Advice to Applicants

Lady MacRobert recognised that new occasions teach new duties and therefore The MacRobert Trust Deed gives wide discretionary powers to the Trustees. The Trust is reactive so, with very few exceptions, grants are made only in response to applications made through the correct channels. 

The Trustees reconsider their policy and practice of grant giving every five years. The beneficial area is United Kingdom-wide, but preference is given to organisations in Scotland. Grants are normally made only to a recognised Scottish Charity or a recognised charity outside Scotland.

Trust's Categories of Interest

Currently, the major categories under which the Trustees consider support are:

• Science and Technology
• Youth
• Services and Sea
• Ex-Servicemen’s & Ex-Servicewomen's Hospitals and Homes
• Education
• Disabled and Handicapped
• Community Welfare

The Minor Categories are:

• Agriculture and Horticulture
• Arts and Music
• Medical Care
• Tarland and Deeside

The Trustees look for clear, realistic and attainable aims. Grants vary, but most lie between £5,000 and £10,000. Occasionally the Trustees make a recurring grant of up to three years.

Even though an application may fall within one or more of the categories, applicants should note that this does not signify that a grant will be made. There is a limit to the finite funds available and, invariably, categories are substantially over subscribed. The Trustees reserve their right to exercise their discretion at all times, particularly when oversubscription applies.

The Trustees recognise the need to assist voluntary organisations which need funds to complement those already received from central government and local authority sources. However, this is not to say that The Trust makes a grant where statutory bodies fail to provide.

The Trustees also recognise that it is often difficult to raise core/revenue funding; thus they are prepared to consider core/revenue grants where appropriate, but projects will always attract favour. The Trustees also recognise that, at present, experiment and innovation are much more difficult to fund and The Trust’s role in funding them is, therefore, the more significant.

Data Protection Act 1998

To comply with this Act, the Trust requires the applicant's consent to use personal data supplied by the applicant in the processing and review of a grant application. This includes transfer to and use by such individuals and organisations as the Trust deems appropriate. The Trust requires further assurance that personal data about any other individual is supplied to the Trust with his/her consent. A signature on the Application Form confirms this assent and assurance.