Aitken Family Charitable Trust

The Aitken Family Charitable Trust is a private grant-making trust established by deed on 16 February 2016 and registered with the Charity Commission on 11 July 2016. Governed by seven trustees—primarily Aitken family members and Ludlow Trust Company Ltd—it advances exclusively charitable purposes under English and Welsh law, with a stated focus on education and training while supporting general charitable activities for other charities and voluntary bodies across England and Wales. Its family-stewarded approach emphasizes trustee discretion, robust internal policies on risk, finance, and conflicts, and sound financial stewardship from a significant expendable endowment, reflecting values of prudent, low-profile philanthropy without strategic programmes or public agendas.

The trust funds broad charitable advancement, particularly education and training initiatives, benefiting established charities and voluntary organisations through discretionary grants for general purposes. It does not specify project, core, or capital support but aligns expenditure—typically in the hundreds of thousands annually—predominantly with institutional charitable activities, favouring medium to large entities over grassroots groups.

Eligible applicants must be UK-registered charities operating in England and Wales, with a preference for organisations of substantive size, though no formal income thresholds are published. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding occurs via trustee-led, rolling decisions at private meetings, with no published process, guidelines, deadlines, or typical grant ranges disclosed.

Distinctively, the trust excludes open calls, thematic prescriptions, or small/unproven groups, differentiating it as a discreet, invitation-only family funder reliant on trustee initiative rather than applicant-driven processes, ideal for aligned institutions pre-identified by trustees.