The objective of the Leslie Sell Charitable Trust is to support youth groups, principally Scouts and Guides, but also other community groups, at the discretion of the Trustees in accordance with the trust deed.

The Trust makes cash grants to scout and guide groups to help with the financing of small projects such as building works, transport or equipment. In addition, the Trust makes grants to groups and individual scouts and guides towards the costs of trips. During the year ended 5 April 2022, the Trust awarded grants totalling £186,519 (2021: £170,075; 2020: £157,402).

Specifically, the Trust’s Peter Sell Annual Award is designed to engage and involve young people in the Scout and Guide associations. While the Leslie Sell Charitable Trust awards hundreds of grants each year, the Peter Sell Annual Award is intended to support something different to the normal range of grants made by The Leslie Sell Charitable Trust.

The Trust invites applications which seek to do the following:

o Widen engagement and involvement in Scouting and Guiding – in particular, the Trustees welcome applications that will encourage people to engage with scouting or guiding who have not previously done so, and
o Have a legacy beyond the initial expenditure of the grant – e.g. through a focus and engagement in environmental projects or by encouraging engagement of people in such projects, some of whom may then remain involved in the long term.

A grant of up to £5,000 is available with no matched funding requirement to organisations in the Scout and Guide movement across the UK.

Further information, guidance and details about how to apply to the Peter Sell Annual Award is available on the Trust’s website. Applications should be made in writing following the instructions on the Trust’s website.

The application deadline for the Peter Sell Annual Award is Thursday 14th September 2023 (applications to the Leslie Sell Charitable Trust may be made at any time).