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Grant Giving Policy

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The Christina Smith Foundation makes grants to organisations and individuals. As a registered charity, the Foundation can only make grants to support activity which is charitable in law. The Trustees regularly review their priorities in grant making and currently prioritise projects advancing the following charitable purposes:

  • The advancement of the arts, specifically but not exclusively theatre

  • The advancement of architecture

  • The advancement of education

  • The advancement of gender balance

  • The protection and improvement to quality of life for those living or working in Covent Garden

 

Principals followed by the Trustees in their grant making

  • The trustees will normally only fund work of charities and individuals working in London, with a specific focus on the Covent Garden area.

  • The trustees prefer to support specific projects, lasting no more than two years, rather than contribute to general running costs.

  • Grants will be made on a one-off basis and another application would need to be made to be considered for further funding.

  • The Foundation only makes grants to organisations that are registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and have and annual turnover of less than £10m, except in exceptional circumstances.

  • The Trustees require to see a copy of the most recently published annual report and accounts of a charity they wish to make a grant to.

  • The Trustees do not normally make grants of less than £500, there is no upper limit, but applicants should be mindful of the Foundations average grant size.

  • Only one grant will be made in any one year to an organisation or individual.

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Any grant is made at the absolute discretion of the Trustees. The Trustees will not normally fund any of the following:

  • Ongoing running costs

  • Animal charities

  • General appeals from national charities

  • For the purpose of distributing further grants

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Process of Application for a grant

Applications must be made in writing to the Christina Smith Foundation (no more than four sides of A4). There is no standard form, but applicants should ensure they provide full details of the project they are requesting a grant for, including a budget and the amount they are requesting from the Foundation.  Individuals applying for a grant must provide two referees who are not a relation. The Trustees may request additional information from applicants prior to making a decision about making a grant.

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Please note the Foundation does not have any staff, as such communications may take time.

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The next deadline for applications is Friday 22 March 2024. Applications that are received before this date will be reviewed at a Trustees meeting in April 2024.

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To ensure the Foundation’s resources are used solely to further its charitable purposes, trustees normally expect that all grants will have one to three measurable objectives agreed at the beginning of the funding period as part of the grant offer.

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Trustees reserve the right to apply conditions to any grant. Grants must be only be spent on the project applied for, unless a change to the project is agreed with the Trustees. An end of grant report must be submitted to the Trustees within six months of the end of the project detailing how the grant was spend and an evaluation of the project.

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The Christina Smith Foundation should be credited in any relevant materials (in printed or digital form) relating to the project being supported.

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