St Edmunds Trust

St Edmunds Trust, established in 1977, is a grant-making charity dedicated to relieving sickness for public benefit by funding organisations that provide treatment, care, or support for sick or disabled people in West Suffolk, encompassing Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall, Haverhill, Newmarket, and Sudbury. Governed by unpaid trustees with expertise in investment, accountancy, and law, the Trust meets quarterly to award grants, prioritising capital projects that deliver enduring community impact over ongoing revenue needs. Its ethos emphasises tangible improvements in health and well-being, drawing on accumulated reserves to maximise local benefits despite modest annual income around £39,000.

The Trust funds initiatives advancing health, saving lives, and aiding disabilities, targeting children and young people, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and other charities or voluntary groups. Supported activities focus on medical care, treatment, and support infrastructure, such as equipment, facilities, or tangible assets that provide sustainable, long-term advantages.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities operating exclusively in the specified West Suffolk areas, with a preference for small to medium-sized grassroots organisations; no strict income thresholds apply, though larger national bodies are rarely supported. Applications are welcomed unsolicited via an online form, requiring project descriptions, charitable status proof, annual accounts, and budgets, submitted at least six weeks before quarterly trustee meetings (end-January for March, end-April for June, end-July for September, end-October for December). Typical grants range from £2,000 to £10,000, mostly £3,000–£8,000.

Notably, the Trust excludes individuals, core costs, salaries, or running expenses, distinguishing itself through its hyper-local focus, capital-only approach, and robust governance including reserves policies and conflict management, ideal for local health/disability projects seeking one-off investments.