Miss E F Rathbone Charitable Trust grants
Miss E F Rathbone Charitable Trust makes grants of £1,000 to £3,000 for national and international work, and up to £5,000 in Merseyside, to small and medium-sized charities.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Miss E F Rathbone Charitable Trust, which publishes as the Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust, will consider applications only from small or medium sized charities. Its priorities are charities benefiting women, girls, young people and families who are economically deprived and/or socially excluded, and unpopular and neglected causes. It gives particular weight to work based in, or delivered in, Merseyside, especially the more deprived areas of the county. Grants are made in the range £1,000 to £3,000 for national and international grants, and up to £5,000 for Merseyside grants. It avoids charities with a sectarian interest. Organisations that have already received a grant are asked to wait two years before reapplying, and any further request must be accompanied by a report on how the previous grant was used.
What they fund
The Charity Commission register records the broad areas this charity works in. For Miss E F Rathbone Charitable Trust this is recorded simply as general charitable purposes.
Who and where
The register also records who it works with and where. It lists other charities and voluntary bodies, throughout England and Wales.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Miss E F Rathbone Charitable 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
“Charities benefiting women, girls, young people and families, who are economically deprived and/or socially excluded; Unpopular and neglected causes.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
“Charities and charitable projects that meet our priorities and are based in, and/or delivered in Merseyside, particularly the more deprived areas of the county.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
Who they say they'll fund
“Applications will be considered only from small or medium sized charities.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
“We ask organisations who have previously received a grant to wait two years before reapplying. All requests for a further grant must be accompanied by a report on how the previous grant was used.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
What they say they won't fund
“Charities benefiting women and unpopular and neglected causes but avoiding those with a sectarian interest.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
Grant sizes they mention
“Grants are made in the range £1000 to £3,000 for national and international grants, and up to £5,000 for merseyside grants.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
Deadlines they mention
“Applications are accepted at any time and are considered at the Trustees meetings which occur three times a year. Dates vary.”
Source: eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk — Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
For charitable purposes at the discretion of the trustees.
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 Trust typically give?
Grants are made in the range £1,000 to £3,000 for national and international grants, and up to £5,000 for Merseyside grants. In its most recent published accounts it made £411,449 in grants to organisations. It does not publish a typical (median) grant figure.
What does the Trust fund?
Its stated priorities are charities benefiting women, girls, young people and families who are economically deprived and/or socially excluded, and unpopular and neglected causes. It gives particular weight to charities and charitable projects based in, or delivered in, Merseyside, particularly the more deprived areas of the county.
Who can apply?
It says applications will be considered only from small or medium sized charities. It asks organisations that have previously received a grant to wait two years before reapplying, and to send a report on how the previous grant was used with any further request.
What won't the Trust fund?
It avoids charities with a sectarian interest.
How do I apply?
Applications are accepted at any time and are considered at the trustees meetings, which occur three times a year; the dates vary. Check the funder's own website (www.eleanorrathbonetrust.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 233241) for current 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 Miss E F Rathbone Charitable Trust.