W F Southall Trust

The W F Southall Trust, established in 1937 by Wilfred Francis Southall, is a Quaker-based family grant-making trust dedicated to advancing Quaker values of love, justice, respect for all, and the belief in divine potential in everyone. Its mission focuses on fostering a just, peaceful, and collaborative society through transformative change addressing systemic social, environmental, and peace challenges, guided by ethical stewardship—including strictly ethical endowment investments. Distinctive for its values-led philanthropy, the Trust prioritizes smaller UK charities with grassroots impact, supporting both faith-inspired and secular initiatives aligned with four core themes: Quaker Work and Witness (spiritual and community engagement), Peace and Reconciliation (conflict resolution and dialogue), Environmental Action and Sustainability (practical solutions, education, and climate efforts), and Social Action (social justice, inclusion, deprivation relief).

It funds UK-registered charities with annual incomes under £1 million, operating exclusively within the UK—no overseas projects. Eligible applicants must demonstrate compliance with UK charity regulations, have filed accounts, and show matched funding where possible; national household names or high-reserve organizations are typically ineligible.

Grants range from £1,000 to £5,000 (totaling £315,501 across 87 grantees in 2023), covering one-off capital/revenue for projects, core costs, or rare multi-year support for prior grantees. Applications are unsolicited via online Eligibility Checker leading to full form, assessed rolling (several weeks to months), except closed 1 September–1 November 2025. Exclusions include emergency appeals, medical charities, and counselling; it uniquely emphasizes outcomes, reflection, trustee knowledge of applicants, and the new Wilfred Southall Sustainability Award for student environmental achievement.