Humanitarian Trust

The Humanitarian Trust, established in 1946 as a UK charitable trust, focuses on benefiting communities through targeted grants for charitable, educational, and social work, particularly supporting smaller organisations and individuals facing funding gaps elsewhere. Governed by a small board of trustees, it upholds values of service, opportunity, social responsibility, and prudent stewardship, employing a personalised, relationship-based approach to ensure impactful, sustainable outcomes in education, hardship relief, disability support, health advancement, and community welfare projects.

It prioritises higher education via an annual postgraduate student grant programme for those at recognised universities in England and Wales, alongside project-specific funding for charities delivering educational/training programmes, health initiatives, disability assistance, and support for children/young people. Beneficiaries include postgraduate students with funding shortfalls and grassroots groups providing measurable community benefits, favouring concrete interventions like tuition/subsistence aid or resource access over general purposes.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups (with preference for smaller entities unable to access mainstream funding) operating in England and Wales, especially London; students must reside and study there. No unsolicited organisational applications—grants are awarded adhoc at trustees' discretion—while student applications require email submission of a detailed form, cover letter, CV, references, bank statements, and university proofs during the annual window (1 November–15 January), with decisions in March/April.

Typical grants range £500–£5,000 for organisations and up to £1,000 for students. Exclusions encompass core/admin costs, capital projects, non-academic/arts/music/sports/youth work, part-time/short-term/distance courses, overseas/travel/fieldwork activities. Distinctive for its responsiveness to overlooked causes, rigorous eligibility, and emphasis on modest grants yielding high impact.