Charitable Trust / Charitable Trust Funding Criteria

The Man Group plc Charitable Trust has established a Small and a Large Grants Programme for charities. Outlined below are the principles on which the Trust bases its funding. The Trust expects to make most of its grants to charities it has pro-actively invited to apply for funding, and grantees are expected to meet most or all of the Trust's criteria for support.

The Trust funds a number of charities at any one time. The Small Grants Programme is intended to be responsive to charities' short- and medium-term needs. Grants of up to £50,000 per year are made for one to three years. The Large Grants Programme allows the Trust to partner with a small number of promising organisations and provide these with grants of up to £250,000 per year for one to three years. Trustees meet quarterly to make decisions on grants and donations.

Charities that have not been invited by the Trust to apply for funding may send a letter of inquiry after carefully studying the funding principles below, including the Exclusions section. Letters of enquiry should not exceed one page, and should include the following:

  • A brief summary of your organisation's aims and activities, and if relevant of the project for which you are applying for funding (outlining the work you hope to carry out, what the need for this is, who will benefit, when you plan to undertake it, and where it will be based);
  • The amount of funding requested;
  • How the funds will be used if granted; and
  • Contact details.

The Trust unfortunately cannot commit to responding to organisations which make an unsolicited application.

Other funding opportunities
Unfortunately, the demand for grant funding is always greater than the supply. Charities which have made an unsuccessful funding application to the Trust are welcome to contact the Trust again after waiting for a year. The Trust hopes the following may be useful places for charities to start looking for other funding opportunities:

Geographical focus
The Trust focuses its grant funding in London and in particular to deprived boroughs such as Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham, Peckham, Southwark, and Tower Hamlets. The Trust also considers grant funding throughout the rest of the UK.

Criteria for support

  • The Trust prefers to concentrate its support on smaller charities where it can work in partnership and its donations can make a real difference.
  • The Trust funds charities' core costs, including salaries and overheads, and project costs.
  • The Trust would like to focus on activities that offer assistance directly to individuals, families and communities as well as on those that increase the capacity of organisations and individuals.
  • The interest and involvement of Man Group plc staff is also considered. The Trust is interested in finding out about volunteering opportunities, but will not give preferential considerations to organisations or projects providing such opportunities.
  • Grantees will demonstrate sound financial management. The Trust will not consider charities with high administration costs in relation to the services provided.

Areas of giving
The Trust focuses its Small and Large Grants Programmes in the following four broad areas of giving:

1. Disadvantaged Youth – Projects in this area will tackle exclusion by helping disadvantaged youth through the reduction of poverty of aspiration. While poverty of aspiration often occurs amongst those residing in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and homes, it can also impact the general population. The Trust will therefore fund work in the following areas to achieve the described outcomes:

  • Arts and culture – To provide young people with access to a wide variety of artistic and cultural pursuits to broaden their horizons and nourish their creativity both inside and outside of the school setting.
  • Sport – To provide young people with access to sport activities to help them develop positive life skills.
  • Education – To provide assistance to those who are falling behind and encouragement to those who are excelling.
  • Promoting inclusion – To provide assistance to young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) to help them become active participants in society and to promote innovative programmes to keep young people in education.

2. Literacy and Numeracy – The Trust will fund innovative projects that improve literacy and numeracy in young adults and adults.

3. Vulnerable Populations – The Trust will work to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged individuals, focusing on the elderly, homeless people, and those grappling with addiction, domestic violence, and mental health issues. The Trust will support efforts to reintegrate these individuals into society by reducing hardships and inspiring hope. The Trust will look to fund projects that achieve the following outcomes:

  • Elderly – To decrease social isolation and abuse amongst the most vulnerable and impoverished.
  • Addiction – To reduce the number of individuals abusing drugs and alcohol by funding the development of innovative treatments, rehabilitation, and relapse prevention.
  • Homeless – To assist homeless individuals and families to get back on track and into jobs and homes.
  • Domestic violence – To help women and their families that are affected by domestic violence to reclaim their lives.
  • Mental health – To decrease social isolation and help those living with moderate to severe mental illness to realise their potential.

4. Disaster Relief – Disaster relief work world-wide following both natural and man-made disasters will be eligible for funding. The Trust will fund first-response work to meet post-disaster needs once these have been established. It will not fund initial triage or long-term reconstruction.

Exclusions
The Trust does not as a rule support, through its grants programmes or its broader giving:

  • Large national charities;
  • Charities which use external fundraising agencies;
  • Animal welfare;
  • Charities primarily devoted to promoting religious beliefs;
  • Endowment funds;
  • Requests to directly replace statutory funding;
  • Individual beneficiaries;
  • General media campaigns or campaigning or advocacy work to influence policy debates;
  • Applicants that have been successful in the previous twelve months;
  • Work which has already been completed;
  • Capital projects and appeals;
  • Sponsorship or funding towards marketing appeals or fundraising activities; and
  • Organisations or projects whose primary purpose is political.