Note that this page describes how to apply to the JRSST Charitable Trust.
For applications to the UK Democracy Fund, please click here for more information.
For applications to JRRT, please click here for more information.
Before you start work on an application, read the JRSST Charitable Trust Funding Guide, to ensure your campaign is a good fit with JRSST-CT’s current priorities.
Applications for a grant under £10,000 can be made at any time. Once your small grant application is submitted, we aim to inform you of our decision within two weeks. (Please be aware that small grant applications that are received to coincide with the larger grant rounds will take longer to process.)
Applications over £10,000 are considered by ourTrustees at quarterly meetings (approximately one month after the final application deadline). Please be aware of the deadlines for submitting your outline proposal and full application. These deadlines are the same for the UK Democracy Fund, JRSST Charitable Trust and JRRT.
If you miss a deadline, you will have to wait until the next quarter before your application can be considered. Please note that to increase the chance of success, applicants should have their initial conversations with the UK Democracy Fund team well in advance of the outline proposal deadline, as described below.
1. Reach out with your idea
Contact info@jrsst-ct.org.uk with a brief description (one to three paragraphs) of your idea and how it aligns to our goals, as well as a rough idea of the budget you are asking for. At this stage it doesn’t need to be hugely detailed. This will enable us to advise you quickly if your proposal aligns with our aims and priorities. If it does, we can arrange a meeting to discuss further.
2. Outline proposal
Building on what you have already submitted via email, you can then share a short outline of your proposal, maximum two sides of A4 in Word or Open Doc format, to info@jrsst-ct.org.uk by the outline deadline for initial assessment. This gives us an opportunity to offer feedback.
Your outline should include:
- The name and legal status of your organisation (including your company or charity number if you have one)
- The total amount you are applying for and the duration of the project
- A draft budget
- A summary of your proposed application – tell us what you want to do, why you want to do it, and what you aim to change as a result of your campaign
We will acknowledge receipt of your outline proposal. We will aim to respond within three working days. You will be advised if your proposal is eligible to move to a full application or not.
This assessment is made by staff so it is important to note the following:
If you are given the go-ahead, it is not a guarantee of a grant as decisions for grants are made by JRSST-CT’s Trustees.
If you are advised not to apply, please be assured that your proposal has been properly considered.
3. Full application online submission
If you get the go ahead, please use the application questions set out in our guidance document to structure your application.
You can use this Word document template to create your written application.
Our Grants Manager will be on hand to answer questions as you draft your written application, and to provide feedback.
Alongside your written application, you will need to provide a completed budget for your project. This should be done using our budget template.
We provide two worked examples to help you build your budget:
- Worked example with no funding from other sources
- Worked example where a UK Democracy Fund grant will be supplemented by other funding
Once our Grants Manager has approved your final written application and your completed budget template, you will be invited to submit your application online.
You will be provided with a link to submit your your application.
You will need the following information to hand:
- Organisation name
- Legal name, if different
- Full postal address
- Legal status of organisation
- Company or charity registration number, if applicable
- Contact name
- Contact email address
- Your position in organisation
- Website address
- Social media accounts
- Grant amount requested
- Title of your campaign
- Details of which priority you are applying under (Diversity of representation or Participation between elections)
- The outcomes you hope to achieve
- A brief summary of your campaign, your plan, tactics and timeline
- A non-partisan statement of no more than 250 words setting out your commitment to non-partisanship and how you intend to ensure your campaign is non-partisan
- When you want the grant to start and finish
- Length of grant
- Details of your board or steering group
- Whether your organisation can be described as as led by and for people from communities that experience racial inequity? This is defined as an organisation whose leadership (50% senior leadership and 75% of the Board) is majority drawn from communities that experience racial inequity and whose mission or purpose is to serve all or specific communities that experience racial inequity. We ask this question for our internal auditing purposes only.
You will need to upload the following:
- Your completed application document
- Your grant budget
- Your most recent annual report or accounts – we may need to ask for additional financial information; we’ll be in touch to request this if required
- CV (if applying as an individual)
If you will be working with young people or vulnerable adults during your campaign, you will need to send us a copy of your safeguarding policy. We will request this from you separately by email if required.
4. Meetings with Applicants
For larger grants, a small panel made up of three of our Trustees may wish to meet you to discuss your application.
The purpose of these meetings is to help the Trust to learn more about your organisation and your application. It is not a decision-making meeting. If you are invited to a meeting, you will be asked to talk for five minutes to introduce the application. There will then be approximately 30 minutes for questions from Trustees.
Meetings take place via Zoom.
Please note, not all applicants are invited to a meeting. Whether or not you are invited to a meeting should not be seen an indication of the eventual outcome of your grant application.
You will be notified within two weeks of the closing date for applications if our Trustees wish to see you at this stage, and further details of what to expect will be shared with you. If you wish, you will have the opportunity to speak to a member of staff ahead of the meeting, who will be able to advise you as to the likely focus for questions.