The trust has a special interest in initiatives based in the West Midlands and greater London regions and provides grants to cover a variety of activities including running costs.
Online applications for the first round of grants in 2025 are now open but close shortly.
Who is supported?
Grants are given to registered local charities operating in the West Midlands and London within the boundaries of the M25.
The trustees’ interests lie with projects related to vulnerable young people between the ages of 13-25 and the elderly.
For grants for young people, the trustees focus on supporting those who are Neet and organisations that prevent young people from offending as well as in the rehabilitation of ex-offenders.
What is funded?
Applications will be considered for a wide variety of purposes, such as outreach, engagement, equipment, furnishings, running costs, helplines.
Grants to cover the cost of buildings are not considered. However, furnishings, equipment and alterations to existing buildings to comply with health and safety regulations are considered.
The trustees do set aside a small amount of their annual income for continuing grants for revenue funding of projects of which they have personal knowledge and fall within their geographical area and criteria.
How much is available?
Grants range from £1,000 to £5,000 according to the need and the project. Multi-year funding is also considered.
In the financial year ending 5 April 2024, the trustees authorised 20 grants totalling £49,000.
Any exclusions?
Applications from charities with an income of over £1mn and/or free unrestricted reserves to the value of more than one year of the applicant organisations’ annual expenditure are not considered.
Local charities are favoured over national ones.
The trustees do not accept applications from community interest companies.
When and how to apply?
Trustees meet twice yearly to consider applications for funding – in April and October. The deadline for applications for the April grant round closes at midday on 27 February. Applications for October's grant round will close roughly six weeks before the trustee meeting.
Trustees require all applicants to submit their application via an online form.
Both successful and unsuccessful applicants can reapply after two years.
What to include?
Applicants must also submit:
- Most recent signed accounts – draft accounts are not accepted
- A budget for the project for the current financial year
- If you are applying for a salary, a job description
Trustees request that applicants do not supply any other information as this will be discarded.
Offers and reporting
Successful organisations will be sent a letter confirming the grant offer and any conditions. This must be signed by a senior staff member such as a director or chief executive.
Unsuccessful applicants will also be advised in writing.
Grant-holders will be sent a short monitoring form to be completed and returned to the trust at the end of the project. Further applications from organisations will not be considered unless this form has been submitted.
Funding roundup
Pilgrim Trust has awarded more than £1mn to 11 charities in the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, and Northern Ireland that support young women's mental health, through the Young Women in Mind grant programme. The charities offer mental health support to meet the needs of young women, with interventions ranging from counselling, peer support network groups to training and mentoring.
The Access All Arts Fund, managed by Children in Scotland and supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, has announced that 88 awardees will receive a total of £65,000 in funding to progress their creative interests. Awardees will be funded to pursue a range of arts activities, including photography, painting, music and dance.
Charity Ways to Wellness, whose current projects operate throughout the North East and North Cumbria, has joined forces with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Sunderland Counselling Service to trial an intervention in which a specialist social prescribing link worker will offer both emotional and practical care to some of the women and girls most at risk of pre and postnatal mental health issues. The link worker will deliver a responsive offer over three years, both in the community, and via text to meet the needs of the women participating in the £95,400 project.
Newcastle City Council has received £1.3mn from the DfE as part of the National Wraparound Programme. The funding, which runs until March 2026, is designed to support schools/childcare providers in creating new provision or to expand and enhance their current capacity and facilities.
