Pilgrim Trust

For nearly eight decades the Pilgrim Trust have been giving grants to charitable organisations operating in the heritage and social welfare fields in the UK. Our aim is to preserve and promote the UK's historical and intellectual assets and to provide assistance to vulnerable members of society. We do this by supporting projects where our funds will make the greatest impact. We are also interested in projects where charities are having difficulty in raising funds from other sources.

The Pilgrim Trustees have recently revised their funding guidelines for social welfare projects (1 May, 2010). We are currently accepting applications from charities throughout the United Kingdom, recognised public bodies and charitable and public organisations exempt from registration for projects that fit into the following categories:

1. Projects supporting people who misuse drugs or alcohol that fit the following theme. Applications that fall outside this thematic area will not be considered.

- Projects to support the families and/or carers of people who have been or are misusing drugs or alcohol.

Applicants are advised that the theme of ‘families and carers’ under the addictions umbrella should be interpreted in the wider sense. Trustees here include an interest in projects which assist the individual substance misuser where support for the family is an integral part of the package of care delivered.

2. Projects in prisons and projects providing alternatives to custody that fall within the following themes:

- Projects that seek to reduce the use of custody for women. Trustees will include work with women with extreme vulnerabilities which are likely to lead to offending. Organisations applying in this area will be expected to have considerable experience and expertise in work with women with multiple
and complex needs.

- Projects that seek to support women who are leaving custody and that assist them to reintegrate with society and their families. Trustees have an interest in projects that assist female offenders and ex-offenders families, particularly their children.

Proposals for small research projects that meet the Trust’s priority themes and that provide tangible outputs in either policy or practical terms will also be accepted. Projects that link to our priorities in both prisons and substance misuse are particularly welcome.

Funding Guidelines and Online applications can be accessed through http://www.thepilgrimtrust.org.uk