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
  • 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. The applicants’ activities, organisational structure and stage of the organisation’s development will be considered in such cases. Grants towards core costs will normally only be made to support the introduction of a new activity or to meet a particular and pressing budgetary need. In such circumstances, 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 organisations where the area of benefit of initiatives are regional or national rather than local.
  

• Applications can be made at any time during the year. The Charities Committee meets five times a year (October, December, February, April and June) and eligible applications will normally be placed before its members at the next meeting following submission, providing the completed application is received at least one month before the date of that meeting. Click here for details of next meeting.
• There is no minimum or maximum grant size. In 2004/5, 67% of grants awarded were for sums of £5,000 or less, only 1% were for over £50,000.
• 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 in the letter.
• 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.
• 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 specific performance conditions.
• 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.
• Organisations will be expected to complete an evaluation report for each year that a grant is awarded, outlining how the project is developing or the outputs and outcomes of the project. In the case of recurring grants, release of the next instalment is subject to receipt of a satisfactory progress report.
• All grants awarded will be subject to the acceptance of certain terms and conditions. Standard Terms and Conditions of the grant (click here to download a pdf).

i. The proposal document should cover the points set out in the Information Required section below.
ii Applications should be made in writing on the organisation’s letterhead, and for sums up to £10,000 should not normally exceed three sides of A4.
iii. A project budget or business plan for the proposed work and the most recent audited accounts and annual report should be included.
iv. A visit by members of the Company to the charity, or a meeting 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.

Additional requirements for grants in excess of £10,000

i. Applications for over £10,000 will usually require a more detailed proposal than can be included on three sides of A4.
ii. A visit by members of the Company to the charity or a meeting will be required prior to the application being considered by the Committee.
iii. A presentation of the proposal to the Charities Committee will normally be required.
iv. The organisation’s income and expenditure budget for the current year will also be required in addition to a project budget or business plan for the proposed work and the most recent audited accounts and annual report.
v. A follow up visit following the award of the grant will always be carried out.

i. About the organisation
Applicants should outline the aims and objectives of the organisation. In particular they should state what the organisation does and who its beneficiaries are; when the charity was established, its size, number of staff and/or volunteers, and the geographical area where it works. Brief details of the organisation’s track record and recent achievements should also be included.

ii. About the project
a. Comprehensive details of the project should be provided, including the need for the work identified or the problem to be tackled, how this builds on the previous activities of the organisation and fits with its future plans.

b. A description of the work/activities that will actually be undertaken, how the project will address the issue, who will benefit, where the activities will take place, the timescales for the project, and how the progress, success and outcomes of the project will be monitored and evaluated.

c. Full costings and a project budget should be provided, including specific details of the sums requested from the Drapers’ Company.

d. If funding for a post is required, the job description and person specification should be included.

e. Details of other sources of funding secured or applications for funding which are outstanding should be included.

• Homelessness
• Causes and effects of social exclusion.
  i. Beneficiaries must be young people under 25 years old;
  ii. Projects should be based in deprived inner cities areas. Preference will be given to such projects in inner city London;
  iii. Preference will be given to educational projects.
• Prisoners
• Retired servicemen and women
• Welfare, including provision of advice, counselling, care or support services. Preference will be given to projects with the following beneficiaries:
  i. Elderly
  ii. Refugees or those disadvantaged due to poverty
  iii. Those rehabilitating from alcohol and drug dependency
  iv. Carers, particularly young carers
• Disability. Projects to ease the lives and reduce the suffering of the disabled or those suffering long term handicap or ill health. When considering appeals from organisations addressing disability:
  i. Preference will be given to charities which improve the quality of life for adults with disabilities;
  ii. Where possible, funds will be focused on core funding rather than capital projects;
  iii. Grants will generally be made on a one-off basis;
  iv. Support will be focused on the ‘invisible’ disabilities such as hearing impairments, dyslexia, mental health, autism and chronic fatigue syndrome.
  

• Affiliated Schools, Colleges and Universities
• Outreach programmes
• Leadership and volunteering
• Promotion of the learning of science
• Student hardship

New grants in support of education will normally be biased towards the maintained rather than the private sector.

• Technical Textiles
• Textile conservation

• Projects in the area of historic involvement for the Drapers’ Company particularly Draperstown and Moneymore
• Projects within the Province falling under the Company’s other themes for support, but with a preference for the above area of interest.

• City of London and the Mayoralty
• Company linked churches
• Museums, particularly if there is a link to the history of the textile trade
• Memorials and monuments, especially those related to former exploits of the armed forces or the history of London.

• Public access to visual arts, particularly for young people
• Preservation of works of art
• Music, particularly performance and educational projects for young people

• Organisations that are not registered charities, unless exempt from registration;
• Funds that replace or subsidise statutory funding;
• Individuals, including applicants seeking sponsorship;
• Educational establishments, churches or almshouses unless connected with the Company’s own institutions;
• Animal welfare;
• Drama, including dance/drama workshops;
• Local branches of national charities, associations or movements;
• Medical research/relief, hospitals or medical centres;
• Holidays;
• Provide loans or business finance;
• Organisations solely assisting asylum seekers or specific ethnic groups within the UK;
• Work that has already taken place;
• General appeals or circulars.

• Completed Application Summary Sheet click here to download
• Comprehensive project proposal covering detailed information about the organisation and the project (see Information Required click here)
• Full costings and project budget for the proposed work or the activity for which the grant is requested
• If appropriate, your organisation’s income and expenditure budget for the current year
• Most recent audited accounts and annual report
• Job description and person specification (if applying for funding for a post)