Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Could Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fund your project? Check fit free. Draft if yes — or shortlist better matches.

Typical grants: £4,000 – £8,000
Applications: Accepted
How to apply: Online form

Works for Registered charities, CIOs, CICs and community groups.

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About Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, established in 1965 as a living memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, awards Churchill Fellowships to UK citizens for overseas research and learning. Its mission is to advance knowledge and public benefit by fostering global best practices that inspire systemic change in UK professions, communities, and society. The Trust values openness, merit, and personal initiative, funding individuals directly rather than organisations. It supports projects across arts, education, environment, health, and mental health, with a UK-wide focus. Fellows investigate contemporary challenges through study visits and professional exchanges, then disseminate findings. A separate grant programme, the Activate Fund, helps implement ideas, covering costs such as setting up a social enterprise, piloting projects, advocacy, and evaluation.

What Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funds

The Trust supports investigative travel fellowships addressing contemporary challenges in arts, education, environment, health, and mental health. Fellows travel overseas for research and learning, then share their insights through networks, events, and policy engagement. The Activate Fund, for post-fellowship implementation, covers costs including setting up a social enterprise, piloting a project, advocacy activities, evaluation, consultancy fees, and vital life costs such as childcare or carer support. The Trust works across the whole of the UK, with no geographic restriction within the country.

Who can apply

The Trust funds individuals only, not organisations. Applicants must be UK citizens resident in the UK, from any background or profession. No academic qualifications are required. The Churchill Fellowship is open to individuals with a project idea that will benefit UK society. The Activate Fund is available to those who have completed a Churchill Fellowship. Both programmes welcome applicants from all walks of life, including grassroots leaders and sector professionals.

What Winston Churchill Memorial Trust doesn't fund

The Trust does not fund organisations, core costs, academic studies, undergraduate dissertations, gap year activities, art projects that result only in an exhibition, artist residencies, research for fiction without wider public benefit, or volunteering. It also excludes political promotion, proselytising on religious grounds, projects that benefit only the applicant, and equipment-heavy projects where equipment costs exceed a quarter of the budget. Travel outside the UK and one-off activities such as conferences are not supported.

How they like to fund

The Trust funds individuals directly through two streams. The Churchill Fellowship provides travel and living costs for overseas research. The Activate Fund offers multi-year grants to help fellows implement their ideas after the fellowship. Both programmes accept unsolicited applications. The Trust values personal initiative and seeks to support projects with clear public benefit for the UK.

How much does Winston Churchill Memorial Trust give?

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust runs 2 grant programmes. Every figure below is sourced from their published guidance.

Last verified 8 August 2026 · 31 sourced facts

Activate FundCurrently closed

£10,000 – £30,000

Online application form
1 rounds a year
Multi-year funding

Churchill FellowshipOpen to applications

Two-stage process
1 rounds a year

Those are the published figures. What your charity could realistically get — and whether you'd clear their rules on income, location and legal structure — is what the free fit check answers.

What Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funds — and what they won't

Where they fund

Costs they'll cover

Setting up a social enterprise, charity, or other non profit entityPiloting a project or prototyping a productCosts related to expanding a project, which may include consultancy feesDevelopment of a service, resources or trainingAdvocacy activities such as speaking engagements in influential spaces, publishing research, a book or policy papers/briefings for a clear target audienceEvaluation of a projectA stipend or to supplement incomeVital life costs, such as extra childcare costs, carer costsSupport needs, such as legal costs, trademarking, website design, translation, adaptation of resources, equipmentConsultancy fees or staffing costsWorkshops and events delivered as part of a wider project

They don't fund

Projects for which there is no demonstrable demandPromotion of a political partyProselytising on religious groundsWork that is not for public benefitAn idea that will only benefit the applicant, not the wider UK societyAcademic studies, dissertations for undergraduate degrees, degree placements, medical electives, student grants, internships, etc.Gap year activities, unless the application is for a stand alone projectArt projects that will result only in an exhibition and have no public benefit beyond raising the profile and expertise of the applicantArtist's residenciesResearch for fiction unless it has a wider public benefitWhere the project is solely about enabling an individual to volunteerOrganisational running costsUniversity or large institutional overheadsOne off activities, such as attending a conference, festival, trips, a workshop, etc.Moving your services onlineSupplying equipmentTravel outside of the UKAcademic studies, dissertations for undergraduate degrees, degree placements, medical electives, student grants, internships, or coursesPostgraduate studies, unless they can show wider, practical benefits to others in the UKGap year activities, unless the application is for a stand alone project that satisfies our criteriaArtists’ residenciesResearch for fiction, unless it clearly has a wider public benefitVolunteeringRegistered charitiesCIOsCICsCompanies limited by guaranteeUnincorporated associationsTrustSchoolFaith groupsCommunity groupsSocial enterprisesCommunity benefit societies

The full exclusions list (4)

Equipment costs >25% of budget unlikely to be supported
An idea that will only benefit the applicant, not wider UK society
An application from more than one person or from a team
A project that already has, or hopes to have, a large number of funders

Good to know

FaithNo restriction

Focus areas

Arts & cultureEducationEnvironmentHealthMental health

How to apply to Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust takes applications via online form.

Published programme route: online application form.
Check whether your charity is in scope before you spend time on a full bid.

What Winston Churchill Memorial Trust's application asks

We hold the 22 questions from Winston Churchill Memorial Trust's application form, word for word — so you know exactly what you're signing up to answer.

Question 1

“How will you be delivering this project?”

Question 2

“What is the name of your organisation?”

20 more questions from their form, plus answers drafted from your charity's real data if you decide to apply.

How it works

1
Describe your project. Once — used for this funder and others.
2
See if this could be a fit. Honest check on cause, place, size, and rules.
3
Draft if yes. From your real data — or move on if not.

See if Winston Churchill Memorial Trust could be a fit. Draft if yes.

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does Winston Churchill Memorial Trust provide?

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust runs 2 grant programmes — Activate Fund: £10,000 – £30,000.

Where does Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fund charities?

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funds charities operating in UK.

Does Winston Churchill Memorial Trust accept unsolicited applications?

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust accepts unsolicited applications from eligible organisations. Current programme status is on this page — do not assume a round is open.

What does Winston Churchill Memorial Trust not fund?

Their published exclusions include: Equipment costs >25% of budget unlikely to be supported; An idea that will only benefit the applicant, not wider UK society; An application from more than one person or from a team; A project that already has, or hopes to have, a large number of funders. The full exclusions list is further up this page.

How do I apply for funding from Winston Churchill Memorial Trust?

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust takes applications via online form. Published programme route: online application form.