GrantRadar

The Lawson Trust CIO

The Lawson Trust grants

The Lawson Trust (successor to the Raymond and Blanche Lawson Charitable Trust) gives grants of up to £6,000 to registered charities benefiting people in Kent and Sussex. It funds five priorities: arts and heritage, education, environment, health, and social and economic disadvantage, with priority for organisations engaged at community level in Kent and Sussex. Trustees meet four times a year; the deadline for the February 2027 meeting is 12 noon on 18 December 2026, and applications may close a few days early if too many arrive.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £6,000
Deadline
61 days left
18 December
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Registered charities benefiting people in Kent and Sussex, including national charities that direct support to, or have beneficiaries in, Kent and Sussex
  • Not open to individuals, non-registered charities, CICs, overseas charities, political parties, scout groups or PTAs, or to charities that are neither local to Kent and Sussex nor national
  • The Trust points Kent organisations seeking up to £5,000 to Kent Community Foundation (Lawson Endowment for Kent), and Sussex organisations with income under £2 million to Sussex Community Foundation (Lawson Endowment for Sussex); organisations may apply to both the Trust and the community foundations
  • A charity given a grant cannot be considered again until two years after the award

What it funds

Charitable work in Kent and Sussex within the Trust's five key funding priorities:

  • Arts and Heritage
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Social & economic disadvantage

organisations which can best demonstrate engagement at community level within Kent and Sussex will always be a priority. National charities can be supported where they direct their support to Kent and Sussex or have beneficiaries there.

What it will not fund

  • Individuals
  • Non-registered charities
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs)
  • Overseas charities
  • Political parties
  • Promotion of religion
  • Scout groups
  • Parent teacher associations
  • National charity overheads
  • National charity remote information and advice services
  • Charities that are neither local nor national (for example, a charity operating solely in Southampton)
  • Requests over £6,000 (automatically disqualified)
  • General appeals or mail shots

How to apply

  1. Check eligibility against the Funding Guidelines
  2. Register on the Trust's application site (lawsontrust.benefactorcloud.co.uk) and complete the online form; it can be saved and revisited, and it closely mirrors Kent Community Foundation's form, so Kent applicants can reuse a recent KCF application
  3. Read the question help text carefully, especially when choosing areas of operation
  4. Submit by 12 noon on 18 December 2026 to be considered at the February 2027 meeting
  5. Respond to any emails from the Trust; applicants who do not respond will not be considered
  6. The outcome is communicated within two working days of the board meeting

trustees may close applications a few days early if the number received exceeds their review capacity.

add the Trust's email address to your safe senders list. Postal applications are not accepted; feedback on unsuccessful applications is available on request.

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