The John Apthorp Charity

A family charity, run by the children and grandchildren of the businessman John Apthorp CBE who died in 2024, funding specific capital purchases for registered charities benefiting residents of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. It funds things you would otherwise have to fundraise for — a minibus, disabled toilets, specialist equipment — and never core costs, staff costs or ongoing activities. There is no application form: you email your case directly. Usually fewer than half of applications result in a grant, and often for less than the amount asked for.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Amount not specified; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

Registered charities, checked against the Charity Commission register, whose grant will benefit residents of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or Cambridgeshire
In exceptional circumstances an organisation in the process of applying for charitable status is considered
Applications from state funded organisations such as state schools or NHS hospitals are not accepted; charities with links to them may apply but not where they are fundraising directly for a school or hospital, and schools opening their facilities to the community outside school hours have been funded exceptionally, through a charitable organisation with the school's agreement
British charities elsewhere may apply only for a specific project benefiting the catchment area
The application must come directly from the organisation, never a third party, and be sent from the charity's own email address
The charity checks reserves against the Charity Commission's recommended level of around 25% of annual spending, wanting to see that an applicant is viable but does not hold enough to cover the project itself
Organisations working with vulnerable adults or young people must show that staff are suitably qualified with enhanced disclosures in place, and that volunteers are police checked
Applicants must show they do not discriminate on the basis of faith, race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or disability; faith groups are supported where the project is open to all faiths and none with no requirement to take part in worship or religious instruction
Successful applicants must provide receipts and a follow-up report

What it funds

Capital projects: something purchased with a useful life of one year or more, specific and quantifiable
One-off capital expenditure is what the charity likes funding most — a new van, installing disabled toilets — with proper breakdowns of the costs involved and quotes rather than estimates
Pilot projects are occasionally considered where specialist equipment must be bought to run the pilot, on the understanding that once the idea is proven the charity applies elsewhere to continue it
The charity will exceptionally bridge a shortfall where another source of funding is confirmed but not yet in force and the applicant needs to keep operating until it arrives
Anything purchased must be for use by the charity itself and remain its property
Alterations to a building are possible only where the charity owns the building or holds a long lease with the freeholder's written permission, and has planning permission where the law requires it

What it will not fund

Core funding — the day-to-day running of your charity, or anything you do on a daily basis
Staff costs and overheads of any kind; any element of an application relating to staff costs will not be considered, even for a pilot project
Creating or expanding a post
Retrospective funding — you must apply before you incur any cost you expect the charity to cover
Items purchased to give away to a client, as opposed to for the charity's own use
Works to a property owned and used by a third party
Applications from state funded organisations such as state schools or NHS hospitals, or charities fundraising directly for a school or hospital
Applications from individuals, which are shredded on receipt
Applications submitted by a third party on a charity's behalf
Organisations with excessive reserves that would cover the cost of the project
Organisations funded by the charity in the past two years, and especially in the past year, unless there is exceptional need

case studies and letters of support from private individuals must not be included; an application containing details of a private individual is rejected and has to be resubmitted

the charity does not give money pro-rata for the number of clients who live in its catchment area

How to apply

Read the Who Can Apply page in full and confirm your project is a specific capital purchase for residents of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or Cambridgeshire
Email your application from the charity's own email address to JohnApthorpCharity@hotmail.com, addressed to The Trustees — there is no application form
State your charity number, your role in the organisation, and that you are authorised to submit the application
Describe the new and specific project you want funded, with no case studies
Give any time constraints on the project, how much you are seeking with a detailed breakdown and proper quotes rather than estimates, how much you have raised so far, and the total cost
Say who the project will help, who must be residents of the three counties
Include your charity's BACS details exactly as shown on the bank account, since grants are paid that way and details are checked before the meeting
Attach supporting documents, and link to your latest reports and accounts if they are not on the Charity Commission website

applications are presented to trustees in the order received, so a late application is more likely to be held over to the next meeting — apply early

the charity is run by volunteers and a part-time administrator working from home and publishes no phone number

Have ready

Charity number
Detailed cost breakdown with proper quotes, not estimates
Latest reports and accounts, or a link to them on the Charity Commission website
BACS details exactly as shown on the charity's bank account
A link to your website and social media, if you have them
Letters of support from prominent organisations your charity has links with, on the organisation's own behalf
For alterations to a building: evidence of ownership or a long lease with the freeholder's written permission, and planning permission where legally required

letters of support from private individuals must not be sent — they cannot be verified or stored

receipts and a follow-up report are required after the grant is spent

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.