North East Thames Quaker Trust

The North East Thames Quaker Trust, established in 1966 as the Ratcliff and Barking Monthly Meeting Trust and Fund for the Poor, is a charitable funder rooted in Quaker values of truth, peace, simplicity, equality, compassion, stewardship, and social justice. It supports the North East Thames Area Meeting and extends to other UK Quaker Area and Yearly Meetings, focusing on relieving hardship, advancing Quaker education and training, and promoting religious and spiritual life among members, attenders, and institutions of the Religious Society of Friends. Its distinctive, responsive approach emphasizes needs-based grants that foster spiritual growth, community wellbeing, and resilience within the Quaker network.

The Trust funds direct financial relief for individuals facing hardship, educational courses, conferences, and training to strengthen Quaker identity, and projects enhancing religious practice and fellowship. Beneficiaries include Quaker members and attenders in financial difficulty, small grassroots groups, and local Quaker organizations, with examples like support for the Quaker Congo Partnership and property trusts. It prioritizes modest-scale initiatives covering core costs, project expenses, or participation fees, targeting poverty alleviation and faith deepening.

Eligible applicants are primarily members and some attenders from the North East Thames Area Meeting or connected UK Quaker bodies (England and Wales), with no strict income limits but a preference for smaller needs; non-Quakers are excluded. Applications are unsolicited via official Forms A or B (downloaded from netaqm.org.uk), submitted by email or post in consultation with a Quaker overseer, on a rolling basis ahead of quarterly trustee meetings (e.g., 9 February and 27 April 2025), with decisions in 4-8 weeks. Typical grants range from hundreds to £1,000 for individuals and up to £2,000 for groups, avoiding large capital or unrestricted funding, setting it apart as a Quaker-specific steward of community resources.