Pershore Nashdom and Elmore Trust

The Pershore Nashdom and Elmore Trust, established in the mid-20th century with roots tracing to 1914, is a Church of England-aligned charity dedicated to advancing the Christian religion in the Benedictine tradition. Originally linked to Elmore Abbey, it now anchors its work at St Benedict’s Priory in Salisbury, stewarding investments and property to sustain a monastic community focused on contemplation, worship, hospitality, service, religious education, Christian knowledge promotion, and poverty relief guided by the Rule of St Benedict. Its core values emphasize stability, mutual support, and spiritual benefit for society, with a distinctive, narrow mission of preserving Anglican Benedictine life as a public good through prudent long-term asset management.

The Trust overwhelmingly funds St Benedict’s Priory—its sole primary beneficiary—with annual grants exceeding £250,000 to support operations, pastoral work, formation, education, liturgy, and community outreach. Occasional, trustee-initiated grants go to aligned causes like clergy mental health (e.g., substantial support to St Luke’s for Clergy), but external funding is rare and strictly tied to enhancing the Priory’s mission or similar Benedictine/Anglican initiatives.

Eligible applicants must be UK-based (England-focused, especially Wiltshire), Christian-only organizations, ideally established Church entities collaborating directly with the Priory; small or new charities are unsupported. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—funding decisions occur annually at trustees’ meetings (typically July–September), with no open calls, forms, or deadlines. Grants are unrestricted core support, occasionally project-based for aligned partners.

Unlike broad grantmakers, the Trust excludes open external applications, non-Christian causes, and non-collaborative projects, uniquely differentiating itself through exclusive, enduring fidelity to one monastic institution for monastic renewal and public spiritual benefit.