The Geoffrey Watling Charity

The Geoffrey Watling Charity grants

The Geoffrey Watling Charity gives grants for any charitable purpose to organisations in Norfolk and the former Waveney District of Suffolk. Grants range from £1,000 or less up to normally £30,000; there is no formal upper limit, but awards over £30,000 are very unlikely, and projects are rarely funded in full. Applications are accepted at any time through a short online form and decided at four trustee meetings a year, which can take up to 16 weeks. Unusually for a local trust, local churches, schools and CICs can apply as well as registered charities.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £30,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Charitable organisations operating in Norfolk or the former Waveney District of Suffolk
Eligible: charities registered with the Charity Commission (including CIOs); charitable companies, including Community Interest Companies; local churches that are excepted charities and listed on their denomination's website; and educational establishments listed on the Gov UK schools website, for charitable projects
Other organisations not registered with the Charity Commission must provide a written reference from someone unconnected with running the organisation, using the charity's reference form
National charities are not usually eligible
Annual accounts and returns must be up to date
Applicants, successful or not, must wait at least two years from the decision before applying again

What it funds

Any charitable purpose within Norfolk or the former Waveney District of Suffolk: capital works, projects, or revenue costs of a fixed duration
Specific projects or programmes are favoured over core organisational costs, and salary costs are rarely funded
Projects with only part of their activity in Norfolk, or with a connection to the area, may be considered
Grants are usually partial funding, are paid only once the project is fully funded and can start, and must be spent or legally committed within 12 months of payment

What it will not fund

Individuals
Private or trading companies operating commercially, or the trading arm of a charitable company
Organisations with overdue annual accounts or returns at the Charity Commission or Companies House
National charities are not usually eligible, even if the project is in the area
Salary costs are rarely funded

How to apply

Read the Application Guidelines and, optionally, print the list of questions
Register on the website and complete the online application form (paper applications are not accepted); it should be completed by a trustee or other authorised person
Save and return as needed, or invite a colleague to share the application, then upload supporting documents and submit (it cannot be edited after submission)
Receipt is normally acknowledged within 14 working days, with an indication of when trustees will consider it; answer any requests for more information promptly
Trustees decide at one of four meetings a year and notify the decision within 10 working days of the meeting
If successful, the grant is paid once the project is fully funded, and an end-of-grant monitoring report with evidence of spending is required

If you cannot apply online, email enquiries@geoffreywatling.org.uk for advice.

Because of demand, an application may not be considered at the next trustee meeting.

Have ready

Most recent set of accounts (unless readily available on the Charity Commission or another website you signpost)
Reserves policy
Additional information about the proposal, such as why it is needed and evidence for it
Detailed project budget, with copies of relevant quotations or estimates
Any relevant recent publicity material (optional)
Written reference from an unconnected individual on the charity's form, if your organisation is not registered with the Charity Commission

Do not upload videos, ZIP or large media files.

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