Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust

The Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust advances public education in music and appreciation of its art and science, rooted in founder Humphrey Richardson Taylor's lifelong passion for music-making, live performance, and orchestral culture. Core values emphasize expanding access to musical participation, nurturing young and gifted musicians, upholding excellence in classical repertoire and allied performing arts, and fostering active engagement across generations. Their grantmaking philosophy believes transformative impact arises from enabling high-quality training, live events, and scholarships that sustain musical talent and community performance traditions through strategic partnerships with institutions like the Royal College of Music and University of Surrey.

They prioritize music education initiatives including instrumental tuition and scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies targeting young talented musicians, capital projects equipping schools with instruments and music technology for children and young people, funding for amateur concerts, classical festivals, orchestral rehearsals, choral society performances, and musical theatre productions like community stagings of classic works. Supported activities encompass co-financing tuition for gifted students, grants for instrument purchase enabling practice and performance, special events promoting live music-making by amateur orchestras and choirs, and bursaries advancing careers in classical music and performing arts. Beneficiaries include children engaging in school music programs, young people aged 5-25 pursuing instrumental training, amateur musicians in local societies, and students overcoming barriers to advanced music studies, with interventions focused on active participation, skill development, and cultural enrichment through community-led performances and educational outreach.

They exclude non-musical causes, ongoing maintenance grants, and general core costs, restricting support to music-specific developmental outcomes and exceptional individual cases. Distinctive priorities favor young classical musicians in regional communities with national talent reach via partners, amateur societies sustaining live traditions, and projects rooted in founder’s ethos of participatory music culture. Unique strengths lie in blending organizational sustainability for choirs and orchestras with direct talent nurturing, emphasizing live performance over recorded arts, and independence in championing grassroots musical excellence.