Cleopatra Trust

The Cleopatra Trust is a UK-registered grant-making charity (reg. 1004551) dedicated to advancing public benefit by distributing its income—and potentially capital—to other charitable organisations for any purposes deemed charitable by its trustees. Established with a generalist remit, it operates without thematic restrictions, donor-driven priorities, or specific sectors, embodying a flexible, discretion-based approach administered by a small board of volunteer trustees. With no paid staff or commercial activities, it maintains prudent governance, steady modest income, and full compliance, focusing solely on indirect grant-making to recognised charities rather than direct programmes or hands-on interventions.

It funds a broad spectrum of charitable activities across England and Wales, including project work, core costs, and unrestricted support, determined entirely by trustees' judgment on public benefit. There are no fixed priorities, beneficiary groups, or exclusions beyond charitable status, making it ideal for generalist charities pursuing diverse causes without needing alignment to niche agendas.

Eligible applicants must be UK-registered charities based in England and Wales, with no income thresholds, size limits, or special criteria published—though the Trust does not accept unsolicited applications and operates strictly by invitation. Grants are awarded ad hoc at trustees' discretion, with no deadlines, online forms, or public processes; typical amounts are undisclosed but align with modest annual expenditure of around £88,000.

Distinctive for its open-ended scope and trustee-led simplicity, the Trust avoids strategic reports, impact metrics, or exclusions like non-charitable activities, differentiating it as a straightforward source of flexible funding for compliant charities seeking autonomy over their charitable missions.