Segelman Trust

The Segelman Trust is an independent UK grant-making charity established through the will of businessman Gerald Segelman (d. 1992), formally registered in 2000 and reconstituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2020. Its mission is to enhance the health, happiness, and life chances of disadvantaged people, with a laser focus on children in care, care leavers, and families facing complex challenges at risk of entering care. Rooted in relationship-based, trust-based philanthropy, the Trust emphasises long-term partnerships, mutual respect, diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, catalysing change through organisations that foster love, opportunity, and stability for young people.

It funds innovative, community-rooted responses in children's social care, prioritising prevention of care entry, positive transitions for care leavers, and resilience-building for at-risk families. Support includes multi-year unrestricted or core partnership grants (typically £35,000 annually) and Green Shoots Grants for new practices, targeting a portfolio of around 37 partners with over £1 million in annual expenditure.

Eligible applicants are strictly UK-registered charities operating UK-wide, with a preference for smaller organisations (annual income under £2 million) led or guided by lived experience; unsolicited applications are not accepted—funding is proactive, via trustee-identified partners through research and expert recommendations. Grants range from £8,000 to £200,000 total (median £77,000), decided ad hoc without fixed deadlines.

The Trust excludes individuals, capital projects, non-UK work, and larger entities, distinguishing itself through disciplined thematic selectivity, deep relational commitment, collaborative funding, and crisis flexibility, making it ideal for aligned UK charities serving the most marginalised in social care.