WHO/WHAT WE FUND

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Who does the Rainford Trust fund?

The Trust funds a range of charitable activities namely those associated with Welfare (General, inc Disability, Old and Young), Education, Humanities, Environmental and Medical.The Trust funds organisations that undertake charitable activities, usually registered charities. The Trust will however fund organisations that are not registered charities provided they can prove their activities are charitable and can submit a set of financial accounts/statements of financial activities.

Does the Rainford Trust fund individuals?

The Rainford Trust may consider an application from an individual if they meet two criteria, namely the funding must be in support of education, and the applicant must have been born in the St Helens area or lived in the area for some time. In these cases grants are intended for supporting the payment of course fees and/or material costs, and grant monies are paid directly to the university/course provider.

Does the Rainford Trust only fund UK projects?

The Trust considers appeals from all corners of the globe. The Trust’s primary focus will be on St Helens and the surrounding area and other locations where Pilkington operated. More widely, appeals from charities registered in the UK, for national and overseas benefit, will be considered.

What type of costs does the Rainford Trust fund?

The Trust will consider funding organisations seeking grants for a variety of purposes, this could include core funding. Funding is usually provided for specific projects, but also for ongoing costs (which could includes salaries and overheads).

How often do the Trustees of the Rainford Trust meet to consider appeals?

A subset of the Trustees (Local Appeals Committee) normally meet ten times per year to consider appeals and award grants.

The full Board of Trustees normally meet three times per year (March, July, November) to consider larger appeals and award grants.

Am I eligible to apply for funding?

In order to make an application for grant funding you must:

Be a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and/or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; or

In the case of an unregistered charity, be able to produce a governing document (along with such other information required by the Trustees) evidencing the existence of the charity as a constituted group along with an explanation as to why the charity is not registered with the Commission – it is noted that this explanation might be as simple as the charity having an income of less than £5,000 a year;

Be able to supply The Rainford Trust with their accounts, which (where applicable) must have been filed on time for a period of at least three years prior to the application (the Trustees may make an exception for a recently formed charity);

In relation to grants being made overseas, the Trustees usually only support charities that are registered in the UK. In the unlikely event that the Trustees decide to make payments direct to a charity based overseas, the recipient must be capable of being viewed as exclusively charitable within the law of England and Wales, or be intending to use the funds for purposes which the law in England and Wales considers exclusively charitable;

How do I apply for funding from the Rainford Trust?

Applicants should complete the application form found here on our website.

How often can I apply for funding from the Rainford Trust?

There are no limits on the number of applications an organisation or individual may make. The Trustees generally prefer not to make a grant more than once in three years to applicants . However, there are exceptions, and applications from previous recipients of grants or from previously unsuccessful applicants may be considered on their own merits, regardless of timing.

How will my application be assessed?

Is there a limit on funding?

Your application form will be considered along with a review of the accounts provided and a decision made as to whether or not to submit to the Local Appeals Committee in the first instance for consideration. The Local Appeals Committee can approve or reject grants and if considered appropriate will ask the main Board of Trustees to consider.

How long does the grant assessment appeal process take?

This can take several weeks depending on whether your appeal is approved by the Local Appeals Committee or the main Trustee Board. In each case once a decision to award a grant is made you should normally receive your payment within two weeks. It is not current policy to send rejection letters.

There is no limit on the amount the Trustees might award, however most grants are generally between £1,000 and £5,000.

How will payment be made?

At present the method of payment is by cheque. It is important that you state clearly on your application the payee details i.e. the full name of your charity, and the full name of the correspondent to whom the cheque should be directed.

Applicants are not informed should their application be rejected, due to the high volume of applications received.

Am I informed if my appeal is rejected?