THE ERNEST KLEINWORT CHARITABLE TRUST SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE GRANT PROGRAMMES

Grants of up to and over £20,000 for UK registered charities working in the UK and/or internationally in the area of Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, and internationally in the area of Reproductive Health. The Trust also makes grants to Sussex charities in a range of other areas, as detailed below.
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o Application deadlines: applications for a SMALL GRANT (up to £10,000) may be made at any time. The application deadline for a MEDIUM GRANT (£10,001-£20,000) is TUESDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2025. Applications for a LARGE GRANT close on TUESDAY 4th MARCH 2025. Further application deadlines for both the Medium Grants and Large Grants programme is provided in the main text below.
o Funder: The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust (founded 1963. Charity number 1197205. Total value of all grants awarded during the year ended 31 March 2024: £1,954,409 (2023: £1,738,890; 2022: £1,657,585; 2021: £1,830,000)).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities. Although the Trust exercises a preference for supporting Sussex charities, it will also award across the UK and internationally.
o Key words: Start-Up Costs, Project Costs, Core Costs, Older People/Elderly, Disability, Social Welfare, Hospices, Youth, Cost-of-Living (all Sussex only), Reproductive Health (Internationally only, particularly in Africa and Asia), Wildlife, Environment, Conservation (United Kingdom and Internationally), Sussex, Overseas, United Kingdom.
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The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, which became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO no. 1197205) in May 2022, transferring its funds from the charity of the same name (no. 229665), provides grant support to UK charities working in the following areas:
o Charitable work in the County of Sussex.
o Wildlife & Environmental Conservation (UK and Internationally), and
o Reproductive Health (Internationally only) – applications within this category will only be considered for family planning projects delivered in Africa and Asia, and in areas where there is clear and intended impact on the environment.
1. Applicants in Sussex only may apply for work that supports the following:
o Care of the Elderly.
o Disability.
o General (Social) Welfare.
o Hospices, and
o Youth.
2. Applicants elsewhere in the UK or abroad may apply for:
o Reproductive Health (Internationally only, particularly in Africa and Asia), and
o Wildlife & Environmental Conservation (UK and Internationally).
If you’re a charity outside of Sussex but operating elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you can only apply for a grant in the area of Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, and if you’re a UK charity operating internationally, you can apply for a project in the areas of (a) Reproductive Health and (b) Wildlife & Environmental Conservation.
The Trust is currently accepting applications to its Small. Medium and Large Grant programmes. There is no requirement for matched funding.
The Trust provides 3 levels of funding:
1. Small Grants up to £10,000: applications may be made at any time.
2. Medium Grants between £10,001 and £20,000. Please note that there is an imminent application deadline of Tuesday 4th February 2025 Medium Grant applications, and
3. Large Grants over £20,001. The Large Grants programme has an application deadline of Tuesday 4th March 2025.
Please note that Large Grants are usually restricted to charities with whom the trustees have built up a deep understanding and/or close relationship over a period of several years.
Grants can be used for:
o Start-up costs.
o Core costs, and
o A specific project (capital expenditure or assistance with running costs).
During the year ended 31st March 2024, the Trust received 340 (2023: 323) requests for grant support, of which 204 or 60% (2023: 184 or 57%) were supported. Grants awarded totalled £1,954,409 (2023: £1,738,890; 2022: £1,657,585; 2021: £1,830,000). The Trust does not provide a list of grant recipients in its annual accounts or on its website.
Funding is not available for:
o Animal rescue or animal welfare organisations.
o Campaigning organisations.
o Charities not funded by any other charity.
o Charities whose main aim is to raise funds for other charities with substantial cash reserves.
o Churches and places of worship outside of Cuckfield and Haywards Heath (NB even within Cuckfield and Haywards Heath, grant opportunities for these purposes are extremely limited).
o Community interest companies (CICs).
o Expeditions or overseas travel.
o General requests for donations.
o Individuals or charities applying on behalf of individuals.
o International food security projects.
o Large national charities, which have substantial fundraising potential, income from legacies and/or endowment income.
o Local authorities.
o Organisations not registered as charities or those that have been registered for less than a year.
o Out-of-school play schemes including pre-school and holiday schemes.
o Pre-school groups.
o Proposals from regional wildlife trusts other than in Sussex, or
o Very small and narrowly specialised activities.
Further information, guidance and an application for is available on the Trust’s website. Charities interested in applying should complete the online Eligibility Questionnaire in the first instance.
Applications may be made at the following times:
1. Small Grant applications (up to £10,000) are accepted throughout the year and may be made at any time.
2. Medium Grant applications (£10,001 – £20,000) are accepted 4 times each year. The next application deadline is Tuesday 4th February 2025. Further application windows are scheduled for:
o Friday 18th April to Monday 12th May 2025.
o Thursday 10th July – Wednesday 13th August 2025, and
o Thursday 9th October to Wednesday 12th November 2025.
3. Large Grant applications (over £20,001) are accepted twice a year. The next deadline for applications is Tuesday 4th March 2025. The following application window is scheduled for:
o Thursday 10th July to Wednesday 10th September 2025.