Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust

The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust, established in 1968 in memory of Austin Pilkington of the Pilkington glass family and his wife Hope, is a UK grantmaker dedicated to supporting registered charities that address the greatest challenges faced by vulnerable and marginalised groups, guided by principles of social equity, fairness, and alleviating disadvantage. Its distinctive strategic approach features a rotating annual theme cycle across four quarterly funding rounds, enabling targeted impact on pressing issues like mental health, disability, poverty relief, housing, domestic abuse, homelessness, prisoners/ex-offenders, care leavers, and in 2025 Rounds 3 and 4, exclusively refugees and asylum seekers. This cyclical focus rotates to cover broad areas including health, social welfare, arts/culture/heritage, science, and support for children, youth, elderly, and disabled people, prioritising revenue funding for service delivery or core costs to foster sustained change.

Eligible applicants are solely UK-registered charities (Charity Commission or OSCR) based anywhere in the UK, with no regional restrictions; CICs and unregistered groups are ineligible. Income thresholds vary by round: £100,000–£1 million for Rounds 1 and 3; over £1 million (no upper limit) for Rounds 2 and 4. Projects must align exclusively with the round's beneficiary group, and only one application per charity per year is allowed.

Grants are fixed at £1,000 (Rounds 1/3) or £5,000 (Rounds 2/4), awarded quarterly via a simple online form during one-month windows (e.g., Round 3 closes 31 July 2025; Round 4, 30 September 2025), with decisions in 8–12 weeks. Exclusions include capital projects, equipment, emergencies, and non-exclusive beneficiary work; its hallmark is rigorous theme alignment, transparency, and measurable impact for specialist providers tackling systemic exclusion.