Castanea Trust

Castanea Trust is a grant-making charity registered in England and Wales on 3 June 2010, overseen by three trustees with no subsidiaries or trading arms. Its core mission is to enhance quality of life for vulnerable groups through compassionate, targeted grants, emphasizing dignity, health, and wellbeing for ex-service personnel and their families, sick children seeking life enhancement, elderly people in need of care, and animals at risk or suffering. Rooted in values of service, suffering alleviation, and practical stewardship, the Trust adopts a quietly supportive approach, prioritizing direct service delivery over research or advocacy, with rigorous governance including reserves policies, conflict management, and risk controls.

The Trust funds projects advancing health and lifesaving efforts, poverty relief, armed forces and emergency services support, animal welfare, and general charitable purposes. Grants support established charities delivering immediate outcomes, such as veterinary care for pets of those in hardship (e.g., PDSA), social care for children and older people, and aid for ex-military communities, including project funding, core costs, and capacity building across health, animal welfare, and social care.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities operating in England and Wales, with no income thresholds, size restrictions, or geographic sub-limits, though a proven track record in direct services to vulnerable groups is preferred. Funding is invite-only via the Trust's network—no unsolicited applications or public forms—with rolling decisions at regular trustee meetings and no fixed deadlines. Typical grant amounts are unspecified but align with projects yielding clear beneficiary impact.

Distinctively, Castanea balances human and animal welfare without religious or other exclusions, avoiding complex restrictions beyond mission alignment, setting it apart for charities offering tangible relief to acutely needy populations in these core areas.