Marsh Charitable Trust

Our Grants Programme

The Trust focuses on providing funding which could help small organisations pay for various running costs, such as volunteer expenses, training days, equipment maintenance and other core outgoings.

Our funding strategy is to provide long-term core funding for such costs, as we understand that many of the organisations we support depend on unrestricted income in order to meet their operating needs.

Grants are unrestricted and range from £300-£2,000. Successful new applicants can expect to receive a grant at the lower end of this scale.

Applications are considered on the basis of the organisation’s financial position, performance against charitable aims and objectives and the ratio of voluntary income against fundraising expenses

The Trust aims to build long-standing relationships with successful applicants and, subject to an annual review, continue its support over time.

Applicants must be a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. This does not include Community Interest Companies (CICs).

Charities must have been established for more than one financial year and able to provide a full set of their most recent Annual Report and Accounts, or the equivalent financial information if their annual income is under £25,000.

The graph below depicts how the Trust has spent the resources for the Year End 5th April 2023.

As in previous years, the majority of funds were allocated in the area of social welfare, perhaps as a reflection of where the highest demands for support were coming from.

Individuals

Individual Churches

Hospices or Hospitals

Start-up costs

Project costs

There is no standard application form.

Applications must include:

– cover letter (one to two sides)

– full set of the most recent Annual Report and Accounts

Applicants should demonstrate that they have understood the type of funding which the Trust provides and illustrate how this would benefit their charity on a long-term basis.

All applications should be made in writing and sent by post to the Marsh Charitable Trust, 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, SW1H 9NP.

There is no deadline for applications.

Applications are processed on an on-going basis and a response is usually sent within two months of receipt. However, due to the high volume of applications, occasionally responses to new appeals may take longer.

Upon receipt, applications are divided into two groups, new appeals and renewals, and are given to a monthly grants committee for consideration.

Each application is considered on the basis of the organisation’s financial position, performance against charitable aims and objectives, the ratio of voluntary income against fundraising expenses, and the suitability of the application to the type of funding we provide.

A response is made to every appeal whether it is successful or not.

Dressability

The MCT has supported Dressability for over 20 years, starting our relationship in 2003.

Dressability is a friendly and welcoming independent charity which supports the clothing needs of individuals with disabilities and limited dexterity. They provide a personal, tailored and bespoke service developing practical solutions to everyday problems.

By adapting people’s clothing and not their style, they enable our clients to maintain their independence, and enjoy a sense of wellbeing based on their own personal choice.

Dressability have around 20 volunteers that bring their expertise in dressmaking and sewing to help change the lives of others. A number of their volunteers also assist with administrative roles, as well as fundraising for the organisation.

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Gazen Salts Nature Reserve

Gazen Salts Nature Reserve is a 15-acre site within the town of Sandwich, East Kent. In response to the European Year of Conservation, it was created in 1973 from wasteland.

The Reserve has developed into a rich mosaic of habitats, attracting a wide variety of species including birds, bats, tawny owls, water voles, harvest mice, and at least two beavers. GSNR is a much-loved public open space which is freely accessible throughout the year. They estimate approximately 8,000 visitors annually, of all ages and abilities.

Unfortunately, in 2013 Sandwich suffered a catastrophic tidal flood, which all but destroyed the biodiversity of the reserve and necessitated its closure to the public. In the past four years there has been a concerted effort to open up and regenerate GSNR once again.

In addition to wetland and woodland, they manage an adjacent parcel of wildflower meadow known as Gallows Field. We have also recently re-excavated a completely overgrown ‘scrape’ - an artificially created shallow lake.

Formerly able to employ a warden, GSNR is maintained nowadays entirely through the work of volunteers.

The MCT has supported GSNR since 2007.

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Glass Door Homeless Charity

The MCT has supported Glass Door since 2004, and we are celebrating our 20th anniversary of our grant giving relationship this year.

Glass Door supports people who are homeless, and whom no one else can or will help, with the provision of emergency winter night shelter and year-round casework advice. They have an open-access ethos, welcoming anyone who needs their help regardless of who they are or where they are from, and they treat each individual as their guest.

Their year-round casework service offers one-to-one advice and practical support to help guests to build more stable futures and ultimately to find and move into accommodation. During the coldest months, they provide emergency winter night shelter in partnership with local churches where they offer guests a safe place to sleep and nutritious evening meals whilst their caseworkers support them to find a more permanent route out of homelessness.

Since 1999, Glass Door has provided emergency shelter to over 6,500 people and their casework service has supported over 13,000 people with tailored advice to find a route out of homelessness and helped 2,400 of them to move into stable accommodation.

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Oasis Community Housing

The MCT has supported Oasis Community Housing for 25 years, starting our grant giving relationship in 1999.

Oasis Community Housing are a Christian homelessness charity who exist to reignite hope and a future for everyone facing homelessness. They help more than 1,300 people each year by providing housing and support and, more fundamentally, a place where they feel they can belong.
In 2024 they are celebrating their 40th year of bringing hope to people experiencing homelessness.

Working across North East England, south London and Peterborough, they address both immediate needs and the root causes of homelessness through their cornerstones of support: The Home 24/7 supported and temporary housing programme;
The Empower programme for women escaping domestic abuse;
The Basis crisis services providing support for people sleeping rough and in a housing crisis.

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The Willow Trust

The MCT has supported Willow Trust since 1994, and this year we are celebrating our 30th year of our grant giving relationship.

Each year, The Willow Trust provides a day out on the Gloucester – Sharpness canal for up to 7,000 disabled or very ill children and adults and their carers. Both of their two purpose built broad beamed canal boats are fully wheelchair accessible and the lifts and hoists on the boats enable even the most profoundly disabled guests to steer. The boats are 72ft long and weigh upwards of 52 tonnes, so you can only imagine the thrill and sense of achievement that this creates.

Over the past 33 seasons over 215,000 guests have enjoyed a day out on the canal completely free of charge. It is a very special day that provides so much pleasure and happiness in otherwise difficult lives.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Marsh Charitable Trust was established by Brian Marsh OBE with the sum of £75,000. From these beginnings the Trust’s funds have developed and stand today at around £17,000,000.

The Trust’s principle activity is financed by income derived from its investment portfolio, but whenever possible Mr Marsh will make further personal donations. The Trust does not accept any public donations.

The application requirements are a cover letter and a copy of the most recent Annual Report and Accounts. We believe that the application requirements reflect the size of our grants and therefore there is no detailed application form to complete.

Other relevant information is also considered alongside the letter and accounts, but please do not send in a large number of extra documents as there is no need, it will cost you more and it will take longer to process.

If more information is required, we will contact you.

The size of the grants range from £300 to £2,000 with new grantees starting at the lower end of the scale.

Grant sums are decided by the grants committee, but applicants are welcome to request a specific sum. However they should take into consideration the amounts available and remember that new successful applications will receive a grant at the lower end of the scale.

The simple answer is no, you can apply at anytime.

Applications are processed on an on-going basis and you will usually hear from us within 2 months. Sometimes due to the volume of applications we may take a little longer to respond, but it won’t be much longer than that.