The Philip Henman Trust is a UK (Cambridgeshire) based charity (no.1054707) that offers grants to major UK based overseas development organisations requiring partnership funding for projects lasting between 3 and 5 years. These grants are split into annual payments (normally between £3,000 and £5,000 per annum) with a maximum total of £25,000.
Long-term overseas development includes projects committed to education, skills development, the development of basic infrastructure and technology.
The Trust has limited funds – its total annual expenditure is normally around £70,000 – and, on average, can only commit to two new long- term grants a year. Therefore, it is important applicants to ensure that any project fits its criteria before applying. A successful application will be one that proves the following:
o The project is being run professionally by an established major UK- registered charity (defined as having an expenditure of over £100,000 per annum).
o Where the project is working within close proximity of children or vulnerable adults, the project is subject to a safeguarding policy.
o The project is concerned with long- term overseas development. The Trust does not fund projects attending to urgent medical need or other types of emergencies.
o The project will start no earlier than 1st December (following the application process) and will run for no more than 5 years. Ongoing concerns are not funded.
o The funding from the Philip Henman Trust is important to the project (the Trust expects that its grant will cover between 20% and 80% of the total project budget).
o The project will provide a lasting beneficial impact for the people, communities or environment it seeks to help, and
o The project is being partly funded by other sources. Voluntary work and central- office administration costs can be counted as another source of funding.
Applications should be submitted before the 10th of September annually (i.e. Wednesday 10th September 2025). The Trust will acknowledge the receipt of each application upon receiving it. A shortlist of applications will be made after the application deadline. The Trust might request more information from the applicants who have been shortlisted.
The Trustees of the Philip Henman Trust meet once a year in October or November to consider the shortlisted applications in further detail. After the Trustees have met, each applicant will be told whether their application has been successful. The Trustees will decide which grants are successful by 30th November. Successful applicants will receive the first instalment of their grant shortly after the start of the following financial year, starting April 6th.
Further information, including details about how to apply and a list of current grant-holders, is available on the Trust’s website.
