Dover College Trust

The Dover College Trust, a registered charity established on 17th March 1944 by figures including Hon. John Jacob Astor MP and other local philanthropists, exists solely to advance education at Dover College, an independent school in Dover, Kent. Its enduring mission focuses on endowing permanent capital improvements to the college's estate and providing scholarships or bursaries for pupils from families unable to afford fees, embodying core values of educational access, permanence, stewardship, and long-term institutional sustainability. Distinctively, the Trust is governed exclusively by former pupils (Old Dovorians) who maintain an independent, scrutinising partnership with the college's governing body, preserving donor legacies and prioritising transformational benefits.

It funds targeted capital projects of lasting impact—such as resurfaced astroturfs, sports hall upgrades, boiler replacements, Gatehouse roofing, building extensions like the Leo Wright Building, Creative Digital Media suites, and Individual Needs hubs—alongside substantial annual bursary contributions to broaden pupil diversity. Beneficiaries are strictly Dover College pupils, with scholarships occasionally tied to Oxford or Cambridge in the hypothetical closure of the college as an independent school.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding is reserved exclusively for Dover College, an academic institution in Dover, Kent, with no income size restrictions or support for external entities, regions, or charities. Grants total £200,000–£500,000 annually, allocated internally by trustees in line with the college's planning cycles, without public deadlines or open processes.

The Trust stands out in UK philanthropy for its hyper-focused dedication to one historic school, rejecting all unrelated projects, revenue funding, or generalist causes, and enforcing bequest conditions to ensure perpetual alignment with Dover College's welfare.