Yew Tree Grants
Purposes
Yew Tree grants are for charitable work that accords with the Quaker principles of peace, truth, equality and simplicity.
We prefer to fund activities that will give maximum benefit from relatively small sums of money. Examples are: specific short-term projects to improve the effectiveness of a charity; adding funds to a project which is already almost fully funded; buying training or advice to help put charitable aims into effect; helping to plug gaps in funding.
Grants are rarely made for ongoing or general funding.
Grants are normally made only for activities in which individual Quakers, or groups of Quakers, are actively involved.
Eligible applicants
Registered charities, community interest companies, and similar organisations may apply. They need not be charitable in the strictly legal sense provided that their activities are in accordance with Quaker principles.
Size of grants
There is no specific limit on the size of a Yew Tree grant, but grants are usually in the region of £4,000 and will rarely be much larger than that.
Timing
Grants are normally made twice a year, in April and October. In the case of urgency a proposal may be made at any time.
How to apply
Before starting an application, make sure it meets the criteria above (what for, who may apply, and how much).
The application should describe the work to be funded, giving full details of:
- the problem it addresses
- the objectives of the work in addressing the problem
- how the objectives are to be achieved
- the budget for the work, including other sources of funding
- how the work aligns with Quaker testimonies
- how individual Quakers or Quaker meetings are involved.
Applications should be emailed to yewtreefund@midthamesquakers.org.uk. This email address may also be used for preliminary enquiries. Examples of anonymised successful applications can be sent on request.
Source of grant funding
Grants come from the Yew Tree fund, an endowment fund of Mid Thames Area Quakers. The fund derives its income from letting two cottages in East Garston, West Berkshire. The Trustees of Mid Thames Quakers have allocated part of the income to the Yew Tree grants.
The cottages were bequeathed by Cecil Barker, a member of East Garston Quakers. For much of her life she was involved in the criminal justice system and in initiatives to improve it.
Yew Tree grants awarded
The reports below give the purposes and amounts of grants awarded each year.
