Grants, which must always be for clearly educational purposes, aim to focus upon the needs of children and young people. Only UK registered charities or not-for-profit organisations may apply and priority will be given to those which represent small regional or local organisations. Areas of interest include: conservation and the rural environment; the arts, crafts and architecture; the encouragement, through education, of young people; and research devoted to these main areas of work.

The Ernest Cook trustees are keen to support applications which educate young people about the environment and the countryside, the wide spectrum of the arts, crafts and architecture, and literacy and numeracy. All applications are expected to link in with either the National Curriculum or recognised qualifications. It is appreciated that sometimes a contribution will be required towards the salary of an education officer, but the ECT always expects to be a part-funder and does not usually commit funds for more than one year; successful applicants are normally asked to wait
three years before applying for further help.

Application process
Three types of board meetings take place: two full board meetings where grants are mostly in the range £4,000 - £10,000; six smaller meetings where projects related to the arts, crafts & architecture and literacy & numeracy only are considered, which are asking for up to a maximum of £4000; and an autumn meeting to consider projects covering the environment, literacy & numeracy only.

The two latter meetings provide modest easy-to-access grants, which seem to bring great benefit to primary schools and smaller voluntary organisations.

If necessary, please contact the Grants Office to discuss a potential application. A list of grants awarded by the ECT is carried in the Annual Review; it is available to view on the website or, by request, as hard copy.

For information about the Grants and how to apply visit - www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk