Amateurs Trust

The Amateurs Trust is a UK grant-making charity established on 2 July 1999, dedicated to improving health, advancing education, and alleviating hardship, with roots in supporting communities in Luton, Bedfordshire, north Hertfordshire, and Dorset. Guided by principles of inclusivity, public benefit, and aid for vulnerable groups, it has evolved to fund UK-wide charities and overseas projects overseen by registered UK charities, emphasizing measurable impact through robust governance and a small team of long-standing trustees focused on financial prudence and risk management.

It prioritizes health initiatives like life-saving efforts and disability support; education and training; poverty relief; economic and community development; and employment opportunities, targeting children and young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, and broader public welfare. Funding supports direct services, research projects, core costs essential to charitable delivery, and occasionally capital for facilities or equipment, always for organizational public benefit rather than individuals.

Eligible applicants are strictly UK-registered charities of small to medium size (occasionally larger), with no income thresholds but a preference for established entities demonstrating strong alignment and impact; primary geographic focus is the specified regions, extendable nationally or internationally via UK charities. Grants typically range from £5,000 to £30,000, awarded at trustee discretion during annual meetings (usually July/August), but only to invitees identified through networks—no unsolicited applications or public processes are accepted.

Distinctively invite-only, the Trust avoids campaigning or individual grants, differentiating itself through flexible local-to-global scope, values-driven generalism, and enduring commitment to long-term community welfare under stringent oversight.