The objects of the Charity are to apply the income of the trust fund to such charity or charities or for such charitable purposes as the Trustees in their discretion may from time to time determine. The area of benefit is generally within the County of Norfolk and Waveney District of Suffolk. National charities can apply for grants but are liable to be looked on less favourably by the trustees.

Trustees have four grant giving meetings each year. Grant requests may be made at any time.

As well as organisations which are registered with the Charity Commission applications will be accepted from local churches which are excepted charities and which are listed on their denomination’s website. Applications will also be accepted in respect of charitable projects from Educational establishments (schools, academies etc) which are listed on the Gov UK Schools website. Other organisations which are not registered with the Charity Commission should provide a written reference for the applicant organisation from an individual who is unconnected with its running or management, using the form provided (view/download here). The referee should give details of who they are and how they consider themselves qualified to comment on the application and confirm how they know the organisation and provide their opinion on the work being done and the charitable project for which funding is sought.

Grants are not available to individuals.

The Trustees will not consider grant applications from organisations which have not submitted their annual accounts / Annual Return to the Charity Commission or to Companies House. Please therefore ensure that your returns are not overdue.

Applications may be for capital works or revenue costs of a fixed duration. Applications towards a specific project are more likely to be looked on favourably by the trustees than those to help core costs or salaries.

The grant application form is the document that will be reviewed by the Trustees, therefore please keep the information on the form as simple as possible and avoid the use of technical terms and jargon.

Each application is taken as a stand-alone case - occasionally but rarely funding projects in full but often offering part-funding.

Whilst there is no upper limit on the size of grant, funding of more than £30,000 per application is unlikely.

Any grants made will not usually be paid until the project for which funding is sought is fully funded. It is expected that any grant will be spent or legally committed within a maximum of 12 months after payment. Until a grant has been spent or legally committed the trustees reserve the right to withdraw the grant in whole or part.

Please note: In the event of a successful application, the Charity will require a progress report or other evidence as to how the money has been spent.

The Trustees welcome all grant applications that conform to the guidelines.

The Application Form should be completed by a Trustee or other authorised person on behalf of your organisation.

Please make your applications via this website. If that's not possible, we can accept paper applications (see below).

The online application is spread over a number of pages. You can save your partially completed application at any point, and return later to complete it.

As you complete the form you will be asked for:

• The registered charity number (or a note if you don't have one).
• The general objectives of your charity.
• The charity's income for the past 12 months.
• Name and contact details.
• A comment concerning the sustainability of your charity and the project.
• Details of other funders who have been approached (names and amounts).
• Funds you have already secured for the project (names and amounts).
• Total cost of the project and the application amount.
• Bank a/c details.

In addition, what methods of fundraising are you using for the proposed project? The Trustees will wish to see that you are actively pursuing all appropriate sources of funding. Who else have you applied to and when is their decision expected? Have you considered other ways of finance? (grant, loan, mortgage etc?) Have you thought about phasing the expenditure to reduce the cost?

You will also be asked to upload the following documents:

• A set of the most recent accounts of the applicant organisation, unless these are readily available on the Charity Commission or another website you list.
• A copy of your ‘reserves policy’, which the Charity Commission asks all charities to agree. We need to see that (a) you don’t already have the necessary funds for your project, and (b) your organisation is financially viable.
• A description of the proposal, the reason it is needed, and a summary of or reference to any evidence for it.
• A detailed budget for the project, with any relevant copies of quotations, estimates etc.
• Any relevant recent publicity material, newsletter etc., which may support your application.

If you are downloading the paper form from our web site please note that once completed it must fit 1 side of an A4 sheet of paper. Please type your application on the form wherever possible. Do not put “please see attached” or refer to any other documents or information within the summary of appeal.

Please e-mail or mail your application and supporting documents, post fully paid, to The Geoffrey Watling Charity at 8a Ber Street, Norwich NR1 3EJ. If sending the application in the post please do not send it by recorded delivery or any ‘signed for’ service.

Receipt of applications is normally acknowledged within 10 working days (but currently, as at August 2024 is taking longer) at which time you will be given an indication of when the application is likely to be considered by the Trustees and will be advised whether sufficient information has been received.

Once an application has been considered the decision of the Trustees, which is final, will normally be notified to the applicant within 10 working days of their meeting. Whether the application is successful or not applicants are expected to wait a minimum of 2 years before applying again.

In the event of a successful application the Trustees applicants are encouraged to publicise their funding from The Geoffrey Watling Charity, copies of the Charity logo may be used and are available on request in a variety of formats.

The trustees would wish any publicity or press release regarding the project to include an acknowledgement of the grant from The Geoffrey Watling Charity.

The Charity may issue press releases advising of grants given and will list details of recent grants made on its website. The Charity may link the applicant’s website to its own website.