Please click on the titles below to find out more.

• Which organisations can apply and the initiatives the Company supports
• Information to assist applicants
• Application procedure
• Information Required
• Company’s current priorities for funding
  • Relief of need
  • Education and Training
  • Textiles
  • Northern Ireland
  • Heritage and Arts
• What the Company does not support
• Application checklist
• When to apply
• Application Summary Sheet - click here to download a pdf
• Terms and Conditions of the grant - click here to download a pdf

• Grants must be for purposes which are charitable at law. Normally applications will only be considered from UK registered charities, except where the applicant is exempt from registration or is a recognised public body.
• Projects and beneficiaries, direct and indirect, should be based within the UK.
• Grants must not replace statutory funding.
• The Company seeks to award grants that will make a positive and significant impact upon the particular problem or need addressed within the broad themes for support outlined in The Company’s current priorities for funding
• Grants may be made towards capital costs such as buildings and equipment provided that the overall scale of the project does not make the Drapers’ grant seem insignificant.
• Appeals for the provision of core costs, which may include running costs such as staff salaries and overheads, are also accepted. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate that plans are in place to meet future funding requirements of these core costs.
• The Company particularly welcomes appeals from charities requiring support for “pump priming” initiatives enabling a new venture to get off the ground, leading to long term sustainability and increased financial independence.
• Preference will be given to small to medium sized organisations whose total income does not exceed £5 million per annum.
• Most of the Company's grants are one-off payments, but grants may be awarded for a longer period. The Company does not normally make recurring grants for longer than three years. All multi-year grants are awarded subject to an annual progress review.
• When a grant has been awarded, the Trustees would not usually expect to receive another application from the same organisation for a period of three years from the date of the final payment.

• Please refer to What the Company does not support for those areas to which the Company does not normally make grants.
• Applications can be made at any time during the year. The Charities Committee meets four times a year (October, January, April and July) and eligible applications will normally be placed before its members at the next meeting following submission, providing the completed application is received prior to the published deadline date. Click here for details of next meeting.
• There is no minimum or maximum grant size, but the majority of grants awarded are normally for sums under £10,000. Grants are seldom made for sums in excess of £20,000.
• The Company will acknowledge an application within two weeks of receipt, informing the applicant of the date of the Charities Committee meeting at which the application will be considered. If the proposal is outside the Company’s criteria for award of funding, and therefore ineligible, the applicant will be informed.
• Applicants will normally be notified if the result of their application has been successful within three weeks of the Charities Committee meeting at which the appeal is considered. In the case of larger grants, this period may be extended. Applicants whose appeals have been declined will not receive further notification.
• Organisations will be expected to complete an evaluation report for each year that a grant is awarded, outlining how the project is progressing and the outputs and outcomes achieved. In the case of multi-year grants, release of the next instalment is subject to a satisfactory annual progress review.
• All grants awarded will be subject to the acceptance of certain terms and conditions. Click here to view standard Terms and Conditions of the Grant.

i. The appropriately detailed proposal document should cover the points set out in the Information Required section below and applications should be made in writing on the organisation's letterhead.
ii. A budget for the proposed work or the organisation's income and expenditure budget for the current year, whichever is appropriate, should be provided.
iii. The most recent audited financial statements and trustees report should be included. iv. A visit by members of the Company to the charity or in certain circumstances a presentation of the proposal to the Charities Committee may be required prior to the application being considered by the Committee.
v. The application should be posted. Applications sent by fax or email will not be considered.
vi. A review visit following the award of the grant may be carried out.

i. About the organisation
Applicants should outline the aims and activities of the organisation. In particular they should indicate when the charity was established, who its beneficiaries are, financial details (income, expenditure and free reserves), number of staff and/or volunteers, and the geographical area where it works. It should be clearly stated under which of the themes detailed in section 4 the application is being made.

ii. About the project/activity to be funded
a. Comprehensive details of the project/activity to be funded should be provided, including the need for the work and how the need was assessed.
b. The objectives of the project/activity and how they will be achieved. The outputs (quantifiable activities) that will be carried out in meeting the objectives and the desired outcomes (impact, changes or benefits) resulting from the project/activity.
c. The beneficiaries of the project/activity, how many people will benefit and the geographical area which will benefit.
d. Full costings and a project budget or the organisation's income and expenditure budget, as appropriate, should be provided including specific details of the sums requested from the Drapers' Company.
e. If funding for a post is required, the job description and person specification should be included.
f. Details of other sources of funding (statutory and voluntary) secured or applications for funding which are outstanding should be included.

• Homelessness
  i) funding will only be considered for structured programmes aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness
  ii) area of operation should be inner city areas
  iii) projects offering temporary outdoor relief will not be funded
  
  
• Causes and effects of social exclusion
  i) beneficiaries should be young people under 25 years old
  ii) projects are expected to be based in deprived inner cities areas. Preference will be given to such projects in inner city London
  iii) projects should be focused on returning young people to education, employment or training
  
  
• Prisoners
  i) preference will be given to projects assisting young offenders
  ii) projects should aim to improve the opportunities for offenders on release or to reduce reoffending
  
  
• Servicemen and women
  i) projects should support injured or incapacitated Ex Services personnel; or
  ii) charities should improve the welfare of Ex servicemen and women, particularly those disadvantaged by need, hardship or distress
  
  
• Welfare, particularly the provision of care or support services to the following beneficiaries:
  i) elderly
  ii) vulnerable people or those disadvantaged due to poverty
  iii) carers, particularly young carers
  
  
• Disability
  i) projects should ease the lives and reduce the suffering of disabled people or those suffering long term ill health
  ii) support will be focused on less visible disabilities such as hearing impairment, dyslexia, mental health, chronic fatigue syndrome
  iii) applicant charities should seek to improve the quality of life for adults with less visible disabilities
  iv) charities addressing children's disabilities, physical disabilities or medical conditions will not be funded
  

• Outreach programmes
  i) in particular encouraging young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to continue or further their education
• Leadership and volunteering
  i) either in the UK or overseas and as part of a structured programme
  ii) applications from individuals will not be considered
• Promotion of the learning of science
  
  For support of educational initiatives in North Wales and the London boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham please see The Thomas Howell's Education Fund for North Wales and Sir William Boreman's Foundation links on the Grant Making Trusts page of the Drapers' Charities website.

• Projects falling under the Company's other themes for support in the area of historic involvement for the Drapers' Company, particularly in and around Draperstown and Moneymore

• Support for the preservation of the nation's heritage and the provision of public access to the arts and heritage, particularly in Greater London, in one of the following areas:
  i) City of London and the Mayoralty
  ii) museums, memorials and monuments related to former exploits of the armed forces, the history of London or the textile trade
  iii) public access to the arts for young people
  
  

The Company will not normally make grants responding to applications for:

• Individuals
• Schools, colleges and universities (except in North Wales and Greenwich & Lewisham through The Thomas Howell's Education Fund for North Wales and Sir William Boreman's Foundation)
• Churches
• Almshouses
• Animal welfare
• Counselling or advocacy
• Medical research/relief, hospitals or medical centres
• Children's disabilities, physical disabilities or medical conditions
• Holidays or general respite care
• Organisations solely assisting refugees, asylum seekers or specific cultural or ethnic groups within the UK
• Organisations that are not registered charities, unless exempt from registration
• Funds that replace or subsidise statutory funding
• Local branches of national charities, associations or movements
• Work that has already taken place " General appeals or circulars
• Loans or business finance
  
  

• Completed Application Summary Sheet click here to download
• Proposal document covering detailed information about the organisation and the project/activity to be funded (see Information Required click here)
• Full costings and project budget for the proposed work for which the grant is requested; or
• Organisation's income and expenditure budget for the current year, whichever is appropriate
• Most recent audited financial statements and trustees report
• Job description and person specification (if applying for funding for a post)