If you run a charity or community group in Scotland, The Robertson Trust is one of the first independent funders you'll come across. It's one of the largest in the country, and it's set up in a way that makes the first decision easy: almost every fund is defined by the size of your organisation's annual income.
That's the useful thing to understand before anything else. You don't choose a Robertson Trust fund by what your project is. You choose it by how big your organisation is, and then check that your work fits the Trust's focus.
What the Robertson Trust funds
The Trust was set up in 1961 by three sisters, Elspeth, Agnes and Ethel Robertson, and it still funds only in Scotland.
Its focus is narrow and stated plainly on every fund page: organisations that support people who are experiencing, or are at high risk of experiencing, poverty and the trauma that comes with it. That's the test your application has to pass, whatever its size.
It matters more than it sounds. The Wee Grants guidance spells out that the Trust won't fund work on trauma that isn't connected to poverty, giving examples like trauma from a car accident, bereavement, or illness that affects the general population. A good project that doesn't link to poverty won't get through, however well it's written.
The funds, by size of organisation
These were all listed as open when we wrote this. Each fund has its own page and guidance on the Robertson Trust's website, so check it before you apply.
Wee Grants: income under £30,000
Up to £5,000, for one year only. For constituted community groups and registered charities with an annual income of less than £30,000.
This is the fund most small groups should look at first. It covers revenue and capital, and it will pay for day-to-day running costs, not just projects, as long as your income is under £30,000. It can also part-fund or fully fund a specific project, provided the total project cost is under £30,000.
You don't need to be a registered charity. A constituted community group with a management committee, an adopted constitution and its own bank account can apply. The Trust says it will sometimes be flexible on the £30,000 limit, and invites you to get in touch for an informal chat if you're not sure.
Small Grants: income £30,000 to £200,000
£5,000 to £20,000. For registered charities working in Scotland with an annual income between £30,000 and £200,000, supporting people experiencing poverty and associated trauma.
Large Grants: income £200,000 to £2 million
£20,000 to £50,000. For registered charities with an annual income over £200,000 and up to £2 million. As well as the usual documents, you'll need a policy on equality, diversity and inclusion, and the Trust asks you to read its full Large Grants guidance before you start. The application form link is inside that guidance.
Community Spaces Grants: income £30,000 to £500,000
£5,000 to £20,000. For registered charities with an annual income between £30,000 and £500,000, supporting local communities experiencing poverty and associated trauma. Note the wider income band: a charity with an income of £300,000 is too big for Small Grants but can still apply here.
Transport Grants: income £30,000 to £2 million
£5,000 to £20,000 a year, for one to three years, towards the transport costs of your work. For registered charities with an annual income of £30,000 to £2 million. If your service depends on a minibus, getting people to appointments, or reaching rural communities, this is a fund many charities don't realise exists.
Advancing Racial Justice Fund
£10,000 to £40,000. This fund tackles systemic racism in Scotland by funding and supporting community groups, charities and community interest companies led by Black people and People of Colour. It's one of the few Robertson Trust funds open to CICs.
Big Change That Lasts Fund
£20,000 to £500,000. The Trust's largest fund, for work that tackles the underlying causes of poverty rather than its effects: changing systems, structures and practices so the change lasts beyond any one project.
It's open to organisations with an annual income over £200,000 that are a registered charity, an asset-locked CIC limited by guarantee, a housing association or a credit union. Partnership applications are welcome, with one eligible lead organisation. Unusually, organisations already funded by the Trust can apply, as long as the work is distinct from, or additional to, their existing grant.
What every application needs
The paperwork is consistent across the funds, and it's where many applications stall. For the charity funds, have these ready:
- At least three unconnected trustees on your board. For Wee Grants, at least three committee members, two of them unconnected. "Unconnected" means not related, not married or in a relationship, and not living at the same address.
- Recent accounts. Independently examined or audited accounts for charities, as submitted to OSCR. Constituted groups send a 12-month statement of income and expenditure.
- A bank account in your organisation's name, with two unconnected people required to sign off every payment. Wee Grants asks for a bank statement dated within the last three months.
- A safeguarding policy if you work with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
- A full job description if you're asking for money towards a specific salary.
New groups and newly registered charities applying for a Wee Grant will also need an independent referee: someone in your community who knows your work, like a teacher, GP, community councillor or someone from your local Third Sector Interface. The Trust does contact referees, so check with yours first.
Common reasons applications don't succeed
- Applying to the wrong fund for your income. The income bands are the first thing checked. For Wee Grants, the Trust takes your income from your most recent accounts, not from what you expect to raise this year.
- No clear link to poverty. Trauma, isolation or poor health on their own aren't enough. Show how your work reaches people experiencing poverty.
- Already holding a Robertson Trust grant. Wee Grants won't take an application from an organisation already funded through any of the Trust's funds, and after a Wee Grant it asks you to wait at least ten months from the award email before reapplying. Check each fund's rules on this. The Big Change That Lasts Fund is the one that says outright it will consider existing grantees.
- Being the wrong type of organisation. Wee Grants won't accept CICs, limited companies or community benefit societies that aren't registered charities, or umbrella bodies that don't deliver activities themselves.
- Passing the money on. Organisations that give grants or bursaries to third parties, including individuals, can't apply for a Wee Grant.
- Asking for excluded costs. The Wee Grants list includes work outside Scotland, feasibility studies and academic research, buying land or buildings, refurbishing a building you don't own or lease, and costs you've already spent.
Not the same as the Hymans Robertson Foundation
The names cause confusion in searches. The Hymans Robertson Foundation is a separate funder, linked to the pensions firm of the same name. It runs its own small grants for small non-profits, of up to £1,000, and funds programmes for young people. If you search for "Robertson grants", make sure you're reading the right funder's criteria.
How to apply
Start on the Robertson Trust's "Types of funding" pages and pick the fund that matches your income. Read that fund's guidance in full: the Wee Grants guidance alone explains exactly what your bank statement and income statement should show. Then apply through the online form linked from the guidance.
If you're between two funds, or not sure your work fits, the Trust invites a conversation before you apply. Take it up. It's quicker than a declined application.
Finding Robertson Trust funding on Grants Hub
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