Scotshill Trust

The Scotshill Trust is a private grant-making charity registered in England and Wales (number 1113071), established in 2006 and governed by three trustees, including Chair Jeremy John Burton DL. It supports a broad spectrum of general charitable purposes through discretionary grants exclusively to other registered charities, without a narrow thematic focus, published strategy, or preferred beneficiary groups beyond those delivering public benefit. Operating with a low external profile, the trust emphasizes trustee-led decision-making, robust financial controls, and enabling established voluntary organizations to advance their missions across diverse sectors.

It funds initiatives in education and training, health and lifesaving, disability support, poverty relief, overseas aid and famine relief, arts, culture, heritage and science, animal welfare, and environmental conservation. Grants support project work, core costs, and sector-specific activities, as seen in awards to national bodies like Shelter (homelessness prevention) and the Trussell Trust (food poverty), prioritizing well-established medium-to-large charities with proven track records.

Eligible applicants must be UK-registered charities based and operating in England and Wales, with a preference for organizations of substantive scale; there are no income thresholds, religious restrictions, or geographic sub-focuses within the UK. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—funds are currently fully committed—and submissions, if considered, require a written letter to trustees for ad hoc review, with no deadlines, forms, or guaranteed acknowledgments.

Typical grants range from £5,000 to £150,000, aligning with annual expenditures of £300,000–£950,000. Distinctive for its fully discretionary, generalist approach without impact reports, case studies, or open rounds, the trust avoids direct activities, capital projects unrelated to objects, or non-charities, differentiating it as a flexible enabler for diverse, trustee-vetted charitable work.