Merchant Taylors' Foundation grants
Merchant Taylors' Foundation's Small Grants Scheme is closed to applications at present and is due to reopen in Autumn 2026. It gives £500 to £5,000 to UK registered charities working in Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark or Tower Hamlets.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Merchant Taylors' Foundation runs a Small Grants Scheme, and the first thing to know is that its application window is currently closed. Its published guidance says the window will open up again in Autumn 2026, so confirm the date before you plan around it. The scheme is currently only open to UK registered charities whose work is in one or more of the London boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark or Tower Hamlets. It is restricted to the relief of those in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantage. One-off grants are between £500 and £5,000; for multi-year funding of up to three years the maximum aggregate amount is £9,000. It does not award grants exceeding 5% of a charity's annual income, so the size of your charity affects what you can ask for.
What they fund
Charity Commission records list Merchant Taylors' Foundation under general charitable purposes and education or training. Its Small Grants Scheme is more tightly drawn than that, covering the relief of those in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantage.
Who and where
The register records its beneficiaries as children and young people and the general public, and lists it as working throughout England. Its Small Grants Scheme is limited to work in the London boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark or Tower Hamlets.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Merchant Taylors' Foundation 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
“Unfortunately, the scheme is currently only open to UK registered charities.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
“The Small Grants Scheme is for charities whose work aligns with our charitable objectives above in one or more of the London boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark, or Tower Hamlets.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
“The Small Grants Scheme is restricted for the relief of those in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantage.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
What they say they won't fund
“We also do not fund capital projects, (for example building or major renovation works).”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
“We will not consider applications where the request is to support religious or political promotion and/or activities.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
Grant sizes they mention
“For one-off grants, we award between £500 and £5,000. For multi-year funding (up to three years), the total amount you can apply for, i.e. the maximum aggregate amount, is £9,000.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
Income limits they mention
“We do not award grants exceeding 5% of a charity's annual income.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Small Grants Scheme Eligibility Criteria →
Deadlines they mention
“Our Small Grant Scheme application window is currently closed and will open up again in Autumn 2026.”
Source: merchant-taylors.co.uk — Apply for a Grant from Merchant Taylors' Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To advance the education of the public generally and in particular, but not limited to, founding educational establishments and assisting schools, universities and other educational bodies in such ways as the charity trustees think fit, including: a. The provision of bursaries, scholarships, fellowships, lectureships…
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 Merchant Taylors' Foundation typically give?
Under its Small Grants Scheme it awards between £500 and £5,000 for one-off grants. For multi-year funding of up to three years, the maximum aggregate amount you can apply for is £9,000. It does not award grants exceeding 5% of a charity's annual income, so the size of your charity affects what you can ask for.
What does the Small Grants Scheme fund?
It is restricted to the relief of those in need due to age, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantage, where that work is in one or more of the London boroughs of Hackney, Lewisham, Southwark or Tower Hamlets.
Who can apply?
The scheme is currently only open to UK registered charities whose work is in one or more of those four London boroughs.
What won't it fund?
It will not consider applications where the request is to support religious or political promotion or activities. It also does not fund capital projects, for example building or major renovation works.
How do I apply?
The Foundation opens and closes its Small Grants Scheme in windows rather than accepting applications all year. Its published guidance says: "Our Small Grant Scheme application window is currently closed and will open up again in Autumn 2026." Check the funder's own website (www.merchant-taylors.co.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1161568) for current guidance and dates, 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 Merchant Taylors' Foundation.