Charitable Trust - Overview

The Girdlers’ Company Charitable Trust, of which the Girdlers’ Company is the Trustee, is the Company’s grant-making vehicle. The Company periodically makes significant Gift Aided donations to the Trust, which in turn makes donations and grants in excess of £700,000 each year to registered and exempt charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and Community and Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs).

Around half of this sum consists of grants to around 30 Principal Charities with whom the Trust has long term relationships. Applications are not currently invited for this long term funding, although applications for one-off grants for projects that meet a specific area of need may be submitted. To find out if your organisation is eligible to apply for a one-off grant please take our eligibility quiz.

The Company completed a review of its grant making activity in 2017 and agreed to continue to direct support from the Charitable Trust to the charities with whom there is an existing relationship. In the case of charities new to the Trust, the Company endorsed the review’s recommendation to focus on those which support specific areas of need.

The Company’s Benefactions Committee, aided by the Charity Manager, is responsible for the process by which charities are selected and the extent of each grant is determined, and its recommendations are submitted to the Court for the latter’s approval. All of the charities supported by the Trust are reviewed at regular intervals against a number of criteria set by the Court.