Charities of Thomas Wade and Others grants
Charities of Thomas Wade and Others, known as Wade's Charity, funds recreation and public open space projects for people in the pre-1974 boundary of the City of Leeds.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Wade's Charity, formally the Charities of Thomas Wade and Others, funds recreation and public open space in Leeds. Every application must meet one of its two charitable objectives: it must offer recreational opportunities to people, or relate to the use of public open space. It can only support projects providing services for people residing in the pre-1974 boundary of the City of Leeds. It generally only supports registered charities, exempt or excepted charities, and industrial and provident societies. Grants are given on a single-year basis, and longer term funding is not the norm. Its main grants programme has deadlines towards the end of January, the end of May and mid September. Its small grants programme is restricted to organisations with an annual income of less than £25,000.
What they fund
These categories come from the Charity Commission register. The charity's own criteria narrow this to two objectives: recreational opportunities, and the use of public open space.
Who and where
The register places the charity in Yorkshire and The Humber, and in Leeds. Its own criteria are tighter still: the pre-1974 boundary of the City of Leeds.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Charities of Thomas Wade and Others 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.
Who they say they'll fund
“All grant applications must fulfil one of our two charitable objectives. This means that your application must be offering recreational opportunities to people or it must be related to the use of public open space”
Source: wadescharity.org — GRANTS CRITERIA - Wade's Charity Leeds →
“We can only support projects which are providing services for people residing in the pre-1974 boundary of the City of Leeds”
Source: wadescharity.org — GRANTS CRITERIA - Wade's Charity Leeds →
“we generally only support registered charities, exempt or excepted charities or industrial & provident societies”
Source: wadescharity.org — GRANTS CRITERIA - Wade's Charity Leeds →
What they say they won't fund
“Grants are given on a single-year basis and longer term funding is not the norm”
Source: wadescharity.org — GRANTS CRITERIA - Wade's Charity Leeds →
Income limits they mention
“These grants are restricted to organisations with an annual income of less than £25,000”
Source: wadescharity.org — Wades Charity Leeds Small Grants Programme →
Deadlines they mention
“deadlines for applications towards the end of Jan, end of May and mid September 2026”
Source: wadescharity.org — Main Grants Programme - Wade's Charity Leeds →
How they say to apply
“The application will then be considered by the board of Trustees at one of their Grants' Meetings”
Source: wadescharity.org — Main Grants Programme - Wade's Charity Leeds →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
Provision of open-spaces, allotments, playing fields, facilities for recreation, amusement, entertainment, including establishment of community and youth centres and for the general social intercourse of the inhabitants of the city of leeds or grants to any authority association or body providing such facilities.
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 Wade's Charity typically give?
It does not publish a typical grant size or a range. In its most recent published accounts it made £162,102 in grants to organisations. It runs a small grants programme alongside its main grants programme, and the small grants programme is restricted to organisations with an annual income of less than £25,000.
What does Wade's Charity fund?
All grant applications must fulfil one of its two charitable objectives: your application must be offering recreational opportunities to people, or it must be related to the use of public open space. Its registered objects cover open spaces, allotments, playing fields and facilities for recreation, amusement and entertainment, including community and youth centres, for the inhabitants of the City of Leeds.
Who can apply to Wade's Charity?
It generally only supports registered charities, exempt or excepted charities, or industrial and provident societies. It can only support projects providing services for people residing in the pre-1974 boundary of the City of Leeds. Its small grants programme is restricted to organisations with an annual income of less than £25,000.
What won't Wade's Charity fund?
Grants are given on a single-year basis and longer term funding is not the norm, so it is not a route to multi-year core funding.
How do I apply to Wade's Charity?
Applications are considered by the board of trustees at one of their grants meetings. Its main grants programme has three application deadlines a year, towards the end of January, the end of May and mid September. Check the funder's own website (www.wadescharity.org) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 224939) for current deadlines and guidance, as dates and 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 Charities of Thomas Wade and Others.