Guidelines
Who do the Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust support?
The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust is a grant making family charity providing assistance to charitable causes and projects in areas which are local or relevant to the Chatsworth, Bolton Abbey and the Devonshire Group estates – support further afield may be agreed at the Trustees discretion.
What the Trust is unlikely to fund:
1. The Trust will not consider any funding request made within 12 months of the outcome of a previously unsuccessful application or 2 years of a successful one. This is to ensure that the Trust can assist as wide a spread of worthwhile organisations as possible.
2. The Trust only considers applications from UK registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs). Your registration number must be included in your application (unless you have exempt status as a church, educational establishment, hospital etc.).
3. The Trust does not typically fund projects outside the UK, even if the organisation is a registered charity within Britain.
4. The Trust is not able to accept applications from individuals or for individual research or study. This includes gap year activities, study trips, fundraising expeditions and sponsorship.
5. The Trust does not make funding commitments over several years – grants made are typically for a single year with few exceptions.
6. It is unusual for the Trust to consider making a grant to organisations who cannot demonstrate significant progress with fundraising, so please bear this in mind when considering the timing of your application.
7. Applications will not be considered without all information requested being provided and accounts being included.
How much should I ask for?
Every application is considered on its own merits as the organisations the Trust supports vary significantly in size and scope. The Trustees anticipate that charities will have secured a significant proportion of funding prior to applying to the Trust. There are no formal guidelines on application amounts and organisations are invited to use their discretion.
As can be seen in the Trust’s annual reports and accounts, donations in the last few years have typically been from £250 to £10,000.
The Trustees of the Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust meet three or four times per year. Applications will only be accepted if submitted by the published closing date. If you submit your application after this time you will have to wait until the next meeting.
After the meeting the successful applicants will be listed on the Trust’s website. The Trust Administrator will contact you within 2 to 3 working days with confirmation of the amount awarded. You will be asked to complete and return a DDCT Grant Agreement Form before any payment is made.
If your organization is not listed on the Trust’s website you have been unsuccessful this time and are reminded that you should not apply again within a 12 month period.
At each meeting a large volume of applications are received. The Trust does not retain the paperwork for unsuccessful applications after the meetings and it is therefore not possible to comment in detail on individual cases.
The Trustees take a range of considerations into account, including such factors as previous grants, costs, available resources, sustainability of the project, and the viability of your fundraising plan. This list is not exhaustive and while the Trustees aim to support as many good projects and organisations as possible, it is unfortunately not possible to provide funding to all applicants.
If you would like a copy of the guidelines as a PDF please email mollie.moseley@chatsworth.org