St Monica Trust

St Monica Trust, founded in 1925 by Henry and Monica Wills, is a Bristol-based charitable organisation dedicated to improving later life for older people in the West of England through direct care services and targeted grant-making. Rooted in principles of charity, compassion, dignity, and inclusion, it relieves needs arising from age, disability, ill-health, or financial hardship, evolving from residential care to a robust community grants programme that fosters independence, reduces inequalities, and supports vulnerable individuals and their dependants in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath & North East Somerset.

The Trust prioritises grants for disadvantaged older people facing social isolation, bereavement, exclusion, or crisis, funding activities like home adaptations, specialist equipment, support groups, day activities, outreach, dementia care, and accessibility improvements. It offers individual hardship grants (one-off gifts or short-term aid, typically £140/month) and community grants for grassroots organisations delivering practical, impact-driven interventions, including core funding, capacity building, and partnerships—exemplified by support to groups like Age UK Somerset and Clevedon Men’s Shed.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities or constituted community groups (at least 12 months old with accounts) operating exclusively in the specified areas, with preference for small, locally embedded entities over large nationals; no religious restrictions apply. Typical organisational grants range £10,000–£45,000 over up to 18 months. Applications start with an Expression of Interest (next deadline: midday 27 June 2025), followed by full submissions for shortlisted projects; individual grants are rolling. Distinctively, its grant-making aligns tightly with regional care provision, emphasising evidence-led, collaborative support for hard-to-reach older people, excluding non-local or unrelated work.