Daisychain Benevolent Fund Trust

The Daisychain Benevolent Fund Trust, established in 2008 and rooted in the Daisychain Benevolent Fund Ltd, is a community-driven charity dedicated to preserving health and relieving sickness among children and young adults in the West Midlands and neighbouring English counties. Operating through a network of charity shops, 180 volunteers, and four trustees including founders Gregory Rowe and Davina Rowe, it raises and reinvests funds into targeted paediatric healthcare, emphasising responsive, needs-led support for acute illness, emotional care, and family challenges. Its ethos prioritises practical, immediate impact via collaborations with local hospitals like UHNS, Queens Hospital Burton, and partners such as Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Trust funds project-specific initiatives enhancing youth health outcomes, including medical equipment (e.g., incubators), ward refurbishments, specialist nurses, youth support coordinators, and cancer care services. Grants target paediatric wards, hospital units, and aligned charities delivering frontline services in children's and young people's health, with a focus on gaps unmet by statutory funding.

Eligibility is highly restrictive: only medium-to-large hospital units or established national charities with local West Midlands delivery are considered, based on existing relationships—no unsolicited applications accepted. Trustees review and allocate grants annually at meetings, typically announcing awards in spring/summer, with no open deadlines or forms.

Typical grants range from £8,000–£34,000 per project (up to £82,000 for key partners), totalling ~£170,000 yearly; no core/unrestricted funding, small grassroots groups, or non-local/non-paediatric causes. Distinctively, its shop-funded, volunteer-led model delivers tangible, place-based interventions, differentiating it as a proactive partner for Midlands youth health providers rather than a broad grantmaker. (Visit https://www.daisychainbenevolentfund.co.uk for partnerships.)