Charitable work in the County of Sussex Grants (UK only) - Large Grant

Charitable work in the County of Sussex Grants (UK only) - Large Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Amount: More than £20,001
Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Summary

The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust offers large grants for charitable work in Sussex, focusing on areas such as elderly care, disability, general welfare, hospices, and youth support. Established in 1963, the Trust aims to support charities that have a strong connection with the community. Applications are accepted twice a year, with a review period of 12-15 weeks. Only UK-based charities are eligible, and funding can cover startup costs, core expenses, and specific projects.

Overview

Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust EKCT was founded on the 12th March 1963, to provide a formal structure for Ernest and his family to devote time and resources to charitable activities. Ernest had two great passions in life: conservation of wildlife and the natural environment and the encouragement of youth enterprise and outdoor activity. These ideals along with the founding guidelines to support the family’s home county of Sussex, remain core areas of activity. Grants EKCT aims to ‘make a difference’. The trustees will consider all applications that fall within the trust’s area of activity from charities that are registered in the UK. Grants will be considered for start-up costs, core costs or for a specific project for which applicants have requested support. This could include a contribution towards a building/refurbishment project, purchase of specialist equipment or other similar capital expenditure, or assistance with running costs. Areas of Grant Support: Charitable work in the County of Sussex Principal support is given to charities working in the following areas: Charitable work in the County of Sussex The trustees use the following programme areas to classify their grants: Care of the ElderlyDisabilityGeneral WelfareHospicesYouth Types of Grants Large Grants (£20,001 and over) Applications accepted online twice a year. Trustees aim to review applications within 12-15 weeks of application submission.Please note: Large grants are restricted to charities with whom the trustees have built up a deep understanding and/or close relationship over a period of several years. For this reason, the application is password protected. If you are an existing funding partner of EKCT and have not applied for a large grant before, please contact EKCT to first discuss your application.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Only UK based charities are funded.Only charities working in the listed areas/sectors are funded:Charitable work in the County of SussexFunding will be considered for:Start-up costs Core costs A specific project (capital expenditure or assistance with running costs)Applications are only accepted once per yearCharities with multiple branch offices in Sussex are requested to telephone or email for advice before making an application.

Ineligibility

Normally not considered for funding:Large national charities having substantial fund-raising potential, income from legacies and or endowment income.Organisations not registered as charities in the UK or those that have been registered for less than a year.Pre-school groups.Out of school play schemes including pre-school and holiday schemes.Charities not funded by any other charity.Very small and narrowly specialised activities.Local authorities.Individuals or charities applying on behalf of individuals.‘Campaigning’ organisations.Charities whose main aim is to raise funds for other charities with substantial cash reserves.Animal rescue or animal welfare organisations.Arts or community engagement projects.Given the Trust’s strong links with the county of Sussex, Trustees do not usually support proposals received from other regional ‘Wildlife Trusts’. Churches and places of worship outside of Cuckfield and Haywards Heath – please note; even within Cuckfield and Haywards Heath, grant opportunities for these purposes are extremely limited.Trustees are unlikely to support applications for funding for periods longer than 12 months. In very exceptional circumstances they may consider funding for up to a period of three years, at which point they will review whether support should be withdrawn to enable resources to be devoted to other projects.Trustees are very unlikely to consider more than one application per year by any applicant. We are sorry but trustees are not currently considering applications for areas that fall outside of those listed above.