Trusts and foundations are grant-making organisations which distribute money among other charities.
Typically established by major donors or corporations, trusts and foundations, both of which are forms of charities, generally obtain their funds either via major gifts or through their endowment (income from invested donations).
There is no rule as to how trusts and foundations distribute their funds to other charities. It may be by establishing project specific grants which charities apply to receive, or they may accept grant applications for unspecified projects on a rolling deadline.
Both are regulated by the Charity Commission.
The Department for International Development must help foundations to improve transparency and pre-empt legal enforcement of reporting, according to a parliamentary report on DfID’s relationship with foundations.
The approval of the Health Lottery by the Gambling Commission has come under scrutiny by a parliamentary committee, which has requested a copy
of the legal advice the Commission obtained ahead of its decision.
The Health Lottery has raised £8m since launching in October but its claims to have expanded the lottery market as a whole have been disputed by the National Lottery.
The Health Lottery has fought back against criticisms made of it by Sir Stephen Bubb and claimed that the National Lottery in effect gives only 10p in the pound to charities – and most of that in London.
Meet the funders: The People's Postcode Trust
The People’s Postcode Trust is not your funder if you’re looking for core cost funding. If, however, you can demonstrate impact and work in local communities, you might be in luck, says the Trust’s head of charities Clara Govie.
Meet the funders: Heritage Lottery Fund
Learning and people are at the heart of Heritage Lottery Fund’s small grants programme, Your Heritage, says director of operations Bob Bewley.
The Big Lottery Fund has put £35m behind a new charity which will support and research the lives of military personnel who have left the forces.
Major donors, trusts and companies made fewer £1m-plus donations in 2009/10 than in the previous four years on record, according to an annual tracking report released today.
The Big Lottery Fund has launched a £10m fund for community partnerships that work towards financial, environmental and health sustainability in England.
Elements of the proposed new policy directions of the Big Lottery Fund threaten the funder's independence from government, the Directory for Social Change has warned.
The new owner of bailed-out Northern Rock bank has committed to supporting the Northern Rock Foundation at least until the end of 2013.
The National Council of Voluntary Organisations has contacted the Cabinet Office minister to express concern that the proposed new policy guidelines for the Big Lottery Fund could leave charities out in the cold.
Family foundations have increased their giving by more than a quarter over the past five years, significantly outpacing the progress of donations from companies or individuals, according to a new report.
Meet the funders: Barrow Cadbury Trust
Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Trust for an informal chat. But make sure you've read the website first.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has announced that its appeal for the East Africa Crisis, has so far raised the charity’s largest amount ever for a food crisis.
Meet the funders: Lloyds TSB Foundation
Linda Kelly, CEO at the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales, says that good governance and proof of results are key to receiving funding from her organisation.
Busting myths about investment income for grantmakers
Claire Brown nails the misconception that lower investment income means foundations must cut grants.
The Institute for Voluntary Action Research yesterday unveiled its findings into the ways funders can add value to a project with a 'funding plus' approach.
The Amy Winehouse Foundation officially launches today with donations in the UK being accepted through a fund set up by Comic Relief.
Donations made to Mitch Winehouse for the Amy Winehouse Foundation have had to be returned as somebody else had already registered the name.
The fundraising response to the riots which spread from London last week has already begun in earnest, with individuals and charities asking for charity donations.
The Big Lottery Fund has committed £20m for infrastructure development among charities delivering services, as the government releases details of its own £30m fund for the same purpose.
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland has lost a court battle in which it claimed it was owed £3.5m by its principle benefactor, the Lloyds Banking Group.
A new charitable foundation with a multi-million pound kitty has been created by former fund manager Guillaume Rambourg.
International communications provider Cable&Wireless has launched its own charitable foundation and is looking for charity partners to help improve the lives of people with special needs through communications technology.
Charities were told to focus on issues affecting women in the UK, just as they have begun to concentrate on investing in women in the developing world, at a meeting of fundraisers, academics and trust representatives yesterday.
Funders need to be more clear about what outcomes they want charities to produce and help those organisations in their ability to measure their impact, according to the findings of a report by New Philanthropy Capital.
Museums and galleries facing tightened budgets have been offered relief today, with the Arts Fund announcing a more than 50 per cent increase in its programme to fund the purchase and showing of pieces of art.
The impact of the government’s cuts to the Arts Council budget has now been felt by arts organisations themselves, with 206 previously-funded organisations losing out in the funders’ latest round.
The Lloyds TSB Foundation, one of the biggest grantmakers in England and Wales, saw a sharp increase in both eligible and total funding applications last year as charities tried to plug funding shortages.
