Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust
Could Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust be a fit? Check free — then find open funders like them if not.
- Typical grants
- £1,000 – £10,000
- Applications
- Not accepted
- Decisions
- Quarterly
Works for Registered charities, CIOs, CICs and community groups.
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register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.ukAbout Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust
The Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust was established in 1982 by settlor Margaret Fisher to promote the welfare, comfort, and opportunities of elderly and disabled people. With a founder-driven ethos centred on direct local benefit, the trust has maintained an unwavering focus on the Shaftesbury area in Dorset for decades. Its distinctive approach emphasises trustee-led identification of needs, institutional support over individual aid, and a tightly controlled policy ensuring public benefit and measurable local impact.
This trust operates with a clear commitment to its founder's vision, prioritising the care infrastructure within its chosen locality. It values long-term, hyper-local engagement and supports charities that deliver tangible benefits to the elderly and disabled communities in and around Shaftesbury.
What Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust funds
The trust funds projects that enhance residential care facilities, provide equipment for disabled residents, maintain care homes, and cover core running costs and capital improvements. It also supports essential services for elderly and disabled people, reflecting a consistent strategy of sustaining local care infrastructure rather than broad or thematic initiatives.
Geographically, the trust's focus is exclusively on the Shaftesbury area in Dorset and its immediate surroundings. It backs small to medium-sized charities delivering direct services to elderly and disabled beneficiaries, with a preference for organisations that have a strong local presence and impact.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities operating in or near Shaftesbury, Dorset. The trust has a preference for smaller organisations that provide localised impact; national or large-scale entities are rarely supported.
The trust's primary beneficiary groups are elderly and disabled people. It seeks charities that deliver direct services to these groups within its narrow geographic focus, reflecting its commitment to sustaining care infrastructure for the local vulnerable population.
What Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust doesn't fund
The trust excludes direct individual support, non-UK entities, and any activities that fall outside its narrow geographic and beneficiary focus. It does not fund organisations that are not UK-registered charities or that operate on a national or large scale without a strong local connection to Shaftesbury.
How they like to fund
The trust operates on an invitation-only basis, with grants awarded at trustees' discretion following proactive selection of charities. Unsolicited applications are not accepted. It supports both core running costs and capital improvements, and occasionally makes one-off grants for capital needs, reflecting its trustee-led approach to identifying and funding local needs.
How much does Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust give?
Typical published range. What your charity could realistically get — and whether you would clear their rules on income, location and legal structure — is the free fit check.
When to apply, and how long their decisions take.
Income, location, legal structure and exactly who they fund — matched to your charity.
Good to know
How to apply to Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust
Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited applications. Funding is by invitation.
- A fit check still tells you whether your work aligns with their published remit.
- If you cannot apply directly, shortlist open funders with a similar focus instead of writing into a closed door.
- Decisions are typically quarterly.
What you can do here
- 1Check fit. See if your project aligns with Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust.
- 2Find open funders. Shortlist similar funders you can approach.
- 3Save the notes. Keep the fit check if you are later invited to apply.
See if Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust could be a fit — then find open funders like them.
Frequently asked questions
How much funding does Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust provide?
Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust typically provides grants of £1,000 - £10,000.
Where does Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust fund charities?
Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust funds charities operating in the UK.
Does Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust accept unsolicited applications?
Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited applications.
How do I apply for funding from Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust?
Margaret Fisher Charitable Trust does not accept unsolicited applications. Funding is by invitation. A fit check still tells you whether your work aligns with their published remit.
Similar funders
Other UK funders with overlapping focus — not a claim they fund the same charities.
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