Marcela Trust

The Marcela Trust is a prominent UK grant-making charity established in honour of Marcela Botnar by her late husband, Octav Botnar, founder of Datsun UK. Operating across England and Wales, it delivers public benefit through selective philanthropy, guided by a conservative ethos of prudent investment and long-term sustainability via its trading subsidiary, OMC Investments Limited. With a small, stable board of trustees, the trust emphasises discretion, autonomy, and alignment with core charitable objects, focusing on high-impact support for areas dependent on not-for-profit funding.

It prioritises medical research, the arts, education, and poverty relief, particularly for disadvantaged children and young people. Grants support UK charities and voluntary bodies delivering health initiatives, youth welfare, educational programmes, and cultural projects, including both restricted (donor-aligned) and discretionary awards for projects, research, core costs, capital, or revenue needs.

Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities based in England and Wales, with a preference for established medium-to-large organisations demonstrating proven impact; there are no income thresholds or religious restrictions, though only trustee-identified entities qualify—no unsolicited applications accepted. Typical grants range from £50,000 to £500,000, often in six figures for strategic recipients.

The trust holds trustee meetings ad hoc (2-4 times yearly) without fixed deadlines, public criteria, or grant listings, distinguishing it as a low-profile, highly selective generalist funder. It avoids open rounds, emergency relief, or capacity-building streams, instead leveraging financial resilience for enduring, trustee-driven impact on national-scale needs.