Ogilvie Charities

Ogilvie Charities is a longstanding UK funder rooted in Suffolk and Essex, now supporting communities across England and Wales, with a mission to assist those facing age-related needs, ill health, disability, poverty, or other disadvantages. Guided by compassion, practical support, and community benefit, they uniquely blend direct service provision—through sheltered housing and almshouses—with targeted grant-making to enhance independence, wellbeing, and quality of life. Their distinctive approach prioritizes person-centred aid, including grants for essential household items, respite holidays for carers, education/training (favoring those from orphanages, care, visual impairment, or with criminal records), and support for disability, poverty relief, older people, children/young people, and other charities benefiting the public.

They fund small projects promoting independence and basic needs, such as providing housing for older/disabled individuals and one-off grants for acute hardships, but exclude core costs or large capital builds. Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities or community groups demonstrating benefits to priority areas (Suffolk, Essex, London), with a preference for small, grassroots organizations evidencing local impact; individuals require referrals from professionals like social workers. No religious restrictions apply, and no strict income thresholds exist.

Grants to charities typically range £250–£2,000 (rarely over £5,000), with individual awards £200–£300; housing is provided in-kind on a rolling basis. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—charities submit EOIs by email/letter before the annual 15 September deadline for trustee review, while individual/housing requests follow separate rolling processes with 4–8 week responses. This hybrid model of housing stewardship and responsive grants sets them apart for practical, community-embedded impact.