BFI Trust

The BFI Trust, a registered UK charity (1140833) and company limited by guarantee, serves as a dedicated endowed grant-maker to underpin the charitable mission of the British Film Institute (BFI), the UK's leading cultural body for film, television, and moving image. Established to promote education on these media's societal impact, preserve UK film heritage, and advance the arts through public access and engagement, the Trust's core values emphasize long-term stewardship of endowment resources for sustained public benefit. Its distinctive approach is singularly focused on bolstering the BFI's operations, with no independent agenda, ensuring financial stability for national collections, education, and outreach.

It exclusively funds the BFI's thematic priorities: preservation and restoration of film archives, digitization for public access via Mediatheques, educational workshops, library projects, and public engagement initiatives celebrating moving image culture. Beneficiaries are indirectly the UK public, students, researchers, and creatives through BFI programs, with activities spanning heritage conservation, broadened access for diverse audiences, and film education UK-wide.

No external organizations are eligible; the Trust accepts no unsolicited applications from charities, individuals, or others, supporting only the large-scale BFI regardless of income or size. Geographically, it operates in England and Wales but enables BFI's UK-wide reach.

Grants are unrestricted core and strategic funding, typically £1,000,000–£2,000,000 annually (e.g., £1,633,500 latest year), decided internally by trustees without deadlines, open calls, or application processes. It excludes all non-BFI recipients, project-specific aid to outsiders, or short-term grants, uniquely positioning it as the BFI's embedded philanthropic backbone amid broader arts funders.