Dame Violet Wills Will Trust

The Trust supports a broad spectrum of charitable work. This includes welfare services for vulnerable women facing homelessness and exploitation, disability interventions such as family support groups and peer networks for carers of children with rare conditions, environmental conservation through wildlife trusts, educational initiatives like skills training and after-school programmes, family carer respite, arts and music programmes fostering creative expression, and community development tackling social isolation and poverty. Funded activities encompass person-centred counselling, therapeutic arts, preventative outreach, evidence-based peer support, trauma-informed care, and community-led conservation. The Trust focuses its funding on the West of England, including Somerset, Devon, Bristol, and the wider West Country, favouring small and medium charities with local impact in these areas.

The Trust funds registered charities only. It prioritises small and medium charities demonstrating local impact in the South West region, particularly in the West of England, Somerset, Devon, Bristol, and the West Country. Beneficiary groups include vulnerable women, disabled individuals, families in crisis, isolated communities, and young people with special needs. The Trust has no religious restriction and welcomes unsolicited applications. It avoids statutory bodies and non-charitable entities.

The Trust does not fund statutory bodies or non-charitable organisations. It has no thematic exclusions beyond charity law, but it favours small and medium charities with local impact over national or scaled operations.

The Trust provides flexible, low-profile funding through a discretionary, merit-based approach. It supports capacity building, project delivery, and core sustainment. The Trust welcomes unsolicited applications and does not impose rigid agendas, preferring to enable grassroots resilience.