The Will Charitable Trust has become the third funder this autumn to announce a pause in its grant giving ahead of an overhaul of its funding strategy.

The funder, which supports people with disabilities, blind care and cancer care, will be closed to grant applications from 15 November.

The move has been made to “enable the trustees to review their strategy, and it is likely that changes will be made to the grants programme”.

It hopes to resume applications for its revised programme during summer 2025.

The funder warns that applications made before 15 November for capital appeals that will still be running in autumn 2025 “are unlikely to succeed”.

According to its latest accounts, for the financial year ending April 2023, it assessed 181 applications, compared to 96 the previous year. Before the pandemic in 2019/20 it received 244.

Of applications received 61 grants were recorded, with 20 made for blind care totalling £258,000, 24 in the cancer field totalling £299,500 and 17 to support people with learning disabilities totalling £256,000.

Other funders

Last month London’s biggest independent funder City Bridge Foundation announced it is closing its grants programmes for a year due to “an unprecedented surge in demand” and as it prepares for a funding review.

The Foundation said the pause will enable it to process hundreds of outstanding applications.

Another grantmaker to pause its funding this autumn ahead of a review is Schroder Charity Trust.

It said the closure will enable it undertake a review of our grant making programme and strategy for 2025 and beyond”.

The Trust had been providing one off grants of up to £5,000 “however, in recent years the volume of applications has increased to an unsustainable level”.

It found that its current success rate for grant applications was just one in 14.

“Recognising that the majority of applicants are investing time and resources into proposals that are ultimately unsuccessful, and also reflecting on the impact this has on our own small team, we do not deem the current grants programme to be effective,” said the Trust in a statement.

“We have therefore decided to take some time to consider how best to operate in the future.”

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