Smith Charitable Trust

The Smith Charitable Trust is a small, unpublicised grantmaking charity registered in England and Wales (number 288570), operating with full trustee discretion to support charitable purposes anywhere in the United Kingdom or worldwide. Lacking a published website, strategic plan, mission statement, or values, it embodies a highly flexible, non-programmatic approach, distributing its modest annual expenditure—around £218,465 in the 2024 financial year—through ad hoc decisions by a small volunteer trustee board with no paid staff. This generalist ethos prioritises broad charitable autonomy over themed focus, enabling funding for diverse needs without rigid criteria.

It supports a wide array of charitable activities, including project funding, core costs, and other interventions, with no documented thematic priorities, preferred causes, beneficiary types, or sectors. Grants go to organisations of varying sizes, from grassroots groups to larger charities, reflecting its absence of income thresholds, specialisation, or consistent patterns in past awards.

Eligibility is open to any UK-registered or equivalent charitable entities worldwide, with no geographic, size, or organisational restrictions specified. However, the trust operates strictly by invitation only, rejecting unsolicited applications entirely—no online forms, enquiry processes, deadlines, or funding rounds exist, and trustees select recipients via their private networks.

Distinguishing itself through extreme discretion and opacity, it imposes no published exclusions, grant size limits, or application guidance, making it ideal for charities with existing trustee connections seeking flexible, unrestricted support rather than strategic alignment. Approach via networks only, as direct pitches are futile.