GrantRadar

The Jessie Spencer Trust

Jessie Spencer Trust grants

Small grants, generally £500 to £5,000, from a Nottinghamshire general charitable trust founded in 1962. In practice the trustees support charitable projects and activities in, or benefiting people in, the East Midlands, and favour organisations where the grant 'makes a difference', such as small organisations with little access to similar grants, and those with significant volunteer support. Applications are made through a short online form at any time and are decided at quarterly trustee meetings in March, June, September and December; only successful applicants are told.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£500 – £5,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • UK registered charities and Community Interest Companies; the trust says it is unusual to fund individuals or other organisations, and the application asks for evidence of charitable purpose from organisations that are neither
  • In practice the trustees support charitable projects and activities in, or benefiting people in, the East Midlands (the Charity Commission register gives Nottinghamshire as its area of operation, and most recent grants went to Nottinghamshire organisations, alongside national charities)
  • The application must show who will benefit and that the benefit is sustainable, and that the project will actually go ahead, with its costs and other funding identified
  • Organisations working with vulnerable people must confirm they have appropriate safeguarding policies

What it funds

  • Charitable projects and activities in, or benefiting people in, the East Midlands
  • Grants to organisations where the amount 'makes a difference', for example a gift to a small organisation unlikely to have access to similar grants
  • Regular income over a number of years, allowing an organisation to plan a particular project
  • Organisations with significant volunteer support

The trust is a general charitable trust. Its 2024-25 grants covered arts, churches, education, ex-services, medical and disability, community welfare, and groups and clubs.

What it will not fund

  • Individuals
  • Organisations that are not UK registered charities or Community Interest Companies
  • Endowment appeals
  • Loans or business finance
  • Sponsorship or marketing appeals or fundraising events
  • Campaigning work and projects that are primarily political
  • Activities that are the responsibility of the local health or education authority or similar body
  • Activities that have already taken place
  • General or mail shot appeals

How to apply

  1. Read the Trust's Grant Policy to check your project fits
  2. Register with an email address and password on the online application form (jessiespencer.grantapps.net/form1); the questions can be previewed before registering
  3. Give organisation details, including charity or CIC status, principal activity and safeguarding confirmation, then contact details
  4. Give a project title, the value of grant sought and a project description of up to 4,000 characters covering: the project and how it meets the grant policy; who will benefit and how the benefit is sustainable; likely costs and other finance available; and whether it is run by paid staff and/or volunteers, and how many
  5. Upload your latest annual accounts and any other supporting papers, confirm the declaration and submit
  6. Trustees consider applications at their quarterly meetings in March, June, September and December

Successful applicants are contacted by email after each meeting; to limit costs, unsuccessful applicants are not informed.

Have ready

  • Latest annual accounts (the How to Apply page asks for the last audited accounts; maximum file size 20MB)

Up to two further supporting papers can be added. Organisations working with vulnerable people must be able to provide copies of their safeguarding policies if requested.

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