General Welfare
Please note, we have recently revised these guidelines (November 2012).
The Mercers’ Company supports inclusive grassroots and front-line charities that work to improve the lives of disadvantaged and marginalised people.
What we fund:
Social Welfare projects that:
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Provide help for those with special needs and
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Support the carers and families of those with special needs
Family Welfare projects that:
- Support vulnerable families by helping to improve parenting skills and develop more resilient children
Youth Support work that:
- Promotes the effective development of young people outside school, particularly through local youth clubs
- Prepares disadvantaged young people, able bodied or with special needs, for adult life by offering positive activities that enable them to reach their full potential
- Supports young people through important transitions: leaving school, leaving care, entering and sustaining employment
Care for the Elderly projects that:
- Provide care and support for older people
- Develop improved services for older people, particularly the frail and isolated
- Improves health outcomes for older people
We also make Annual Donations to qualifying elderly individuals:
We do not fund:
- Medical charities and medical research
- Uniformed groups unless there is a Company link
- Mother tongue classes (non-English) or
- Organisations that have made an application in the last three years
Geographical restrictions: within the M25, with a preference for London
Do we fund salary costs? Yes
Do we fund core costs? Yes
Do we fund instalment grants? Very seldom. Almost all our grants are single payments but we may allow you longer than 12 months to spend the grant in certain cases
Do we support capital projects? At present, only a small portion of our funds is allocated in this area. We only consider appeals that are within the last 20% of their target
What is the average size of grant? If your organisation has turnover of less than £75,000 p.a. grants will be between £2,000 and £4,000. For larger organisations, grants are typically between £10,000 and £15,000 but we want to award more grant of up to £25,000. If you think your application may merit this higher award, please speak to our grants team.
What size of organisation do we support? Generally we consider London based organisations with annual income up to £1m and we are unlikely to support those much above this figure. If you are a national organisation applying for London based work, the upper limit is around £5m p.a.
Dates of Meetings
(please submit applications at least 4 weeks before meetings):
Thursday 18 April 2013
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Thursday 12 September 2013
Thursday 21 November 2013
You are encouraged to submit your application as far in advance of the 4 week deadline as possible, to allow us the time to arrange assessment visits where appropriate.