Normanby Charitable Trust

The Normanby Charitable Trust, established in 1966 by the Phipps family—most notably the Marquis of Normanby—operates as a discreet, family-stewarded grant-maker dedicated to general charitable purposes for public benefit, with a steadfast focus on community welfare in North Yorkshire and the North East of England. Guided by values of discretion, stewardship, and long-term regional loyalty, it supports registered charities and voluntary organisations rather than individuals, prioritising rural, heritage, and community initiatives through modest, selective grants informed by trustees' deep local knowledge and relationships.

It funds heritage conservation projects, including preservation of historic religious and secular buildings; rural development and farming community programmes (e.g., via partners like The Royal Countryside Fund); and local voluntary activities that bolster grassroots efforts in rural livelihoods and community resilience. Grants typically target defined, localised projects or one-off capital needs, with occasional modest contributions to running costs but rarely multi-year or unrestricted support.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups, favouring small to medium-sized organisations with strong local roots and moderate incomes in North Yorkshire or the North East; national entities are seldom supported unless delivering direct regional impact. The trust does not accept unsolicited applications—adopting an invitation-only process via trustee networks—and holds ad hoc board meetings two to three times yearly with no published deadlines or forms.

Distinctive for its unchanging, generalist yet regionally anchored approach, the trust avoids large-scale or non-local causes, ongoing funding, and public application cycles, differentiating it as a quietly influential supporter of heritage-rooted, rural community continuity best aligned with organisations sharing its traditional, relationship-driven ethos.