The objectives of the Trust are framed in general terms to work for a just and democratic society and to redress political and social injustices. It is a wide-ranging remit for reform, but the Trust will prioritise organisations that are ineligible for charitable funding because they are considered too political or radical to come within the Charity Commission’s guidelines. The Trust's approach is similar to that of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust with which it maintains informal links.

The Trust will support work undertaken at both regional and national level and may also consider pioneering projects operating on a more local basis that have a potentially wider impact.

The Trust normally gives grants only to groups or organisations, but in very exceptional cases it may consider an application from an individual with proven experience or skill in their chosen field or it may make a personal award to an individual in support of outstanding commitment and effectiveness relevant to the Trust’s interests.

As a general rule the Trust provides either specific project funding or start up grants for a limited period to enable campaigns to get off the ground and attract alternative sources of finance.

What the Trust does not fund

The Trust does not fund:

• applications from registered charities
• activities that could be funded from charitable sources:
  • our decisions are informed by Charity Commission guidance on the descriptions of charitable purposes and permissible campaigning and political activities by charities
    
  • applications that meet all the Trust requirements, except that they are eligible for charitable funding, should therefore be sent to the Scurrah Wainwright Charity.
• campaigns outside the UK
• general appeals
• activities that seek to promote a particular political party or parties, or to influence the outcome of an election

Size of grants

The Trust administers investments producing a grant budget that currently varies between about £100,000 and £130,000 a year.

The majority of recent grants have ranged between £1,500 and £10,000. Grants at the upper end of this range are constrained by the impact this has on the Trust's limited overall funds given the high numbers of applications received.

For this reason the Trust is also unlikely to support organizations with an annual income/expenditure that exceeds £250,000 approximately.