Charitable Giving
The Vintners’ Foundation
The tradition of charitable giving goes back to the earliest days of the Vintner’s Company, which has always prided itself on the willingness of members to help those less fortunate than themselves.
The Company’s principal charitable vehicle is the Vintners’ Foundation, which services the Company’s current policy for charitable giving which focuses on:
Assistance to charities concerned with the relief of the poor and homeless in Greater London who are disadvantaged by reasons of health, education or poverty
Assistance to charities concerned with treating the social effects of alcohol abuse or misuse
Support to young people, youth projects and designated educational establishments in London
Support to certain other charities, as put forward by members of the Company.
Find out more
Donec blandit feugiat ligula. Donec hendrerit, felis et imperdiet euismod, purus ipsum pretium metus, in lacinia nulla nisl eget sapien. Donec ut est in lectus consequat consequat. Etiam eget dui. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed at lorem in nunc porta tristique. Proin nec augue. Quisque aliquam tempor magna.
What we Fund
Grants are considered and made by the Vintners’ Foundation Committee which meets four times a year, usually in March, June, September and November to consider applications for support.
One-off grants are normally made up to £5,000. However, sometimes certain initiatives are granted ‘Favoured Charity’ status, with increased funding over a maximum of three years.
Find out more below about just some of the current causes supported by the Company.
Are You Eligible?
Applications to the Vintners’ Foundation are encouraged from registered charities working within Greater London and preferably Inner London which are concerned with the following: the relief of the poor and homeless who are disadvantaged by reasons of health, education or poverty; alleviation of the social effects of alcohol abuse/misuse; and the support of young people, youth projects and designated educational establishments.
Funds are limited, but petitions provide an essential mechanism for bringing new charities to the notice of the Company.
Applications can only be considered when submitted using the online form and meeting the following criteria:
Submitted by a Registered Charity, Social Enterprise or Community Interest Company
Clearly identifies key objectives and measurable outcomes
Is made by the organisation delivering the activity, service or project. i.e. applications cannot be made on behalf of a third party
Includes a breakdown of the budget for the proposed project or activity in need of funding, together with the charity’s most recent audited accounts.
Preference will be given to applicants:
From smaller charities (by capital value), where grants are more likely to make a difference
Requesting funding for a specific project rather than for general funds
Operating within Greater London and preferably inner London.
EXCLUSIONS
We do not normally fund the following:
Volunteer expenses
Marketing/literature/leaflets
Individuals seeking educational grants.
Types of organisations we do not normally fund
Organisations which have received a grant from us within the last three years (unless specifically invited to reapply)
Organisations that promote a particular religion or only provide services to people of a particular religion
Organisations which have had an application declined in the last three years (please note: you cannot reapply for the same project if it has been declined)
Those established less than two years
Those with over £10 million income per annum
Those with over 12 months of reserves.
Types of projects we do not normally fund:
Applications for a project which we have previously declined
Medical research or equipment
General appeals and emergency appeals
Political projects
Heritage projects
Projects relating to outside of London, the rest of the UK and overseas.
N.B. We receive many more applications than we are able to fund. Thus, whilst many applications might fit the criteria, we regret that not all will be successful.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
-
Grants are normally made up to £5,000.
-
Applications are encouraged from registered charities working within Greater London and preferably Inner London which are concerned with the following: the relief of the poor and homeless who are disadvantaged by reasons of health, education or poverty; alleviation of the social effects of alcohol abuse/misuse; and the support of young people, youth projects and designated educational establishments.
-
Description text goes here
How much to you fund?
Grants are normally made up to £5,000.
Who can apply?
Applications are encouraged from registered charities working within Greater London and preferably Inner London which are concerned with the following: the relief of the poor and homeless who are disadvantaged by reasons of health, education or poverty; alleviation of the social effects of alcohol abuse/misuse; and the support of young people, youth projects and designated educational establishments.
Is there a deadline for applications?
There are no application deadlines. You can submit an application at any time, but we would not recommend applications for time-critical projects.
We do not meet your preferences, can we still apply?
We regret we cannot consider applications for funding which do not meet the Eligibility Quiz.
I’ve successfully applied for a grant before; can I apply again?
If three years have passed since the completion of your last successful grant application, you are free to submit another proposal which will be considered on its own merits. However, we cannot guarantee any additional applications will be successful.
I've applied. What happens next?
Once you submit your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Your application is assessed by the Charities Secretary and you may be asked for further details.
If your application meets the criteria, this will then be referred to the Vintners’ Foundation Committee for consideration. At this stage the Committee may seek additional information and request a visit before making a decision.
We cannot guarantee your application will be considered at the next Committee meeting following receipt of your application. This will depend on the number of petitions to be considered. Your application therefore may not be considered by the committee for several weeks, or even months.
My grant application was unsuccessful, may I have feedback and when can I next apply?
Sadly we do not have the resources to provide individual feedback. Common reasons for an application being unsuccessful are: The application does not meet our basic eligibility criteria The beneficiaries of the organisation do not fall within our programme areas. An organisation with over £10 million income per annum We are not confident of the organisation’s financial position.
Still have questions?
The Vintners’ Foundation has a small team and we regret we are unable to provide detailed guidance and advice. The guidance and information on the website (including our 'Eligibility Quiz') should help you to determine whether your organisation is eligible to apply.
If you have read all of the guidelines and the FAQs, and you still have a specific question that is not covered on the website, please contact the Charities Secretary [email link].
Apply For A Grant
Read our 'Are you Eligible’ page.
Read the FAQs
Take the Eligibility Quiz. If you are eligible, you will be directed to the online application form.
Complete the application form and submit.
Stories from the Charities
Shiv’s Story
Shiv suffered with addiction before joining the Outside Theatre Company - one of the favoured charities supported by the Vintners' Foundation. Whilst detoxing in Chelsea and Westminster hospital for 10 days, Shiv was visited by the Outside Edge Theatre Company which specialises in creating productions with people affected by substance abuse. Having never visited a theatre before and never harbouring any dreams of becoming an actor, something sparked Shiv's curiosity and he decided to go along to his first session.
Shiv said: “It was really outside my comfort zone. It felt a bit strange playing games and drama-based activities. But those two hours were like an escape... You're being creative, you're having fun and you're learning new things.”
He continued with the workshops and was soon offered a part in one of the plays written by the company’s founder. From there, it snowballed and ten years down the road Shiv is one of the facilitators at Outside Edge and an NHS Recovery Day Programme Manager.
Keith’s Story
Keith joined the Nehemiah Project - an abstinence-based residential programme supported by the Company over three years.
At an early age, Keith had childhood trauma with the death of his mother at the age of two. Despite this, Keith did well at school and passed his A Levels, going on to start a successful business, getting married and starting a family. Following the unexpected death of his father, Keith started using substances, and this took hold of his life, which tragically meant losing his family and business. Following a spate of prison sentences, due to his spiralling drug misuse, Keith came to Nehemiah with a positive mind-set, wanting to change his life.
With the help of Nehemiah, Keith has turned his life around. He completed the recovery programme and secured full-time employment with Network Rail, got baptised and supported other residents by running Alcoholics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous fellowship meetings at Nehemiah houses.
Today, Keith is proud to have re-started the business he lost, employing others and thriving in his own accommodation.
Ella’s Story
Ella is a Year 9 student from London and her favourite subject is Citizenship. She joined the Envision Programme, funded by the Company, with the goal of growing her confidence in public speaking and to build her CV which already contains the Duke of Edinburgh Award. At the Programme launch Ella felt nervous speaking in front of others but soon grew in confidence. Mentors were a key part in building Ella’s confidence. Their advice and support during the pitch at the office helped her to improve her confidence during public speaking and she plans to take their feedback into her future.
“I was able to join debate club because I had the confidence in my public speaking and leadership skills from doing Envision!”
Ella, Envision Graduate.
“Everyone at Envision would like to say a huge thank you to the Vintners’ Company for all your support over the last year. By getting involved in Envision, you are helping to build a society where a young person’s background doesn’t determine their future”
*Ella’s name has been changed.
Tom’s Story
For the past four years, the Company has supported London Youth Rowing’s Alternative Provision Programme, which gives young people at risk of exclusion from school the chance to take part in rowing, kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding—free of charge to schools.
Kieran Langridge, Inclusion Lead at London Youth Rowing, shares Tom’s* story:
“Tom first encountered us through our Active Row programme at his previous school, and was delighted to join again at Cavendish through the Alternative Provision programme.
Bursting with energy and charisma, Tom has thrived with the structure rowing provides. A few rowing machines in school have given him a positive outlet to channel his determination and confidence.
Fiercely competitive, he and his friends have formed a squad, pushing each other to beat personal bests and prepare for the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships. His personality also shone in the Sky Sports documentary Aquaphobia, where he spoke about teamwork and resilience.
Tom hopes to become a musician, and I see it as a huge success that rowing has helped him build transferable skills to support that goal.”
*Name has been changed.
Annual Donations
Each year the Company also donates to the following organisations and initiatives as part of its close ties with swans, affiliated organisations and its civic duty within the City of London.
History
Charity and education have always been principal elements in the role of the guilds and Livery Companies.
One of the first charitable tasks undertaken by the early guilds was the care of their members in sickness and old age. By the early fifteenth century, the Vintners’ Company had established “thirteen little mansions” on the site of the Hall, to be let to poor and needy men of the trade.
These were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and subsequently rebuilt at Mile End where they too were destroyed during the Blitz in 1941. After the war, new homes were built at Nutley in Sussex.
In 1997 Nutley was sold and the funds raised were used to build bungalows at The Benevolent’s ‘Vintry Homes’ site at Eastbourne. This was sold off by The Benevolent in 2013. So ended nearly 600 years of Vintner involvement in almshouses.
The Vintners’ Foundation incorporates two older trusts: Vintners’ Gifts Charity and the Vintners’ Company Charitable Foundation (VCCF). While the VCCF has been entirely subsumed into the Vintners’ Foundation, the objective of the Vintners’ Gifts Charity (which is now a linked charity to the Vintners’ Foundation) remains the relief of persons in need in the following order of priority:
Members of the Vintners’ Company and their dependants
Persons now or formerly engaged in the wine trade/spirits trade and their dependants
Such other persons in need of assistance as the Company shall in its absolute discretion think fit.
Member Information & Expectations
Ut mattis ligula posuere velit. Nunc sagittis. Curabitur varius fringilla nisl. Duis pretium mi euismod erat. Maecenas id augue. Nam vulputate. Duis a quam non neque lobortis malesuada. Praesent euismod. Donec nulla augue, venenatis scelerisque, dapibus a, consequat at, leo
Donec ullamcorper fringilla eros. Fusce in sapien eu purus dapibus commodo. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Cras faucibus condimentum odio.
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
