The Swire Charitable Trust is an independent UK grant making trust. Since 1975 The Trust have been supporting charities that share their commitment to delivering positive and lasting change to UK society. The Trust receives their funding from John Swire & Sons Ltd, the parent company of the Swire Group.
The Swire Charitable Trust welcomes funding applications from charities whose work is closely aligned with the Trust’s funding priorities. The three main funding priorities are:
Opportunity – Improving life chances, realising potential
We support charities that are directly addressing the challenges faced by the most marginalised and disadvantaged, supporting them to make the most of their talents and boost long-term outcomes. Specifically:
• Ex-service men and women
• Survivors of slavery and trafficking
• Children and young people:
• In the care of their local authority
• Involved with the criminal justice system
• From the most socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds
Environment – Connecting people to the environment
The Swire Charitable Trust funds charities that inspire and motivate individuals and communities to enhance our natural and built environment and help guide those who wish to live more sustainably. By supporting the UK’s biodiversity, The Trust supports activities that actively improve the health and resilience of the UK’s ecosystems, marine and land-based habitats and native species.
Heritage - Regeneration through restoration
The Trust are keen to fund projects that have legitimacy from a heritage perspective as well as the potential to deliver meaningful social and economic benefits to deprived communities or disadvantaged people.
They favour grass-roots organisations that strongly engage with their local communities. By safeguarding endangered skills, the Trust also fund charities that are working hard to protect and cultivate the skills and knowledge underpinning the UK’s heritage sector.
The Trust aims to prioritise charities that:
• Operate in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the UK
• Try to engage the most marginalised and vulnerable in their work
• Can clearly demonstrate the needs they are addressing
• Know what they are aiming to achieve and plan to monitor and evaluate outcomes
• Are well placed and qualified to deliver the work
• Can show a proven track record as well as solid ambitions
• Have the potential to change the way issues are tackled more widely
• Take an effective approach to using volunteers and mentors (where appropriate)
• Are seeking to make their income streams more sustainable
• Have strong and quality leadership
• Manage their finances prudently+
The Trust’s core funding programmes are unable to consider:
• Applications received by post or email, i.e. not via our online funding request form
• Organisations that are not UK registered charities
• Activities taking place outside England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
• Individual applicants or proposals that will benefit only one person
• Requests from charities that have applied to us in the last 12 months
• Work that has already taken place
• Work targeted towards people who are primarily disadvantaged due to the following:
• physical health issues, disabilities or sensory impairments
• learning disabilities or special educational needs
• Statutory bodies or work that is primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities (e.g. residential, respite and day care and housing)
• Activities of local organisations which are part of a wider network doing similar work (e.g. uniformed youth groups, YMCA, MIND, Mencap, Home-start, RDA, Relate, Citizens Advice Bureau, Age UK etc)
• Scholarships or bursaries