£30,000 to £40,000 a Year in Core or Project Funding for National UK Charities: The Dulverton Trust
The Dulverton Trust is accepting Expressions of Interest for grants of £30,000 to £40,000 per year, available as core, unrestricted or project funding. It is one of the more flexible funders out there, and one of the clearest about who it will and will not support.
The headline criterion is reach. The Trust funds medium-sized charities working across multiple regions, not single-site or single-borough organisations. If you deliver in one Local Authority area, this is not the fund for you, and the Trust says so bluntly.
There is no fixed deadline. Trustees meet three times a year, in February, June and November, so EOIs are assessed on a rolling basis against the next meeting.
About the Funder
The Dulverton Trust is an independent grant-making charity supporting UK charities with a national footprint. It funds across six categories:
- Youth Opportunities
- General Welfare
- Heritage
- Conservation
- Kenya and Uganda
- International Stability and Reconstruction
That is a deliberately broad spread. Tackling social issues, protecting the natural world and preserving heritage crafts all sit comfortably within scope. What ties it together is the Trust’s emphasis on broad geographic reach and evidence of impact.
What the Trust Funds
Both core or unrestricted costs and project work are accepted, which makes this a rare opportunity for charities carrying the usual unrestricted funding gap.
Work eligible for support includes:
- Youth opportunities and programmes for young people
- General welfare and social issues
- Heritage, including heritage crafts
- Conservation and the natural environment
- Work in Kenya and Uganda
- International stability and reconstruction
How Much Funding Is Available
The average grant is between £30,000 and £40,000 per year.
For charities the Trust has funded before, multi-year grants of up to three years are possible. New applicants are offered one year of funding initially, with the door open to a longer relationship afterwards.
Who Is Eligible
- UK registered charities and CIOs operating beyond a single locality
- Preference for medium-sized charities with annual income of roughly £200,000 to £3m, with eligibility extending up to £10m
- Must have national reach, across England, Scotland and Wales, or across at least two English regions
- New charities may be considered if they meet the other criteria
The exclusions matter just as much:
- Charities working from one site, or within a single Local Authority area, are extremely unlikely to be funded
- The Trust does not fund work primarily benefiting residents of London or Northern Ireland
What Makes a Strong Application
Two things carry most of the weight here.
The first is demonstrable geographic spread. Do not assume the Trust will infer national reach from your mission statement. Show it. Name the regions, the delivery sites, the partners.
The second is evidence of impact. The Trust conducts desk-based research on applicants after the EOI stage and may request organisational information, financials and impact detail. Having your outcomes data, most recent accounts and impact reporting ready before you start will make the follow-up stage much easier.
It is also worth being honest with yourself about the income threshold. The Trust has a clear preference for the £200,000 to £3m band, and applications well outside it face an uphill battle.
How to Apply
Applications run through a two-step process:
- Complete the Eligibility Quiz on the Dulverton Trust’s website
- If eligible, you will receive access to an online Expression of Interest form
- Submit the completed EOI online
- The Trust conducts desk-based research and may request further organisational information, financials and impact detail
- Decisions are communicated after the relevant Trustee meeting
The EOI questions are published in advance, so you can draft your answers offline before entering them. That is well worth doing.
Key Dates
- No fixed deadline. EOIs are accepted on a rolling basis
- Trustee meetings: February, June and November
Key Links
See how Fundin can help you apply
Check eligibility and apply, The Dulverton Trust
