Brewery Arts Centre Endowment Trust

The Brewery Arts Centre Endowment Trust is a specialized charitable endowment established to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Kendal Brewery Arts Centre Trust Limited, which has operated the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal, Cumbria, since 1972. With a singular mission to provide dedicated funding for this renowned arts institution—known for delivering exceptional arts, culture, education, and community wellbeing programs—the Trust adopts an investment-driven model. Local trustees manage investments, distribute income from a general fund, and occasionally draw on capital gains, all while adhering to Charity Commission guidelines on public benefit. Operating without paid staff or trustee remuneration, it emphasizes robust stewardship to shield the Centre from funding volatility.

Exclusively supporting the Brewery Arts Centre's core activities—including cinema, live performances, creative workshops, arts education, outreach to schools and disadvantaged communities, and initiatives in health, wellbeing, youth development, and cultural enrichment—the Trust provides unrestricted core funding. This underpins a broad program serving over a million people in South Cumbria annually, fostering local talent, inclusion, and innovation without extending to external projects or organizations.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; eligibility is limited solely to the Kendal Brewery Arts Centre Trust Limited, with no openness to other charities regardless of alignment, size, income, or location outside Kendal, Cumbria. Annual grants, determined internally by trustees and aligned with the fiscal year ending 31 March, typically range from £79,000 to £132,000 based on investment returns. This purpose-built, non-competitive structure distinguishes the Trust as a perpetual resilience fund for one of Cumbria's largest arts hubs, prioritizing operational stability over broad grant-making.