The Symington Charity (Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity)

Symington Charity grants (Market Harborough, Great Bowden and Little Bowden)

Grants for people and organisations in Market Harborough, Great Bowden and Little Bowden only. The charity helps individuals and families facing hardship, sickness or distress, students in further education and vocational training, and local groups such as voluntary organisations, sports clubs, arts and music groups, scout groups and churches. There are no exclusions as to what will be considered, and no amounts are published.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Amount not specified; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Individuals, families, students and organisations in the charity's area of benefit, which is restricted to Market Harborough, Great Bowden and Little Bowden in Leicestershire; it cannot make grants for projects or applicants outside this area
Individuals should be experiencing hardship, sickness or distress; students resident in the area can apply whether they live at home or away during their studies
Organisations (voluntary organisations, sports clubs, arts and music groups, scout groups, churches, schools) must have a significant majority of their beneficiaries or members living in the area of benefit
The Trustees want to see the effort applicants have made to raise funds themselves

What it funds

Grants in line with the charity's constitution, for the general benefit of inhabitants in the area of benefit:

Supporting people in need, experiencing hardship or sickness
Improving social welfare, facilities for recreation and leisure time occupation
Supporting educational facilities
Other charitable purposes as the Trustees see fit

Past grants to individuals include a replacement cooker, decorating costs, school uniforms, a sofa, a bed and carpet; students have been helped with laptops, specialist equipment and living and travel costs; people training for coaching qualifications to help others in local sports clubs can also apply.

There are no exclusions as to what will be considered, but the Trustees are less likely to make repeat grants year on year.

How to apply

Complete the online grant application form on the charity's website, agreeing to information sharing and publicity
Say in one line what you want a grant for and how much you are asking for, then explain how you fit the area of benefit, what the grant will achieve and, for an organisation, how many people will benefit
Give the total cost, other funding secured and pending, and what you will do if you cannot raise the funds
Give financial information: home finances for an individual, or a summary of recent accounts for an organisation
Attach up to three supporting documents and submit
Trustees consider applications at their meetings, held at least four times a year

A hard copy form can be printed and posted if you cannot complete it online. Straightforward applications for relatively small amounts can be decided quickly without waiting for a full Trustee meeting.

Grants to organisations are usually publicised on the website and to the media; grants to individuals are not publicised without explicit consent.

Have ready

Financial information: income and home finances for individuals, or recent accounts for organisations
Quotes or estimates for works, if applying for help with building works
Letter of acceptance onto a university course or similar, if applying for help with the costs of studies
Cost breakdown of items, if applying for specialist equipment, furniture, school uniforms etc

Supporting documents are optional (maximum of 3 uploads).

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