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The Charlotte Aitken Trust

The Charlotte Aitken Trust

A literature trust funded by the estate of the literary agent Gillon Aitken, in the name of his daughter Charlotte. It opens for a single funding round each year — the next runs 1 to 31 October 2026 — and takes applications of no more than £30,000 from organisations whose core purpose is the support of literature and literacy. The first step is only a contact form: no more than six requests go forward to the trustees' Winter Board Meeting, and only those invited receive the application guidelines. The exclusion list is long and firmly worded, and organisations outside its objectives are told they will not receive a reply.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £30,000
Closes in
13 days left
31 October
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Only organisations whose core purpose is the support of literature and literacy
  • The Trust notes that many of its partnerships have social impact, but an organisation whose primary objectives are social reform, or which has a specific religious or political goal, is not eligible and will not receive a reply
  • Individuals, independent publishers and literary magazines cannot apply
  • Because of current and ongoing commitments the Trust cannot consider further applications from the theatrical industry, literary festivals, libraries, individual schools, writing courses or major capital projects
  • Applications must be for grants of no more than £30,000
  • Anything received outside the advertised funding round dates will not be considered

What it funds

  • Work strictly related to the Trust's underlying mission to educate the public in the appreciation of literature, and to promote the creative arts for the public benefit, especially literature whether fiction, non-fiction, drama or poetry
  • It has:
  • Funded book prizes
  • Championed playwrights and theatres
  • Made donations supporting the infrastructure of artistic organisations and buildings of national importance
  • Championed schemes promoting creative writing in schools

Partners include the Arvon Foundation, Give A Book, the Almeida Theatre, the London Library, the National Poetry Centre, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction and the Young Vic.

What it will not fund

  • Organisations whose primary objectives focus on social reform, or with a specific religious or political goal — these are not eligible and will not receive a reply
  • Applications from the theatrical industry, due to current and ongoing commitments
  • Literary festivals
  • Libraries
  • Individual schools
  • Writing courses
  • Major capital projects
  • Applications from individuals
  • Independent publishers
  • Literary magazines
  • Any application received outside the advertised funding round dates

How to apply

  1. Check that your organisation's core purpose is the support of literature and literacy, and that you are not in one of the excluded categories
  2. Within the funding round window of 1 to 31 October 2026, complete the contact form on the Trust's website to begin the process
  3. Wait to hear whether your request to apply is successful — if it is, you receive a reply with the application guidelines and relevant dates
  4. Complete the full application using those guidelines

no more than six applications go forward to be considered by the trustees at the Winter Board Meeting

applications received outside the round dates, or from organisations outside the Trust's objectives, will not be considered and in some cases will not be replied to

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