Charles Plater Trust

The Charles Plater Trust, an independent Catholic grant-making charity established in 2006 as the successor to Plater College in Oxford, advances Fr Charles Plater's vision of social justice through education rooted in Catholic Social Teaching (CST). It empowers people of faith and others committed to the common good to address poverty, exclusion, economic inequality, and environmental challenges in marginalised communities across England and Wales. Core values—dignity, solidarity, justice, and human rights—guide its work, with a distinctive emphasis on evidence-based impact, rigorous measurement, and education as a pathway to structural change, led by senior Catholic figures like Bishop Richard Moth.

The Trust funds three priorities: leadership development for laypeople (e.g., CST training via programmes like Just Love); social action projects delivering tangible outcomes for the poor, excluded, or vulnerable (e.g., Storybook Dads for prisoners, Baytree PEACH for disadvantaged girls, recovery for domestic abuse survivors, mentoring for learning disabilities); and applied research applying CST to inform policy and practice. It supports religious and non-religious initiatives evidencing CST alignment, focusing on beneficiary journeys and outcome tracking.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities or academic institutions partnering with them, based in England or Wales with projects delivering direct local benefit; preference for organisations with incomes under £10 million (small grants for those under £100,000). Grants cover project revenue costs only (£1,000–£5,000 small; £5,001–£60,000 large, typically £30,000–£50,000 over two years). Unsolicited online applications occur biannually—next large round closes 27 February 2025 (opens 16 January)—with outcomes in three months; prepare via templates, submit accounts, budgets, safeguarding policies, and references.

Exclusions include capital costs, core funding (unless project-embedded), non-charities, work outside England/Wales or priorities, and multiple concurrent grants (two-year reapply wait). Its unique blend of CST grounding, impact focus, and support for diverse mid-sized charities sets it apart in UK philanthropy.