Trust & Foundation Prospect Research
There are more than 10,000 grant making Trusts and Foundations in the UK supporting all kinds of charities, large and small.
Together, they donate over £8 billion to charities every year.
I provide charities with excellent low-cost prospect research to help them find new local, regional, national and international funders.
I have created a fully searchable database of Trusts and Foundations using all data from the Charity Commission’s files.
The database also includes donation details taken from hundreds of Trust and Foundation annual accounts. This information includes the charities they have supported and the amounts donated.
The database can be searched using any combination of keywords and location (below). For example, your charity’s activities and themes (education, health, arts, sport, women etc.) and location (town, city, county or postcode). It can also find funders that have a preference for project, running or capital costs.
(Screenshot of database search page)
I also have subscriptions to Grant Finder and Funds Online , which help me find other funding opportunities from Corporate Foundations, Community Foundations, the various lottery funders, and many other grant makers.
Grant Finder: The leading funding database in the UK covering local, national, and international sources of funding. This is a great resource and is reflected in its annual subscription cost of £3,450.
Funds Online: A database with over 12,000 Trust and Foundations.
You can also view the databases I subscribe to find Funding from USA and Funding from Europe.
Pricing
Research is very competitively priced at £195 per day.
One to three days is usually sufficient for most clients.
Get in touch to place an order.
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Prospect Research
International Funding
Trust news and updates
22.02.2026
Last week, the UK’s trust and foundation fundraising scene saw some significant developments. The National Trust received a massive £10m donation from philanthropist Humphrey Battcock, which will support their conservation efforts. Additionally, the Women’s Resource Centre launched the Women’s Forever Fund, aiming to secure £350m for women’s charities. The UK Foundation Programme also announced changes to prioritize UK medical graduates for foundation training places.
Some notable fundraising appointments include Claire Rowney at Ronald McDonald House Charities, Meral Nugent at Nightingale Cancer Support Centre, and Fee Gilfeather at Shelterbox. The London Marathon Group also announced new board appointments, with Dawn Austwick as Chair of the London Marathon Foundation Board of Trustees.
26.01.2026.
Prospect research is the strategic cornerstone of successful trust and foundation fundraising. Rather than a “scattergun” approach, it involves identifying grant-makers whose charitable objectives and historical giving patterns align precisely with a charity’s mission. Researchers scrutinize Annual Reports, Charity Commission records, and databases like 360Giving to assess a funder’s financial capacity and thematic priorities.
19.01.2026
Excellent prospect research in Trust and Foundation fundraising is defined by precision and alignment. Rather than just building a list, high-quality research focuses on the “three pillars”: capacity (financial ability), propensity (history of giving), and affinity (alignment with your mission).
For institutional funders, excellence means looking beyond a foundation’s stated goals to their actual giving history. Analyzing a trust’s past grant recipients via Charity Commission filings or annual accounts reveals their true preferences—such as specific geographic regions, grant sizes, or types of projects—preventing “square peg, round hole” applications.
Ultimately, top-tier research identifies networks. Mapping connections between your trustees and a foundation’s board can transform a cold lead into a warm introduction. This depth of insight allows fundraisers to tailor proposals that mirror a funder’s language, maximizing the chance of a successful partnership.
10.01.2026
Trust and Foundation fundraising in the UK last week featured several standout moments. The Little Princess Trust received a £12,000 donation from the Inco Foundation, supporting free wigs for young people and research into gentler cancer treatments. This contribution helped the Foundation surpass £50,000 in total funds raised to date. Sector‑wide commentary also underscored ongoing challenges: many fundraisers report shrinking prospect lists and increased competition for grants, with some funders pausing programmes due to overwhelming demandalmondtreeconsulting.co.uk. Together, these developments reflect both inspiring generosity and the continued pressure shaping Trust and Foundation fundraising in the UK.
03.01.2026
Last week, the UK trust fundraising sector marked a significant leadership transition as David Henderson officially began his tenure as Chair of the Benefact Trust on New Year’s Day. The final days of December saw a flurry of activity as charities rushed to meet year-end deadlines for major grant-makers, including the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund and the Parkinson’s UK physical activity grants.
Early results from holiday appeals also emerged, with The Telegraph and The Times reporting strong continued momentum for their 2025/26 Christmas campaigns. Meanwhile, local community efforts like the Bracken Trust celebrated raising over £3,000 through festive concerts. Fundraisers are now shifting focus toward 2026, with applications for the Big Give Small Charity Week opening this Monday, January 5th.
22.12.2025
Last week, the UK’s trust and foundation sector navigated a challenging landscape marked by both financial warnings and landmark milestones. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) issued a stark alert, predicting a £300 million shortfall in festive donations, which is expected to increase the reliance on independent grantmakers.
Conversely, the Westminster Foundation celebrated a prolific year, awarding over £10 million in total grants, including a significant £500,000 partnership for inclusive cricket. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) released its winter tracker, highlighting persistent economic hardship while opening new social investment avenues for climate justice. Additionally, the Charity Commission published updated guidance on mergers—a timely move as the Foyle Foundation enters the final days of its historic £185 million spend-down and closure this month.
15.12.2025
The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge campaign was a highlight, raising a record-breaking £57.4 million in one week, proving the power of match funding during the festive season. However, this success was tempered by predictions that festive donations overall are expected to fall by up to £300 million, with children’s charities facing the hardest hit.
Finally, in a structural shift, Save the Children announced it would cease local funding bids, urging others to follow suit, in a move to encourage better-distributed funding, noting that only 8% of humanitarian funding went to local NGOs in 2024.