Oglesby Charitable Trust

The Oglesby Charitable Trust, an independent family foundation established in 2001 by Manchester-based philanthropists Michael Oglesby CBE DL and Jean Oglesby CBE, drives its mission of "Creating Thriving Communities" by strengthening the cultural, environmental, and social fabric of Northern England, particularly Greater Manchester and the North West. Rooted in the founders' Bruntwood business legacy but operating distinctly, the Trust embodies values of collaboration, community empowerment, co-design with beneficiaries, trustee hands-on involvement, risk-taking on innovative early-stage ideas, and long-term sustainable impact beyond mere funding. Since inception, it has awarded over £35 million to more than 300 charities, disbursing around £3 million annually.

Funding centers on four themes: arts (cultural institutions, theatres, music education); environment (climate mitigation, green improvements via Green Grants up to £10,000 for recent grantees); health (wellbeing, services tackling inequalities, e.g., hospices like St Ann's); and social inequality (root-cause interventions for disadvantaged communities, youth zones, family support). Grants support diverse beneficiaries—grassroots charities to universities like Manchester and Salford—via core/unrestricted, project, capital, exploratory/pilot, and multi-year awards, including automatic Wellbeing Grants for new approvals through 2025.

Eligible entities are UK-registered charities or academic institutions with deep community roots, no income thresholds, and significant local impact in the North West (some national scope). Strictly invitation-only—no unsolicited applications accepted; trustees proactively identify partners through networks, prioritizing those evidencing lived-experience insights, co-production, and hard-to-fund ambitions.

Distinctive for its flexible, relationship-driven philanthropy eschewing standard processes, the Trust avoids non-local or unaligned work, favoring holistic, ambitious organizations catalyzing broader investment and community flourishing.