Acacia Charitable Trust

The Acacia Charitable Trust, established by deed on 1 August 1977, is an independent, family-governed grant-making trust led by trustees Angela Gillian Rubens, Simon Alexander Rubens, and Paul Harry Rubens. Operating with full trustee discretion, its core mission is to advance a broad spectrum of charitable purposes using investment income and reserves, guided by values of responsible stewardship, collective decision-making, and compliance with best-practice governance. Distinctive for its enduring stability and unswervingly generalist approach, the Trust eschews narrow strategies or thematic shifts, instead providing flexible, mainstream support to registered charities across the UK charitable landscape.

It funds diverse causes including general charitable activities, education and training, health and life-saving initiatives, overseas aid and famine relief, religious activities, and arts, culture, heritage, or science. Grants support project and core costs for direct services, educational projects, health interventions, international development, faith initiatives, and heritage efforts, benefiting groups like children, young people, and the elderly without fixed priorities or novel categories.

Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities operating throughout England and Wales, with no income thresholds, size restrictions, or regional biases—though all sizes from small local to national bodies qualify. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding is invite-only at trustees' absolute discretion.

Typical grants range from £1,000 to £10,000, with over 30 awards annually totaling more than £60,000 on a rolling basis—no deadlines, forms, or public processes exist. The Trust does not fund individuals, highly specialist or niche causes, or activities outside mainstream charitable aims, differentiating it through its broad, trustee-driven flexibility and aversion to innovation-led or targeted agendas.