Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust grants
Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust funds charities in the north west of England, and medical and healthcare research aimed at benefiting older people, with research grants capped at £25,000.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust runs two separate routes: general grants to charities, and medical and healthcare research grants. For general grants, the trustees only support applications from charities operating in what the trust calls its Preferred Locations. Those are Lancashire, especially Lancaster and District including all LA postcodes, plus Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside. Research grants are currently restricted to a maximum of £25,000. That money is for consumables, a pilot project, or an addition to an existing research activity. The fields of research the trustees support are generally limited to areas aimed at benefiting older people, for example Alzheimer's, macular disease, prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. Applications for general grants from charities with income above £1.25 million per annum will be rejected automatically unless they are for a capital project. Trustees meet twice a year, in March and October, with deadlines for receiving applications of 31 August and 14 February respectively.
What they fund
These are the charitable purposes recorded for the trust on the Charity Commission register. Its own guidance is more focused, on medical and healthcare research and on charities working with older people.
Who and where
The register records the trust as operating throughout England and Wales, but its own general grant guidance limits support to charities operating in Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside. Check both before applying.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust 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
“fields of research the Trustees support are generally limited to specific areas aimed at benefiting older people, for example Alzheimer's, Macular Disease, Prostate Cancer, Parkinson's Disease etc”
Source: peeltrust.com — (PDF) DCEPT-Grant-Making-Strategy-Policy-2024-10-03.pdf →
Who they say they'll fund
“The Trustees only support applications from charities operating in the "Preferred Locations" of Lancashire (especially Lancaster and District including all LA postcodes), Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside”
Source: peeltrust.com — General Grant Application - The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust (DCEPT) →
What they say they won't fund
“Grants shall not be made to charitable bodies primarily devoted to children or which for the time being are wholly or substantially under the control of the central or any local government”
Source: peeltrust.com — (PDF) DCEPT-Grant-Making-Strategy-Policy-2024-10-03.pdf →
Grant sizes they mention
“Medical and healthcare research grants are currently restricted to a maximum of £25,000 to be used for consumables, a pilot project or to enable an addition to an existing research activity”
Source: peeltrust.com — (PDF) DCEPT-Grant-Making-Strategy-Policy-2024-10-03.pdf →
Income limits they mention
“Applications for general grants from large well-funded charities (income in excess of £1.25million per annum) will be rejected automatically if the application is for anything other than a capital project”
Source: peeltrust.com — General Grant Application - The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust (DCEPT) →
Deadlines they mention
“Trustees meet twice a year, in March and October; deadlines for receiving applications are August 31st and February 14th respectively”
Source: peeltrust.com — Medical Grant Application - The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust (DCEPT) →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The benefit of charitable bodies particularly those administering:- (a) medical charities including medical research. (b) charities in connection with old people. (c) charities assisting people who have fallen upon evil days through no fault of their own. (d) the charities specified in the schedule to the trust deed…
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 the Peel Trust give?
It does not publish a general grant range or a typical (median) award. For research it says medical and healthcare research grants are currently restricted to a maximum of £25,000, to be used for consumables, a pilot project or to enable an addition to an existing research activity. In its most recent published accounts it made £847,987 of grants to organisations.
What does the Peel Trust fund?
Its registered objects cover medical charities including medical research, charities in connection with old people, and charities assisting people who have fallen upon evil days through no fault of their own. Its research funding is generally limited to specific areas aimed at benefiting older people, for example Alzheimer's, macular disease, prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. Its Charity Commission entry also records education and training, disability, overseas aid and famine relief, general charitable purposes, and the prevention or relief of poverty.
Where does the Peel Trust fund?
The two sources differ, so read both. Its Charity Commission entry records the trust as operating throughout England and Wales. Its own general grant guidance is narrower, saying the trustees only support applications from charities operating in the preferred locations of Lancashire, especially Lancaster and District including all LA postcodes, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside.
What won't the Peel Trust fund?
Its policy says grants shall not be made to charitable bodies primarily devoted to children, or which for the time being are wholly or substantially under the control of central or any local government. It also says applications for general grants from large well-funded charities, with income in excess of £1.25 million per annum, will be rejected automatically if the application is for anything other than a capital project.
How do I apply to the Peel Trust?
Work back from its meeting dates. It says trustees meet twice a year, in March and October, and that the deadlines for receiving applications are 31 August and 14 February respectively. It runs separate general grant and medical grant application routes. Check the funder's own website (www.peeltrust.com) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 214684) for current dates and guidance, 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 Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust.