are responsive to their users and give users a voice
Offer longer-term engagement and support
Make good use of the resources they have

3) Make a difference

Generate a ripple effect – a wider impact beyond the immediate beneficiaries of the work
Display new thinking or demonstrate best practice: offer an exemplar others can learn from
Are interested in reflecting on their work and are generous in sharing their findings with others