Baily Thomas Charitable Fund grants
Baily Thomas Charitable Fund makes grants from £250 to charities and organisations working on learning disability, including research, care and relief.
Guidance last checked 22 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Baily Thomas Charitable Fund is about learning disability, and it is strict about what that means. It funds charities and organisations that aim to aid research into learning disability, and to aid the care and relief of those affected by it. It does not give grants for research into or care of those with mental illness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, nor ADHD, if they do not also have learning disabilities. Grants are awarded for amounts from £250, and no upper limit appears on the pages we hold. For appeals above £5,000 there are set deadlines: 31 December for the interim meeting in March, 31 March for the June meeting, and 31 August for the November meeting. Confirm those dates before you rely on them. Grants are not awarded to individuals.
What they fund
The Charity Commission records general charitable purposes and disability for this fund. Its own guidance is narrower and focuses on learning disability.
Who and where
The register records it working throughout England and Wales, with activity also recorded in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, and with people with disabilities and other charities.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Baily Thomas Charitable Fund says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“we do not give grants for research into or care of those with mental illness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, nor ADHD, if they do not also have learning disabilities”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
Who they say they'll fund
“Charities and organisations who aim to aid the research into learning disability and to aid the care and relief of those affected by learning disability”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
What they say they won't fund
“Grants are not awarded to individuals”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — Grants | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
“A further application from an organisation will not normally be permissible for a period of at least two years after consideration of a previously successful grant, or one year after notification of an unsuccessful application”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
“The Fund does not give grants towards anything considered to be statutory”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — Grants | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
Grant sizes they mention
“Grants are awarded for amounts from £250”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
Deadlines they mention
“The deadlines for submitting an appeal for funding of above £5,000:- 31 December for consideration at the interim meeting in March 31 March for consideration at the June meeting 31 August for consideration at the November meeting”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
How they say to apply
“The grant will be paid by cheque made payable to the organisation, never an individual, normally within one month of us receiving the signed grant offer letter”
Source: bailythomas.org.uk — General guidelines | Baily Thomas Charitable Fund →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To or for such charitable purposes or to or for such charitable institutions connected with the prevention treatment or relief of mental sickness or other forms of sickness or ill-health as the trustees may think fit.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Baily Thomas Charitable Fund typically give?
Grants are awarded for amounts from £250. It does not publish an upper limit on the pages we hold, but it does set separate deadlines for appeals above £5,000.
What does the fund support?
Charities and organisations who aim to aid the research into learning disability, and to aid the care and relief of those affected by learning disability.
What won't the fund pay for?
It says: "we do not give grants for research into or care of those with mental illness, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, nor ADHD, if they do not also have learning disabilities". Grants are not awarded to individuals, and the fund does not give grants towards anything considered to be statutory. A further application will not normally be permissible for at least two years after consideration of a previously successful grant, or one year after notification of an unsuccessful application.
How do I apply?
For appeals above £5,000 it publishes these deadlines: 31 December for consideration at the interim meeting in March, 31 March for the June meeting, and 31 August for the November meeting. Confirm the current dates before you rely on them. A grant is paid by cheque made payable to the organisation, never an individual, normally within one month of the fund receiving the signed grant offer letter. Check the funder's own website (www.bailythomas.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 262334) for current deadlines and forms, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Baily Thomas Charitable Fund.