Birthday House Trust

Birthday House Trust, established in 1966 and registered in England, is a historic charitable trust with a dual mission: providing sheltered accommodation for older people at its Birthday House facility in Easebourne, West Sussex, while making flexible grants to charities and individuals across England and Wales. Rooted in supporting the vulnerable, its broad ethos advances general charitable purposes—including education, health, disability, poverty relief, housing, arts, heritage, science, environment, religion, and community development—with a priority on arts, culture, heritage, science, environmental protection, and relief for those facing youth, age, ill-health, disability, or financial hardship. Beneficiaries include elderly people, disadvantaged communities, and registered charities, funding community development, arts/heritage projects, environmental initiatives, and responsive needs like project costs, core funding, capital, or emergencies.

Eligible applicants are primarily UK-registered charities, with a preference for small to medium-sized organisations working with vulnerable groups; there are no strict income limits, geographic restrictions within England and Wales, or religious barriers, though the Trust does not accept unsolicited applications—grants are awarded at trustee discretion following internal identification of needs.

Typical grants range from £500 to £5,000 (often £1,000–£3,000), decided at annual trustee meetings after the April financial year-end, with no public deadlines or application process. Distinctively, its professional governance by entities like Rathbones Trust Company, flexible non-prescriptive funding without match requirements, and unique blend of direct housing provision and generalist grantmaking set it apart as an inclusive supporter of civic good and elderly welfare in the national landscape, favouring impactful, trustee-led interventions over open calls.