Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
Could Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust fund your project? Check fit free. Draft if yes — or shortlist better matches.
- Where they fund
- uk_wide
- Applications
- Accepted
- How to apply
- Two-stage application
Works for Registered charities, CIOs, CICs and community groups.
Get a draft in 2 minutes · no card
julesthorntrust.org.ukAbout Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust is an independent grant-making foundation that supports health and care initiatives across the UK. Established in 1964 with an endowment from Sir Jules Thorn, founder of Thorn Electrical Industries, the Trust is rooted in advancing medical science and humanitarian welfare. Its mission is to improve outcomes for people with serious long-term or life-limiting conditions, prioritising practical, emotional, and innovative support. The Trust funds a range of programmes, from small grants for frontline charities to large-scale biomedical research and infrastructure investments, blending flexible small-charity funding with major research investments.
What Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust funds
The Trust funds work across physical health, mental health, disability, older people, homelessness, and poverty. Through the Ann Rylands Small Donations Programme, it supports smaller charities providing practical and emotional support to people with or at high risk of physical or mental ill health, people living with a disability, and their families and carers. Other programmes fund capital equipment, facilities, and translational research aimed at improving diagnosis or developing new therapies for important clinical problems. The Trust supports projects UK-wide, including those that develop new models of health and care, integrate services, or address areas of unmet need.
Who can apply
The Trust makes grants to registered charities, universities, and NHS organisations working UK-wide. The Ann Rylands Small Donations Programme is designed for smaller registered charities that have been registered in the UK for at least two years. The Trust does not fund individuals, community groups, faith groups, community benefit societies, or charities engaged in political activism. Charities with free reserves equivalent to 12 months or more of annual expenditure are also excluded.
What Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust doesn't fund
The Trust does not fund medical or medically-related research under the Ann Rylands programme, as it makes substantial donations to support research through other programmes. It also excludes village and community halls, uniformed groups, carnivals and arts festivals, and amonising charities. The Trust will not support applications that supplement an existing project supported by other funding bodies or cover expenditure already incurred, and it does not fund the overheads of host institutions.
How they like to fund
The Ann Rylands Small Donations Programme makes grants to support eligible charities' core costs. Awards are one-off, with no reporting requirements for recipients. Other programmes offer multi-year funding for capital works, equipment, salaries, and project delivery. The Trust welcomes unsolicited applications for the Ann Rylands programme, while other programmes may have different application processes.
How much does Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust give?
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust runs 4 grant programmes. Every figure below is sourced from their published guidance.
Last verified 8 August 2026 · 68 sourced facts
- Online application form
- Single-year grants
- Two-stage process
- Multi-year funding
- Two-stage process
- Next round opens 1 November 2026
- Two-stage process
- 1 rounds a year
- Multi-year funding
Those are the published figures. What your charity could realistically get — and whether you'd clear their rules on income, location and legal structure — is what the free fit check answers.
What Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust funds — and what they won't
The programme is designed to help smaller charities providing practical and emotional support to people with - or at high risk of - physical or mental ill health, people living with a disability, and their families and carers.
The full exclusions list (8)
- Charities that have been registered in the UK for less than 2 years
- Village and community halls, uniformed groups (such as Scouts and Guides), carnivals and arts festivals, ammonising charities (i.e., those that give grants to others) and charities that are engaged in political activism
- Charities which have free reserves equivalent to 12 months or more of annual expenditure
- Charities which have received funding from the Trust within the previous 12 months
- Organisations that have received an award of capital funding from the Trust within the previous two years
- Organisations which are also eligible to apply for the Trust’s Research Infrastructure Fund should note that it is not permitted to apply to both funds in the same calendar year
- The Trust will not support applications that are to supplement an existing project supported by other funding bodies, or to cover expenditure already incurred.
- The Trust does not fund the overheads of the host institution, or any costs incurred by the sponsoring organisation.
Good to know
How to apply to Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust takes applications via two-stage application.
- Published programme route: online application form.
- Check whether your charity is in scope before you spend time on a full bid.
What Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust's application asks
We hold the 61 questions from Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust's application form, word for word — so you know exactly what you're signing up to answer.
“Are you registered as a charity in the UK with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland?”
“Has your charity been registered for less than 3 years?”
59 more questions from their form, plus answers drafted from your charity's real data if you decide to apply.
How it works
- 1Describe your project. Once — used for this funder and others.
- 2See if this could be a fit. Honest check on cause, place, size, and rules.
- 3Draft if yes. From your real data — or move on if not.
See if Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust could be a fit. Draft if yes.
Frequently asked questions
How much funding does Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust provide?
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust runs 4 grant programmes — Ann Rylands Small Donations Programme: Up to £5,000 · Innovation and Improvement in Health and Care Fund: £100,000 – £500,000 · Research Infrastructure Fund: £150,000 – £500,000 · Sir Jules Thorn Award for Biomedical Research: Up to £1,700,000.
Where does Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust fund charities?
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust funds charities operating in uk_wide.
Does Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust accept unsolicited applications?
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust accepts unsolicited applications from eligible organisations. Current programme status is on this page — do not assume a round is open.
What does Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust not fund?
Their published exclusions include: Charities that have been registered in the UK for less than 2 years; Village and community halls, uniformed groups (such as Scouts and Guides), carnivals and arts festivals, ammonising charities (i.e., those that give grants to others) and charities that are engaged in political activism; Charities which have free reserves equivalent to 12 months or more of annual expenditure; Charities which have received funding from the Trust within the previous 12 months; Organisations that have received an award of capital funding from the Trust within the previous two years. The full exclusions list is further up this page.
How do I apply for funding from Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust?
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust takes applications via two-stage application. Published programme route: online application form.
Similar funders
Other UK funders with overlapping focus — not a claim they fund the same charities.
Browse related grants
Spotted something that needs correcting? Tell us.
Could Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust be a fit?
Check free. Draft if yes, or shortlist better matches.