The Philip Henman Trust spends all its available grant expenditure on projects that are of a duration of 3-to-5 years and which are operated by major UK charities concerned with long-term overseas development.
Long-term overseas development includes projects committed to education, skills development, the development of basic infrastructure and technology. A list of current grant-holders is provided on the Trust’s website (click on the heading ‘Current Grants’).
Grants are split into annual payments (between £3,000 and £5,000 P.A.) with a maximum total of £25,000.
The Trust has limited funds and so, on average, can only commit to two new long- term grants a year. Therefore, it is important for you to ensure that any project fits our criteria before applying. A successful application will be one that proves the following:
- The project is being run professionally by an established major UK- registered charity (defined as having an expenditure of over £100,000 PA).
- Where the project is working within close proximity of children or vulnerable adults, the project is subject to a safeguarding policy.
- The project is concerned with long- term overseas development. We do not fund projects attending to urgent medical need or other types of emergency.
- The project will start no earlier than 1st December (following the application process) and will run for no more than five years. We do not fund ongoing concerns.
- The funding from the Philip Henman Trust is important to the project (we require that our grant covers between 20% and 80% of the total project budget).
- The project will provide a lasting beneficial impact for the people, communities or environment it seeks to help.
- The project is being partly funded by other sources. Voluntary work and central- office administration costs can be counted as another source of funding.
The Trust has an annual application deadline of 10th September (i.e. Wednesday 10th September 2025), with successful applicants confirmed by 30th November.
Applications should be made using the online form (click on the ‘Applications’ heading) available on the Trust’s website, where further information about the Trust can also be found.
