Hillcote Trust

The Hillcote Trust is a small, family-run grant-making charity established in the 1950s from a family inheritance, dedicated to empowering UK charities serving the radically disadvantaged—refugees and asylum seekers, substance abusers, offenders and ex-offenders, at-risk and marginalised young people, and those in insecure housing. Its mission centres on combating acute social exclusion by funding grassroots organisations that prioritise empathy, justice, and the agency of those with lived experience, embedding them in decision-making while committing to impact measurement and learning. With a tightly focused ethos unchanged since inception, the Trust champions small-scale, transformative support where statutory services fall short, stewarded by trustees Professor Harry Hemingway, James William Coe, and Helen Mary Neal, and set to close in 2026.

It funds frontline service delivery, mentoring, access to justice, psychosocial support, advocacy, personal development, and crisis alleviation for these marginalised groups, as seen in grantees like Action for Refugees in Lewisham, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Fund, and Southmead Project. Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities based and operating UK-wide (no regional limits), with a strong preference for those with annual income under £400,000, especially community-led groups demonstrating beneficiary involvement.

Typical grants range from £1,000 to £10,000 (most under £5,000) for projects or core costs. Unsolicited applications are accepted rolling via post (no online form), detailing need, solution, impact, and beneficiary roles; decisions occur at the annual spring trustee meeting, with outcomes notified months later. It excludes organisations with royal patronage or promoting specific religions, standing out for its selectiveness on extreme deprivation, rejection of branding that dilutes independence, and flexible funding for credible local innovators—2026 marks the final year for new applications.