Sir Halley Stewart Trust Grants: What It Funds and When

The Sir Halley Stewart Trust is a family grant-making foundation set up in 1924 to support innovative and pioneering work for the prevention of human suffering. It is a small funder by national standards, but it often backs ideas early, and in its social work it describes itself as often being a "first funder". This guide explains what the Trust funds, who can apply, how the process works and when it is next likely to accept new enquiries, using the Trust's own website, checked on the date shown on this page.

Is the Trust open right now?

Not to new enquiries. The Trust says that, due to high demand, it is closed to new enquiries until April 2027, and it has removed the link to its Eligibility Test until it reopens. If you have already received an invitation to apply, your application is not affected.

For invited applicants, the Trust lists these indicative dates for its 2027 Board meetings:

Each meeting closes without warning once it is full, and invited proposals are allocated as they arrive. In other words, if you are planning a first approach, use the months before April 2027 to check your fit and prepare. You can also see our listing for the Sir Halley Stewart Trust.

What the Trust funds

All grants must focus on the prevention, rather than the alleviation, of human suffering, and fall into one or both of these categories:

• Innovative research projects that explore and test new ideas, methods, approaches, interventions or devices.
• Pioneering development projects that are original, the first of their kind, or lay the foundations for further developments.

The Trust has three priority areas, with education as a theme across all of them. Projects can relate to more than one.

Social

For catalysing and under-funded causes in the UK, through practical on-the-ground projects or research with practical impact, which attempt to prevent and resolve conflict and encourage reconnection between family members, help people "move beyond disadvantage", or help people who may be vulnerable or have been exploited. Recent themes include homelessness, human trafficking, child and family welfare, mental health and addiction, and criminal justice. A small number of international development projects are funded too, if run by UK-based charitable organisations in partnership with in-country staff and beneficiaries.

Medical

For practical medical projects capable of clinical application within five to ten years. Priorities include improving quality of life for older people with physical or psychological disorders, preventing disease and disability in children, tropical infectious and parasitic diseases, and innovations that improve health care or meet the needs of disadvantaged groups. The Trust will not fund work that involves animal experimentation, and proposals should be written so that non-medical trustees can follow them.

Religious

For innovative Christian and multi-faith projects. Priorities include encouraging Christian people to engage with and communicate their faith in public life, dialogue between Christian faith and contemporary issues, closer working between denominations and better inter-faith understanding (with a particular interest in Christian and Muslim dialogue), and helping groups explore their spirituality. The Trust is underpinned by Christian values but welcomes applications from other faith and non-faith projects.

Grant sizes

The Trust gives about £1 million a year across 25 to 30 grants. It prefers to be a sole or major funder, normally at least 50% of project costs. It welcomes applications from people under-represented in research and development leadership, including women, people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and disabled people.

Who can apply

• UK charitable organisations. Grants are paid only to or through UK charitable organisations, mainly registered charities. Applicants must be UK based, even if the project is international.
• CICs in partnership. A CIC can apply if the project is delivered with a UK charitable organisation, backed by a memorandum of understanding if the CIC is not also a charity.
• Social applicants must be service-delivery charitable organisations with annual income of up to £3 million.
• Medical applicants must be researchers applying directly from UK medical institutions or university departments.
• The person applying must be the lead person responsible for delivering the project, not a dedicated fundraiser.

What it does not fund

The Trust never funds individuals directly, general appeals, buildings or other capital costs, or university overheads. It does not usually fund running costs or continuation funding for existing projects, projects through umbrella bodies, large well-funded charities, conference attendance or gap-year projects, and it does not fund work retrospectively. A straightforward scale-up of a proven model is less likely to fit its innovation focus.

How to apply, once it reopens

The process has three stages:

1. Eligibility Test. If you think your project fits, complete the Trust's online test (currently removed until April 2027).
2. Expression of Interest. If you pass, submit an Expression of Interest form.
3. Full application, by invitation only.

Our guide to writing an expression of interest covers how to make a short first approach count, and how to approach charitable trusts covers trust fundraising more widely.

What makes a strong proposal

The Trust expects strong dissemination plans that reach beneficiaries, practitioners and policy makers, evaluation built into the design, and outcome measures that can be monitored. It treats equality, diversity and inclusion, plus a project-specific safeguarding policy, as fundamental requirements. Grantees send annual reports on multi-year grants, a final report within six months of the end, an outcomes questionnaire, and an impact questionnaire three years later.

If you are awarded a grant

The Trust sends grant offer paperwork, including a Grant Conditions agreement tailored to the project, and pays the first instalment in its next monthly payment cycle once the documents are back. Main grants are paid by bank transfer in annual instalments, subject to satisfactory progress and reporting, and small grants are paid in one go. Where a main grant runs for two years, the Trust may consider a third and final year, and a small grant can lead to a follow-on main grant application, depending on progress. Any interns on a funded project should be paid at least the National Living Wage hourly rate. Research involving human participants needs independent ethical review, and the Trust does not act as research sponsor, so the principal investigator must name one.

While the Trust is closed, browse other options: grants for charities, health and social care funding and grants for older people's projects, or read our charity grants post.