Millennium Oak Trust

The Millennium Oak Trust, established in 2000 by the Roads family as a UK-based, non-political, non-religious grant-making foundation, focuses on relieving hardship and distress, alleviating sickness to promote physical and mental health, advancing education, and supporting other public-benefit charitable purposes under UK law. Governed by trustees including chair Nicholas Morton Roads and family members, it embodies a trustee-led ethos of proactive stewardship, reviewing strategy, investments, and nominations quarterly to align grants with personal expertise in health, welfare, and environment, rather than open calls.

It funds diverse causes such as medical research and health advancement, children's welfare, disability support, education and training, animal welfare, environmental conservation, climate initiatives, disadvantaged communities, and overseas aid including famine relief and refugee support. Beneficiaries span the general public, those in need or distress, children, disabled individuals, and affected communities, with grants primarily to registered charities and voluntary bodies—not individuals—for projects, core costs, research, and capacity building.

Eligible entities are UK-registered charities based in the UK (primarily England and Wales, with UK-wide and select overseas reach), favoring small to medium-sized organizations without strict income limits. Typical grants range from £5,000 to £25,000, with annual expenditure around £280,000. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; trustees nominate via networks and contact recipients directly, deciding at quarterly meetings with no public deadlines. Distinctively, its broad, multi-disciplinary scope and rigorous, relationship-driven model prioritize high-impact work matching trustee interests, excluding routine individual aid and open competitions.