Who We Are
The Canbrick Charitable Trust (“TCCT”) is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales (charity number: 1184140) and it was set up with the aim of advancing the education, health and environmental awareness of children and young people in the UK and abroad for the public benefit by making grants.
Message for grant applicants
The Trustees (“Trustees”) of The Canbrick Charitable Trust (“TCCT” or the “Charity”) have put together a list of criteria for grant applicants.
All applications must be submitted through our contact form and follow the criteria listed below (see “How to apply for a grant”) before they can be considered by the Trustees of TCCT.
The Trustees will accept grant applications four times a year, during the first month of each calendar quarter, i.e. January, April, July and October. Applications received outside of these time frames will not be considered.
Due to the large number of applications that the Charity receives, please be aware that there may be a delay of a few months before the Trustees are able to respond to your request.
Grant applications are not acknowledged and only successful applicants are informed of the outcome of their applications.
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
The Trustees’ current funding priorities (reviewed annually) are the advancement of education, health, social development and environmental awareness of children and young people, aged between 0 (zero) and 25 (twenty five), in the UK and abroad for public benefit.
The Trustees will not normally support:
- organisations requesting support where government and other agencies have a statutory duty to provide such support;
- applicant organisations which do not have a policy of inclusiveness, equality and non-discrimination, or do not have a safe-guarding policy (where applicable);
- political organisations;
- general appeals from national charities.
Please note that a limited amount of funds is available to distribute each year.
The Trustees welcome proposals from any organisation that operates in the area of children’s and young people’s health, education, social development and environmental awareness.
The Trustees will usually only award grants to organisations based in the United Kingdom (UK) that either:
- are registered as charities with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and/or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; or
- qualify as charities under the law of England and Wales but are not required to register with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The Trustees will also consider proposals from charities that are either:
- established outside the UK – provided that the applicant can show compliance with an equivalent governing body to one of the three UK charitable regulators mentioned above; or
- non-charitable organisations that are established either in the UK or elsewhere.
At present, the Trustees will not consider applications from individuals.
The Trustees will not usually award grants to an applicant that has:
- previously submitted an unsuccessful proposal to the Charity or a proposal where the applicant failed the Trustees’ due diligence checks and the issues identified at that time have not been addressed;
- previously received a grant from the Charity.
The Trustees will usually make grants of between £3,000 and £10,000.
All grants awarded by the Charity must be used to cover costs that are directly connected to carrying out the charitable activities that the Trustees have agreed to fund (the “Funded Activities”). Unless the applicant is able to demonstrate that the expenditure is essential for, and directly linked to, the Funded Activities, grants must not be used to fund any of the following types of expenditure:
- salary costs;
- capital expenditure (the applicant must also be able to demonstrate that any assets acquired using grant monies will be used for similar purposes after the end of the Funded Activities);
- contributions to the cost of overheads.
The Trustees will award grants to fund up to 100% of the cost of a proposal. However, the Trustees:
- will consider funding part of the cost of a proposal where the total cost is shared with one or more other funders; and
- encourage applicants to seek matched or additional sources of funding for their proposal.
If a grant covers part of the cost of a proposal, the Trustees may require the applicant to provide details of the other funder(s) and the funding that they have secured or applied for (including any loans or other commercial funding).
All grant proposals must be sent through our contact form. Please note that the Trustees will only accept grant proposals submitted through the contact form below.
Proposals must explain in detail how the grant will be used and put forward a strong case for support. In particular, a proposal must:
- demonstrate how the activities funded by the grant will benefit the intended beneficiaries and advance one or more of the funding priorities;
- set out how use of the grant will be managed;
- give details of the key individual(s) who will be responsible for the management of the grant and delivering the proposed activities;
- provide a budget for the proposed activities;
- give details of any other funding that has been awarded or that is being sought for the activities to be funded by the grant;
- all applicants must demonstrate that they have policies, procedures and practises in place which comply with those required by the charitable body under which they are registered, including (but not limited to):
- protecting people and safeguarding policies
- clear code of conduct for staff and volunteers
- suitable health and safety arrangements, etc.
Since all applications must be made by or on behalf of an organisation, the following must also be provided with the proposal:
- a complete, up-to-date copy of the organisation’s governing document;
- if the organisation is a UK charity:
- its registered charity number(s) as issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator and/or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; and/or
- if it is a charity under the law of England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland that is not required to register with one of the relevant Charity regulators referred to previously (because it is either an exempt or excepted charity, or has income below the registration threshold), evidence of its charitable status (such as an HMRC reference number);
- if the organisation is a charity established outside the UK, evidence:
- of its charitable status. This might, for example, include evidence of registration with a non-UK charity regulator and/or written confirmation from an appropriately qualified professional that the organisation is established as a charity in the relevant jurisdiction; and
- that all of the activities in the proposal would qualify as being charitable for the public benefit if they were undertaken by an organisation that is registered as a charity in England and Wales.
- the organisation’s most recent set of accounts.
If the applicant is a non-charitable organisation the proposal must also:
- provide evidence that the organisation has a bank account with at least two unrelated signatories; and
- demonstrate that all of the activities in the proposal would qualify as being charitable for the public benefit if they were undertaken by an organisation that is registered as a charity in England and Wales.
The Trustees have ultimate responsibility for all grant-making decisions and for ensuring that all funds awarded are used to advance the Funding Priorities. The Trustees will inform applicants of their decision in writing via email. If an applicant is awarded a grant, the Trustees will:
- set out the key terms of the grant and any conditions that are attached to it in a grant agreement or letter; and
- ask the applicant to sign the grant agreement or letter to indicate that they accept the terms and conditions.
If the Trustees decide not to award a grant for a proposal, they are not obliged to give the applicant reasons for their decision.
Please note that the Trustees’ decision whether or not to award a grant is final.
When the Trustees are considering a grant-funding proposal, they will undertake due diligence checks on the applicant. The checks that are undertaken will vary according to the Trustees’ assessment of any risks associated with the proposal or the applicant.
Due diligence may include requesting details of, and taking such steps as the Trustees consider to be reasonable to scrutinise, any of the following:
- the applicant’s governing documents;
- if applicable, the applicant’s status as a charity, including (where it is required to do so) evidence that the applicant has been registered with a charity regulator;
- the applicant’s latest accounts and financial position;
- the identity of the applicant’s directors, trustees, executive committee or other key personnel, in particular, to seek to establish whether they are authorised to act in that capacity;
- the applicant’s governance and operational structures and practices;
- the applicant’s internal financial controls;
- relevant operational policies and procedures that the applicant has in place, for example, in relation to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and on equality and diversity;
- the applicant’s aims and values; and
- any external risk factors that might affect the proposal.
In cases where the applicant will receive support from another funder, or works with a partner, the Trustees may undertake due diligence on that funder or partner.
The Trustees will keep a written record of any due diligence that they undertake.
The Trustees will take steps to monitor the use of the grant and verify that the grant is used for the purposes that have been agreed. The arrangements for monitoring will vary according to the nature of the grant, but the Trustees will always seek to ensure that the arrangements are appropriate and proportionate. Arrangements for monitoring the use of the grant may include asking the recipient to provide any of the following:
- copies of formal records such as receipts, invoices, bank statements and management accounts to show that funds have been used for the purpose for which they have been awarded and in accordance with the terms of the grant;
- regular written or verbal updates showing progress to date, summarising key achievements or problems encountered, indicating whether targets have been met and giving reasons for any delay in implementing work funded by the grant;
- a final written report on completion of the work funded by the grant, showing how funds have been spent, evaluating where the work has been successful and identifying lessons that can be learnt; and
- information about any proposed changes to the proposed activities.
If appropriate, the Trustees may also visit grant-funded activities and interview individuals involved in running those activities. Basic monitoring requirements will be set out in the grant agreement or letter. However, the Trustees may take any additional steps to monitor the use of grant funds that they consider appropriate.
The Trustees may require repayment of all or any part of the grant if:
- the project or purpose for which it was awarded does not proceed;
- part of the grant remains unused when the activities that the grant was intended to fund have been completed; or
- the grant is used for a purpose other than that which has been agreed.
These criteria will be reviewed by the Trustees at least annually and may be subject to change.
