Introduction
The Forrester Family Trust is an independent UK charitable foundation that provides grants to charities working with people and communities experiencing significant disadvantage. Its central goal is to support excellent smaller organisations that can contribute to a more just and equitable society.
The Trust is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under charity number 1190231. It is structured as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, or CIO, and was registered on 2 July 2020. Companies House records it under registration number CE022383.
Unlike an operating charity that delivers services directly, the Forrester Family Trust primarily achieves its charitable objectives by giving grants to other registered charities. The Charity Commission identifies grantmaking as its main method of operation and states that it supports charitable and voluntary organisations throughout England and Wales.
The Forrester Family Trust should not be confused with a corporate enterprise foundation. It was created through the philanthropy of the Forrester family rather than by a commercial company. It has no shareholders or private ownership structure, and its assets are controlled by trustees for charitable purposes.
Its philanthropic activities are funded largely through returns generated by a substantial investment portfolio. This investment-backed structure allows the Trust to provide themed grants, small grants, multi-year funding and disaster-relief contributions.
History and Background
The Trust’s origins date back to 1986, when Gwyneth Forrester established the Donald Forrester Trust. The present Forrester Family Trust was formed in 2020 by combining earlier family trusts and additional charitable assets.
Mission and Purpose
Core mission
The Forrester Family Trust’s central purpose is to support smaller charities that can unlock positive change for people facing serious disadvantage.
It seeks to contribute to a society in which individuals and families have improved quality of life, greater opportunity and access to support that may not be adequately provided by the state or commercial sector.
Charitable objects
The Trust’s governing object is broad. It may support purposes considered wholly charitable under the laws of England and Wales, particularly through grants to registered charities.
This broad legal object gives the trustees discretion to respond to different social needs over time. However, each grant round normally includes more specific eligibility conditions, organisational-size limits and thematic priorities.
Improving quality of life
The Trust takes a broad view of what improving quality of life can involve. It is particularly interested in interventions serving places and communities affected by multiple forms of disadvantage.
The Trust aims to fund gaps between government provision and commercial services. This may include support connected to:
- Poverty and financial hardship
- Disability and health
- Homelessness
- Social isolation
- Refugee integration
- Food insecurity
- Unpaid caregiving
- Criminal justice rehabilitation
- Community facilities
- Education and personal development
Supporting smaller charities
A defining feature of the Forrester Family Trust is its focus on smaller organisations. Its small-grants program is directed towards charities with annual income below £250,000, while its themed grants are available to eligible charities with income below £5 million.
The Trust recognises that smaller charities can have:
- Strong knowledge of local communities
- Close relationships with beneficiaries
- Flexible and responsive delivery models
- Significant volunteer participation
- Limited access to large institutional funders
- Difficulty covering core and operational costs
Investing in well-run organisations
The Trust expects applicants to demonstrate good governance and financial accountability.
It looks for organisations that:
- File their accounts on time
- Can explain the difference their work will make
- Have a strong delivery record or a credible new idea
- Can evaluate and report on their impact
- Have appropriate leadership and governance arrangements
Applicants do not necessarily need a complex formal evaluation system. They must, however, be able to explain their purpose, intended outcomes and how they will determine whether their work has been effective.
Governance and Structure
The Trust is registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is governed by trustees. It has no shareholders or commercial ownership and operates independently as a family-founded charitable foundation.
Funding and Grants
The Trust is mainly funded through income from its investment portfolio. Its grant programs include:
- Themed grants of up to £40,000
- Small grants of up to £10,000
- Multi-year funding
- Disaster-relief support
For 2026–2027, the Trust plans to distribute approximately £1.6 million.
Major Programs
Its grantmaking focuses on changing social needs. Recent themes have included:
- Support for unpaid carers
- Rehabilitation of prisoners and former offenders
- Support for Deaf people
- Cost-of-living assistance
- Refugee integration
- Food poverty
Impact
The Forrester family’s charitable trusts have distributed more than £30 million since their creation. Grants have supported charities working in homelessness, disability, mental health, employment, community development and humanitarian relief.
Conclusion
The Forrester Family Trust is an independent, family-founded charitable foundation supporting smaller charities working towards a just and equitable society.
Its origins date to 1986, when Gwyneth Forrester created the Donald Forrester Trust in memory of her husband. The present Trust was formed in 2020 by combining the Donald and Gwyneth Forrester trusts and incorporating an additional donation from Wendy Forrester.
The Trust is governed by four trustees and operates with a small staff team. It has no shareholders, commercial owners or trading subsidiaries. It is therefore not an enterprise foundation controlled by a company.
Its funding comes mainly from investment income generated by an investment portfolio valued at approximately £43.75 million as of 31 March 2025. The organisation uses these resources to provide:
- Themed grants
- Small grants
- Three-year funding
- Disaster-relief contributions
- Support for charities addressing disadvantage
The Trust is not a conventional provider of academic research grants or general basic research funding. Its grantmaking is directed primarily towards registered charities delivering practical benefits for individuals, families and communities.
For an intern, the Forrester Family Trust provides a valuable example of:
- Family philanthropy
- Foundation governance
- Grant assessment
- Charity due diligence
- Investment-backed giving
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Financial reporting
- Funding-program design
- Disaster-response grantmaking
- Charity regulation
- Social-impact measurement
- Relationships between funders and grantees
Its long-term impact depends on balancing two responsibilities: using funds to respond to urgent disadvantage today while preserving sufficient investment resources to support charities in future generations.
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