Four Acre Trust

Youth work, respite breaks, mentoring schemes and health related work overseas

Mary A Bothamley; John P Bothamley; Robert L Carruthers; Stephen Ratcliffe; Taymour Ezzat.

Worldwide.

Accounts were available at the Charity Commission.

The trust was established in 1996 to advance education, relieve sickness and poverty and for general charitable purposes. The trust supports charities that help people to make the most of their lives and prefers to prevent problems occurring rather than trying to cure them. The trust is keen to support local, district or small national organisations that have low reserves and a significant volunteer element. The trust prefers to support young people more often than old and revenue expenses rather than capital. Core costs will be financed if necessary. The main areas of support are:

• respite breaks and holidays
• school holiday activity schemes
• mentoring schemes
• and youth work in local communities.

The trust is looking to build long term relationships with grant beneficiaries and is happy to continue funding beyond one year as long as there is still sufficient need.

Please note: around 25% of the trust's grant aid is given to charities that are registered in the UK but which operate abroad. Support in this area is currently focused on water and sanitation projects and eye care services.

In 2007/08 the trust had assets of £9.7 million and an income of £986,000. Grants were made to 240 institutions totalling £2.3 million. The trust provides grants ranging from £3,000 to £75,000. The 50 largest grants were listed in the trust's accounts.

Beneficiaries included: Room to Read (£105,000); Visions for the Future (£77,000); International Childcare Trust (£71,000); Essex Assn Boys Club (£60,000); Tarabai Hospital (£53,000); Sight Savers (£48,000); Fostering Network (£33,000); Centre 63 Church of England Youth (£29,000); Whitehaven Harbour Project (£25,000); Let Us Play schemes (19,000); John Fawcett Foundation (£10,000); and Belfast Activity Centre (£7,500).

The trust does not support the following:

• advice services
• advocacy
• alcohol projects
• animal welfare
• applications from charities/organisations based abroad
• arts
• basic services (as opposed to imaginative new projects) for people who are disabled or elderly
• branches of national charities
• commercial publications
• conferences or seminars
• counselling
• direct replacement of statutory funding
• drop-ins
• drugs, HIV/AIDS projects
• establishing funds for scholarships or loans
• general appeals
• heritage
• individuals
• IT training/projects
• individual parish churches
• large UK-charities which enjoy wide support, including local branches of UK-charities
• medical (including research), general healthcare or costs of individual applicants
• mental health care
• overseas projects other than eye care and water provision
• overseas travel, conference attendance or exchanges
• performances, exhibitions or festivals
• prisoner and offender projects
• refugee projects
• religious activities
• research projects
• school related projects
• science
• sports
• stage, film or television production costs
• university or similar research.

The trust does not pay off deficits or loans, replace withdrawn or reduced statutory funding or give grants retrospectively. Grants are not given towards any large capital, endowment or widely distributed appeal.

Application forms are available from the trust's website and should be submitted by email. Telephone calls prior to application are welcomed. The trustees meet in February, April, June, August, October and December. All applications are replied to, and are usually processed within three months. All applicants are visited by one of the trust's field officers to discuss how the trust may best offer support. A brief but full report is required on the outcome of the funding.

Rejected lottery bids will be considered, but organisations are asked to telephone the trust to discuss the project before making an application.

Please note: the trust always receives more applications than it has funds to support and even if a project fits the trust's policy priorities, it may not be possible to make a grant.