The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust provides grants to registered charities working in the areas of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement.
The advancement of such exclusively charitable objects as the trustees shall from time to time determine in particular (but not limited to) the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement.
The majority of grants are single grants over a one-year period of £500 - £6,000.
Who can apply
Registered charities.
Restrictions
The Trust is unlikely to fund:
Capital projects and routine maintenance
Community transport organisations or services, air ambulances, requests for vehicles
Conferences, Exhibitions, Seminars, Expeditions
Counselling and psychotherapy services
Drug abuse or alcoholism rehabilitation
Feasibility studies
General and round-robin appeals
Hospitals and individual hospices*
Individuals
Large well-funded national charities
Mainstream schools (and projects linked to the national curriculum)
Medical Research
Nurseries and Playgroups (other than those for special needs children)
Organisations that are not Registered Charities (or accepted as Exempt Charities)
Projects starting within 3 months of a meeting date, unless 75% of funds have already been secured
Projects taking place or providing benefit outside the UK
Recordings and commissioning of new works
Retrospective funding
Religious causes and activities
Sport
Universities
* Hospices: This Trust has been a supporter of the hospice sector for very many years but is not at present accepting applications from individual hospices. We will however be continuing to support the work of Hospice UK, and to welcome applications from charities delivering music and art therapy services directly to hospices.
Eligible Expenditure
Notwithstanding the overall charitable objectives of the Trust, the Trustees are continually developing their policies, objectives and guidelines within the terms of the Trust Deed dated 14th December 1972 and have determined that their grant priorities for 3 years from 9th February 2023 will focus on:
THE ARTS
Access and participation in the arts for those who have least access to them with emphasis on choirs and singing to build community and bring people together
Support for charities seeking to engage with, and inspire, young people on the fringes of society through music and drama projects to improve their employability and diminish the risk of social exclusion
Performance development opportunities in theperformingarts forthose in the early stagesof their careers
MEDICAL WELFARE
Music and art therapy and non-clinical interventions that use singing, drama and musical techniques to aid recovery from illness and improve quality of life and mental wellbeing
Support for charities concerned with alleviating the suffering of adults and children with medical conditions who have difficulty finding support through traditional sources
The welfare of those who care for others through the provision of breaks for carers, with an emphasis on projects and schemes assisting young carers
THE ENVIRONMENT
Social and therapeutic horticulture projects that embrace nature as a tool for mental wellbeing by using gardening or other environmental activities to bring about positive changes in the lives of those who are living with disabilities or ill-health
Active involvement in hands-on conservation activities, particularly those that bring about positive changes in the lives of young people living at the margins of society to improve their skills, build their confidence and break down barriers to their employment
Rural crafts and skills in heritage conservation, with emphasis on increasingly rare skills that would otherwise be lost
How to apply
Applications are made online through the Trust’s website: www.doylycartecharitabletrust.org.
The Trustees usually consider applications three times a year in March, July and November. The next grant making meeting will be on the 8th July 2025 and the final closing date for the submission of online applications for this meeting is at 11:59pm on the 3rd June 2025.
Please read our Guidelines and Exceptions before you decide to apply. In order to complete the online application form, you will need to be able to provide the following information and attach the specified documents:
Your organisation details including your legal status (i.e. charity commission registration number, company number or charity exempt regulator)
The amount you are requesting
A contact for this application
The purpose of the grant including details of who will benefit, timescale, funds already raised and balance required
The UK region it will benefit and which of our funding priorities it applies to
Your charitable objects (as stated in your governing document) and charitable activities
The names of Trustees or committee members
A financial summary of the organisation’s most recent accounts including income and expenditure
Declaration of any relationship or connection with any Trustee of The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
A completed and signed Bank Details Form
Confirmation of your charity’s bank account (e.g. a pre-printed paying in slip for your account, a voided cheque or a redacted bank/building society statement)
Details of other funders you have approached for this project or application
Should assistance or advice be required with an application please contact the Grants Administrator on 0203 637 3003 or via email, info@doylycartecharitabletrust.org, who will be happy to help. If you need a version of the application form in a more accessible format please contact us stating your preferred format.