Glastonbury Trust CIO

The Glastonbury Trust CIO, originally established as Glastonbury Trust Limited and reconstituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, nurtures individuals and organisations in Glastonbury and surrounding Somerset through grants, guidance, education, and training. Its core mission promotes community cohesion, social inclusion, spiritual growth, and ecological awareness, embodying values of empowerment, ecological responsibility, inclusivity, and holistic wellbeing. Distinctively, it blends grassroots social action with environmental stewardship, fostering self-sufficiency, long-term community vitality, and innovative, relational support for sustainable development.

The Trust funds projects strengthening local relationships, personal growth, and environmental awareness, prioritising disadvantaged groups like parents, children, young people, the unemployed, and elderly. Supported activities include community events, educational workshops, green initiatives such as orchards and gardens, inter-generational programmes, capacity building, and resilience-building for marginalised communities. It backs grassroots charities, community groups, and social enterprises delivering inclusive or ecological benefits, often extending beyond finance to collaborative enabling.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, community groups, or social enterprises operating exclusively in Glastonbury and Somerset, with preference for small, grassroots entities of limited income. Grants typically range from £500 to £5,000 (mostly lower end), covering project funding, core costs, capacity building, and educational/ecological initiatives. Applications follow a two-stage process—initial Expression of Interest form online, then full details if invited—accepted rolling with quarterly trustee meetings and 1-3 month decisions.

Exclusions include major capital works and non-local projects; uniquely, its holistic integration of spiritual, social, and ecological aims sets it apart, ideal for local inclusion, environmental action, or intergenerational support in Somerset.