Whirlwind Charitable Trust grants
Whirlwind Charitable Trust funds maritime and outdoor activities for disadvantaged young people and disabled people, and maritime conservation research.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Whirlwind Charitable Trust is a national charity that funds work involving maritime or outdoor pursuits, particularly to improve the life chances of disadvantaged young people or help people living with disability fulfil their potential, including sailing and other outdoor activities for disabled children. It also supports research and conservation initiatives for the maritime environment. In its most recent accounts it gave £177,549 in grants to organisations, from an income of £240,734. Activities it funds must be open to participants regardless of faith, social background and race. It favours organisations with modest overheads and salaries and a high proportion of volunteer help, and values longer-term contact, mentoring and support for the individuals involved.
What they fund
Whirlwind funds maritime and outdoor activities, especially for disadvantaged young people and disabled people, plus maritime conservation research.
Who and where
It is a national trust, funding activities across England and Wales that are open to all regardless of faith, background or race.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Whirlwind 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
“Whirlwind also seeks to support research and conservation initiatives for the maritime environment”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — GUIDELINES - Whirlwind25 →
“improving the life chances of disadvantaged young people or by helping those living with disability fulfil their potential, including funding for disabled children to participate in sailing and other outdoor activities”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — WELCOME TO THE WHIRLWIND CHARITABLE TRUST - Whirlwind25 →
“Involvement in maritime or outdoor pursuits and a level of challenge appropriate to the circumstances of the individuals involved”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — GUIDELINES - Whirlwind25 →
“Longer term contact, mentoring and support for those individuals”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — GUIDELINES - Whirlwind25 →
“Modest organisational overheads and employee salaries. A high percentage of volunteer help”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — GUIDELINES - Whirlwind25 →
Who they say they'll fund
“All must be open to participants regardless of faith, social background, and race”
Source: whirlwind.org.uk — GUIDELINES - Whirlwind25 →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
Are to apply the property and income of the charity as the trustees shall in their absolute discretion think fit to or for benefit of such exclusively charitable objects and purposes (which without prejudice to generality of the foregoing terms shall include any charitable trusts institutions foundations or other…
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 it typically give?
In its most recent accounts it gave £177,549 in grants to organisations. It does not publish a typical grant size.
What does it fund?
It funds maritime or outdoor activities, particularly for disadvantaged young people or disabled people, and research and conservation projects for the maritime environment.
Who can it help?
Its funded activities must be open to participants regardless of faith, social background and race, with particular interest in disadvantaged young people and people living with disability.
What does it look for in an applicant?
It favours organisations with modest overheads and salaries and a high proportion of volunteer help, and values longer-term contact, mentoring and support for the individuals involved.
How do I apply?
The trust does not publish a step-by-step application process. Check the funder's own website (www.whirlwindcharitabletrust.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1119576) for current guidance on how to apply, 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 Whirlwind Charitable Trust.