Souter Charitable Trust

The Souter Charitable Trust, established in 1992 by Sir Brian Souter and Lady Elizabeth Souter, is a family-funded UK grantmaker driven by Christian values of stewardship, compassion, and integrity to relieve human suffering at home and abroad. With over £130 million awarded in more than 20,000 grants, it promotes holistic care—spiritual and physical—for vulnerable individuals, families, and communities, supporting both faith-based and secular projects without restriction to specific causes.

It prioritises initiatives addressing health and wellbeing, disaster relief, emergency services, general charitable activities, and Christian religious efforts, including malaria prevention in Africa, school meals for children, trauma healing and maternal health in Uganda, boreholes in developing countries, charitable helplines, and UK support groups for chronic illnesses and women. Beneficiaries span the general public, religious groups, and underserved populations worldwide, delivered through practical, high-impact interventions like gap-year and short-term projects of at least one year's duration.

Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities of any size (preferring small to medium, with no formal income limits), able to provide audited accounts; overseas work must be channelled via these UK entities. Typical one-off revenue grants range from £1,000 to £3,000, applied for via a brief online form, email, or post (max two A4 sides, including aims, fund use, budget, and accounts). Applications are rolling, reviewed monthly by trustees, with the next deadline 25th November 2025 for the 1st December meeting; reapplications allowed after one year.

Exclusions include capital building/renovation and individual health/education needs. Distinctive for its flexible, discretionary family-led approach, global reach via UK charities, and balance of Christian ethos with broad secular support, it stands out for responsive funding of immediate, sustainable relief fostering hope and public benefit.