William Delafield Charitable Trust

The William Delafield Charitable Trust, founded by William Delafield, is an established UK grant-making charity with a resolute mission to preserve and restore historical records, archives, and historic churches, focusing principally on Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and bordering areas of trustee interest. Rooted in a deep commitment to regional heritage stewardship, it prioritizes projects ensuring long-term conservation, digitisation, and public accessibility of culturally significant materials and sites, reflecting trustees' ethos of careful guardianship for local and national identity.

It supports targeted interventions by historical societies, academic institutions, and public bodies, such as Brasenose College's 18th-century map digitisation, St Bartholomew’s Hospital archive conservation, Oxford Preservation Trust initiatives, Bodleian Libraries, Ashmolean Museum exhibitions, and Royal Berkshire Archives. Funding emphasizes practical restoration with clear public benefit, educational outcomes, and feasibility, favoring tangible heritage work over broad social causes.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and academic institutions demonstrating strong local relevance and capacity for delivery; medium-sized organizations are preferred, with no strict income thresholds. Typical grants range from £5,000 to £50,000 (occasionally larger for capital projects), drawn from annual expenditures of £500,000–£650,000. Unsolicited email applications to trustees (via Withy King, Oxford) are possible but not routinely accepted—success hinges on prior relationships and precise alignment; no fixed deadlines or public rounds, with adhoc trustee meetings. Excludes unrestricted/core funding, operating expenses, or non-heritage activities; stands out as a niche specialist, trustee-led funder for regionally anchored conservation with lasting cultural impact.