Cobalt Trust

The Cobalt Trust is a generalist grant-making charity registered in England and Wales since March 2003 (charity number 1096342), governed by a small board of trustees led by Chair Stephen John Rodgers Dawson and Brigitte Dawson. Its core mission, as defined in its governing document, is to make discretionary grants for the relief of poverty, advancement of education, advancement of religion, and other charitable purposes benefiting people and communities worldwide, though its grant-making overwhelmingly focuses on England and Wales. Funded primarily by an endowment generating donations and investment income, the Trust emphasizes indirect impact through support to other charities and voluntary bodies, with a flexible, trustee-led approach that avoids thematic, sectoral, or beneficiary specialisms, reflecting values of breadth and adaptability rather than targeted strategies.

It funds a wide array of general charitable activities without published priorities, programmes, or example grants, including poverty relief, education, religious advancement, and broader charitable aims, suitable for organisations delivering indirect benefits via grants rather than direct services.

Eligible entities include charities and voluntary bodies of any size or income, with no geographic base restrictions (though England and Wales dominate), and no special criteria specified. Unsolicited applications are not accepted, as no public process, forms, online portal, or deadlines exist—likely invitation-only, with decisions at trustees' discretion and no fixed meeting schedule. Typical grant ranges and totals are unpublished, though 2024 expenditure reached £716,260 in charitable spending.

Distinctively, the Trust stands out for its complete lack of published guidance, case studies, funding philosophy, or evolving priorities, differentiating it as a purely discretionary, low-profile generalist funder ideal for broad-aligned charities able to secure trustee invitations, eschewing restrictions on grant types like core costs or capital while avoiding operational or non-charitable activities.