It was founded in 1628 by Henry Smith, a businessman working in the City of London, and is now one of the largest independent grant makers in the UK, distributing £65m in 2022.
It provides large grants of up to £70,000 to community organisations through its Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities programmes. Its Holidays Grants programme is targeted at children and young people and provides funding for recreational trips or holidays.
How much and for whom?
One-off short grants of between £500 and £2,750 are available for UK-based trips that benefit groups of children aged up to 13-years-old.
Applications that benefit disadvantaged or disabled children living in the most deprived areas of the UK are prioritised.
This means areas that fall within the bottom 20 per cent according to the National Indices of Deprivation.
However, the charity says it can be more flexible on levels of deprivation where disabled children are involved, but it will still be factored into the assessment.
What will it fund?
It will pay for help towards a single trip, which could be a day trip or a longer residential of up to seven days in length.
This could be to a countryside or city location but the charity says it ideally should be outside the children’s immediate locality.
Applications for local trips will be considered if they have an emphasis on providing a new experience for the children and broadening their horizons. Examples include camping, trips to adventure activity centres or the seaside.
What won’t it fund?
Overseas trips or holidays, trips for children over the age of 13, trips that focus on education rather than fun, trips for families or for individual children, or the running costs of play or holiday schemes. Nor can it fund trips to sporting events, theme parks or other high-cost attractions.
When to apply?
There are three funding rounds in 2024. The first funded trips from 15 January until 30 April and has closed for applications. The next round opened for applications on 13 March and covers trips from 1 May to 31 August. The final round this year opens for applications from 12 July and covers trips from 1 September to 31 December.
The programme is always oversubscribed so decisions are made until funds are spent within each period, the charity says.
Applications must be made at least six weeks before the trip or holiday is due to take place.
How to apply?
There is a six-stage process to apply for the Holiday Grants programme. Applicants should first create an online account and undertake an eligibility quiz to access the application form. If the criteria are met, an application form can then be submitted online.
Applications do not need to be completed in one go – they can be saved and returned to later. It takes up to six weeks to assess applications and applicants are informed of the outcome by email.
Any other advice?
Applicants must provide a risk assessment for the trip. An example risk assessment is accessible on the charity website and can be used as a template. However, applicants can also submit an assessment in the format used in their organisation so long as it covers the information needed. The assessment should identify risks that could be encountered during the trip, the control measures to minimise the risk and the potential likelihood of it occurring.
More from www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk
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