Philip Barker Charity

The Philip Barker Charity, established in 1990, is a grant-making foundation dedicated to relieving poverty, advancing education, promoting the Christian religion, and pursuing other charitable purposes to benefit communities, primarily through targeted grants to organizations rather than individuals. Rooted in a vision of social improvement and community cohesion, it emphasizes enhancing life opportunities for vulnerable people via practical interventions that strengthen local ties and address disadvantage. Its values prioritize public benefit, measurable impact, and best-practice governance, with trustees strategically focusing on current challenges like skills-building and resilience for youth, elderly, and disabled individuals.

The charity funds thematic priorities including education and training, health/safety initiatives (especially for children, young people, elderly, and disabled), poverty relief, disability support, and occasionally overseas aid. It supports specific project-based activities—such as youth sports clubs, employment preparation programs, and social inclusion efforts—that deliver tangible outcomes like improved safety, employability, and community wellbeing, favoring evidence-based interventions over general purposes.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities or community groups based primarily in Chester, Cheshire West, and the North West of England, with flexibility for aligned projects in the South West; it prefers small- to medium-sized organizations (typically under £1m income) with strong local roots and track records. Grants, ranging £2,000–£5,000, are awarded biannually at trustee meetings via an invite-only process—no unsolicited applications or public forms are accepted, as trustees proactively identify suitable recipients.

Distinctively, it excludes individuals, unrestricted core costs, and capital projects, instead channeling funds exclusively into structured, regionally targeted youth and vulnerability programs that maximize community-level impact and align with Charity Commission guidance.