On the #63
The Monday Shot
The Will Charitable Trust, probably the longest Pause in the world (after Tudor Trust)
Pause - Extended Pause- Extended Pause - Extended Pause
The Trust has been paused for around 19 months so far, from 15th November 2024 to date, although their last Board meeting was held in early March 2025 where they processed the last batch of grants under the old programmes (a total of 5 meetings were held to consider applications)
Originally expected to reopen in early 2025, this timeline has been repeatedly delayed, first to mid-2025, then Spring 2026, and now indefinitely into 2026 with no confirmed date but a very helpful ‘check the website’.
During its final funding round before closure, the Trust experienced a surge in demand, assessing 341 applications-nearly double the previous year-and awarding 91 grants. Of the 341 applications, 11 were outside their remit (from charities whose work area is outside their fields) and 45 worked within their fields of interest but failed to follow guidelines.
The most interesting part if the Trust’s most recently published accounts were;
‘However, this year, uniquely, the most common reason for failure was because we simply could not process all 124 applications received in the weeks after the announcement to the 15 November deadline. All were read and briefly evaluated but we had to sift some out and decided to prioritise those applying for time-limited project funding over requests for core costs’.
You can read the full Funder History
And check back later on their website here
There might be a week when I won’t be writing about the National Lottery. This is not the week. Probably not next week either. Amidst the DCMS’ Call for Evidence two other things caught my attention recently. Firstly, in their email to Sarah-Jane Pickering, they stated, and I quote, “There is one minor change to the application form that will take effect from July.”
That was the full sentence. Given the ongoing concerns about communication, you might have thought this would be the moment to elaborate. If you see the change feel free to let me know!
Secondly, in CAST’s newsletter, you can read more about The National Lottery’s work to develop a new, digitally enabled approach to grant-making, which will be piloted with selected customers by December.
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