Wheelwrights' Charity

The Wheelwrights' Charity, established in 1983 by the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights (chartered in 1670), preserves the ancient craft of wheelwrighting while advancing mobility, sport, education, and recreation for disabled people—especially children, youth, and ex-service personnel—and supporting City of London causes. Rooted in heritage craftsmanship essential to British culture, its mission blends tradition with modern philanthropy, emphasizing inclusivity, resilience, independence, and transformative impact through specialist equipment, training, and grants that enable participation and quality of life.

It prioritizes funding bespoke adaptive sports wheelchairs, mobility aids, wheelchair racing tracks, elite Paralympic training, carriage driving for disabled drivers, and wheelwrighting apprenticeships with mentoring. Key beneficiaries include physically disabled youth, spinal injury survivors, injured veterans, and craft apprentices, often via partners like WheelPower, Treloar’s School, and BattleBack programmes, focusing on UK-wide projects that safeguard endangered skills or boost sporting achievements.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, preferably small to medium-sized with targeted disability or craft missions; no geographic restrictions apply, but unsolicited applications are not accepted—enquiries go via email to existing partners or referrals. Trustees meet quarterly (March, June, September, December) for decisions, with typical grants of £5,000–£50,000 for projects or multi-year commitments; smaller £100–£1,000 awards occur via partners.

Unlike broad funders, it excludes core/unrestricted support, non-aligned causes, and open applications, standing out for its unique fusion of heritage craft preservation and high-impact disability mobility/sport aid, favouring strategic, near-fully funded initiatives for maximum individual and cultural sustainability.