Treebeard Trust

Treebeard Trust is an independent UK charitable foundation established in 2011 by Barnaby and Cassandra Wiener to advance a healthier planet and fairer society through philanthropy. Governed by five trustees with expertise in investment, law, and charity leadership, it draws on a £20 million+ endowment to blend impactful grants and social investments. Its ethos emphasizes courage, accountability, transparency, and compassion, embracing risk-taking, learning from failures, and trust-based partnerships with light-touch reporting over bureaucratic oversight.

The Trust prioritizes four themes: environment and sustainable planet, social justice, vulnerable communities, and systems change. It supports UK-registered charities and social enterprises tackling systemic injustice, such as violence against women and girls (especially specialist organizations led by and for Black and minoritised women and girls), refugee and asylum seeker protection, environmental advocacy, migrant rights, and criminal justice reform. Funding backs multi-year capacity building, innovation, core costs, and scalable models in grassroots to medium-sized entities driving transformational impact.

Eligible organizations must be UK-based (primarily England and Wales), with a preference for small to medium-sized groups showing strong leadership; no strict income thresholds apply, and there are no religious restrictions. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—funding is invitation-only via proactive research and networks—but aligned charities may submit informal expressions of interest (EOI) with a brief description and website link, leading to full proposals if suitable.

Grants typically range from £20,000–£250,000, with strategic awards at £50,000+ per year over three years (80%+ multi-year, 60%+ unrestricted) and innovation grants at £20,000–£30,000 annually; social investments start at £50,000. Decisions are rolling with no deadlines, favoring long-term resilience over short-term projects, and distinguishing the Trust through its flexible, empathetic approach to deep-rooted change.