The Severn Trent Water Charitable Trust Fund

The Severn Trent Water Charitable Trust Fund, established by Severn Trent Water Limited, champions social responsibility, fairness, and sustainability to alleviate water poverty and hardship for vulnerable individuals and families unable to afford essential water and sewerage services, while fostering broader community wellbeing. Its grantmaking philosophy emphasizes immediate crisis relief through direct support for debts, bills, and financial advice, alongside long-term resilience via sustainable projects that deliver lasting legacy impacts. Driven by equity and community empowerment, it prioritizes partnerships with grassroots charities and community groups enabling measurable improvements in health, social cohesion, and environmental health through majority-funded initiatives rooted in local needs.

Thematic priorities intersect People, Place, and Environment, funding employability initiatives, skills training, and advice services for economically disadvantaged individuals facing poverty and crisis; community facilities, public spaces, and social housing gardens enhancing local cohesion; and environmental projects like water efficiency programs, grey water recycling, sustainable drainage schemes, access to blue spaces, and nature connection activities promoting resilience. Core cost support bolsters essential services including emergency relief, foodbanks tackling food insecurity, health and medical support, homelessness prevention and housing charities, and employment projects for those in financial distress. Interventions favor preventative approaches, community-led action, and water-related innovations such as school water-saving schemes and community food hubs, targeting families in hardship, vulnerable customers experiencing unmanageable bills, and broader groups building life chances through holistic, sustainable solutions.

Exclusions encompass retrospective costs, political or religious activities, and projects where Severn Trent is not the majority funder, alongside unrestricted funding beyond core costs. Distinctive for its utility-rooted focus on water poverty intertwined with community flourishing, it prioritizes the most vulnerable in economic hardship, crisis-affected families, and local communities seeking environmental stewardship. Preferred partners demonstrate evidence-based, legacy-driven impact on people's lives, places, and natural resilience, valuing grassroots organizations with transparent standards and commitment to sustained public benefit over short-term aid.