The Robertson Trust
The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making foundation that funds, supports, and influences registered charities and community groups working to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma across Scotland, distributing an average of £30m annually through tiered grants and strategic funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersGlasgow, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Robertson Trust does
The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making foundation founded in 1961 by Ethel (Babs) Robertson and others, headquartered at Robertson House in Glasgow with a secondary office at The Barracks in Stirling. It is registered as Scottish Charity No. SC002970 and is one of Scotland's largest independent funders, operating exclusively within Scotland. The Trust's capital base derives from a majority stake in Edrington (an international spirits group) and a pooled investments portfolio, the dividends from which fund an average of £30m in annual charitable expenditure for the 2025-2028 delivery period, up from £25m previously. Its purpose is to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma through funding, supporting, and influencing structural solutions that drive social change.
The Trust operates a tiered funding portfolio: Wee Grants (up to £5,000), Small Grants (£5,000-£20,000) and Large Grants (£20,000-£50,000) for UK-registered charities and constituted community groups; Community Spaces and Community Transport programmes (£5,000-£20,000); the Big Change That Lasts Fund (£20,000-£500,000) for systemic-change initiatives; and newer vehicles including the Advancing Racial Justice Fund (£1m) and Supporting Resilience Fund for unrestricted capacity-building. Strategic funding is organised around four thematic priorities: Financial Security, Education Pathways, Nurturing Relationships, and Work Pathways. Applications are received via an online portal (tfaforms.com) using a two-stage process for major grants and standard processes for smaller funds.
Operationally, the Trust employs 11-50 staff organised around a Programmes and Practice team and a 16-strong Equity, Diversity, Participation and Rights (EDPR) group, led by Chief Executive Jim McCormick. Technology stack is standard: Umbraco CMS, Microsoft Azure cloud, and Salesforce.org CRM. The Trust supplements direct grant-making with policy influencing, partnership funding (notably the Independent Human Rights Fund with Corra Foundation, AB Charitable Trust, and others), and an Impact and Insights Framework (IIF) for outcome measurement. It also runs a Scholars Programme and lets out facilities at both Glasgow and Stirling sites.
The Robertson Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Robertson Trust
- Legal name
- The Robertson Trust
- Website
- https://therobertsontrust.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making foundation that funds, supports, and influences registered charities and community groups working to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma across Scotland, distributing an average of £30m annually through tiered grants and strategic funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Robertson Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Grantmaking Foundation
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where The Robertson Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Glasgow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Robertson Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns and Endowment Dividends: The Robertson Trust receives dividends from its majority stake in Edrington and returns from a pooled investments portfolio. These investment returns fund the trust's charitable activities and grant-making operations.
- Charitable Grant-Making: The trust does not generate revenue in the traditional commercial sense. Rather, it distributes funds from its endowment and investment returns as grants to organizations working to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland. Annual funding commitment increased to £30m per year (2025-2028).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Wee Grants - For organizations with annual income under £30,000 |
| Other | Annual | Small Grants - For organizations with annual income £30,000-£200,000 |
| Other | Annual | Large Grants - For organizations with annual income over £200,000 up to £2 million |
| Other | Annual | Community Spaces - For organizations with annual income £30,000-£500,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Big Change That Lasts Fund - For organizations with annual income over £200,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Robertson Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making trust that distributes multi-tiered funding — including Wee Grants (£5,000), Small Grants (£5,000–£20,000), Large Grants (£20,000–£50,000), Community Spaces, Community Transport and the Big Change That Lasts Fund (£20,000–£500,000) — to registered charities and constituted community groups in Scotland to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma. It also operates the Robertson Trust Scholars Programme for individuals and runs its impact work through the Impact and Insights Framework (IIF).
Product overview
The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making trust working to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland. The Trust offers a multi-tiered funding portfolio consisting of: Our Funds programme (Wee Grants up to £5,000, Small Grants £5,000-£20,000, and Large Grants £20,000-£50,000 for charities); Community Spaces and Community Transport grants (£5,000-£20,000); the Big Change That Lasts Fund (£20,000-£500,000 for systemic change initiatives); and specialised funds including the Advancing Racial Justice Fund and Supporting Resilience Fund. Funding is organised around four strategic themes: Education Pathways, Financial Security, Nurturing Relationships, and Work Pathways. The Trust also operates the Robertson Trust Scholars Programme and manages facilities at Robertson House Glasgow and The Barracks Stirling. Impact is measured through the Impact and Insights Framework (IIF).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Big Change That Lasts Fund: A fund supporting organisations working in Scotland to deliver long-term, systemic change that prevents and reduces poverty and related trauma.
- Advancing Racial Justice Fund
Products and services
- Wee Grants Grants of up to £5,000 for one year for constituted community groups and charities with annual income under £30,000, covering revenue or capital costs.
- Small Grants Revenue funding of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year for up to five years for registered charities with annual income between £30,000 and £200,000, available as unrestricted or restricted funding.
- Large Grants Revenue funding of between £20,000 and £50,000 per year for up to five years for registered charities with annual income over £200,000 and up to £2 million.
- Big Change That Lasts Fund Restricted project funding of between £20,000 and £500,000 (typically £50,000–£100,000 per year) for up to five years for organisations with annual income over £200,000. Currently prioritising Financial Security applications and supporting long-term, systemic change.
- Community Spaces Revenue funding of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year for up to three years for community centres, hubs or anchor organisations with annual income between £30,000 and £500,000 delivering services to prevent or reduce poverty and trauma.
- Community Transport Funding of between £5,000 and £20,000 per year for 1–3 years for registered charities with annual income between £30,000 and £2 million, contributing towards transport costs to support their work.
- Advancing Racial Justice Fund A £1M strategic funding initiative offering funding and wraparound support to small and medium Black and People of Colour-led grassroots groups, charities and CICs pursuing system change goals around poverty, trauma and systemic racism in Scotland.
- Supporting Resilience Fund Funding approach providing Small grantholders with freedom to invest in organisational resilience and wellbeing, developed from the Plus Fund pilot.
- GLAD Initiative An initiative offering funding, coaching, training and wraparound support for 11 lived-experience changemakers pursuing diverse goals on poverty and trauma.
- Robertson Trust Scholars Programme A scholarship programme providing funding and personal support to individual learners in Scotland, with a dedicated Salesforce-based Scholar Portal for resources and information.
- Robertson House Glasgow (Facilities Hire) Facilities hire offering at Robertson House, 152 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4TB, available for events and meetings.
- The Barracks Stirling (Facilities Hire) Facilities hire offering at the Trust's Stirling secondary office location, available for events and meetings.
- Impact and Insights Framework (IIF) An impact measurement framework that helps The Robertson Trust understand the differences it is contributing to and make informed decisions about where it can have the biggest impact on poverty and trauma in Scotland.
Quantifiable outcome
- 48% success rate on applications (April 2026 round with £1,880,000 awarded to 48 organizations)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Robertson Trust
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Robertson Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Robertson Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- D8 (Glasgow-based design agency)minorD8 developed the organization's refreshed brand identity including new logo, typeface, and colour palette as part of the 2025 rebranding initiative to reflect the Trust's evolved mission of driving social justice.
- Corra FoundationcoreCo-host of Independent Human Rights Fund for Scotland, with The Robertson Trust as a founding funder contributing £400,000 plus share of running costs over three years. Corra Foundation acts as host for the fund.
- Lankelly ChasecoreCo-commissioner with The Robertson Trust of the Hard Edges Scotland report (2019) examining severe and multiple disadvantage in Scotland. Long-term strategic partnership on systems change.
- Ten Years TimeminorConvenor of racial justice funders community of practice, providing peer and specialist support to The Robertson Trust for improving EDPR practices.
- Anderson KnightminorRecruitment partner for vacancy of Programmes and Practice Officer. Handling application process and initial screening on behalf of The Robertson Trust.
- One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS)coreCommissioned by The Robertson Trust to produce research on barriers faced by single parents in accessing higher education. Partnership on policy influencing around child maintenance systems.
- Fife GingerbreadminorPartner with OPFS and IPPR Scotland on transforming child maintenance systems in Scotland, as part of Big Change That Lasts systems change work.
- IPPR ScotlandminorResearch partner with OPFS and Fife Gingerbread on child maintenance system transformation, part of efforts to shift systems on poverty prevention.
- Corra FoundationcoreCorra Foundation acts as host for What Matters To You neighbourhood funding model, blending grantmaking expertise with citizen insights in Dundee and Clackmannanshire.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Robertson Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Lottery Community Fund: The largest funder of community activity in the UK, distributing Lottery grants to charities and community groups. Comparable as a large-scale UK grantmaker serving the same third-sector applicant pool as The Robertson Trust, though operating UK-wide with broader thematic scope.
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Major UK grant-making foundation supporting social change, the arts, and the natural environment. Comparable as a significant UK independent foundation with similar unrestricted and long-term grantmaking models targeting systemic social outcomes.
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation: One of the UK's largest social-change foundations focused on solving poverty. Comparable as a major UK poverty-focused grantmaker with research, advocacy, and grantmaking functions, though larger in scale and operating UK-wide rather than Scotland-only.
Direct peers
- Corra Foundation: Independent Scottish grant-making foundation focused on social change and improving lives. Directly comparable as both a Scotland-based independent grantmaker; Corra acts as host for multiple Robertson Trust co-funded initiatives (Independent Human Rights Fund, What Matters To You neighbourhood model).
- Lankelly Chase Foundation: UK foundation focused on systemic change for people facing severe and multiple disadvantage. Directly comparable as a long-term strategic partner of The Robertson Trust and co-commissioner of the Hard Edges Scotland research, sharing a systems-change philosophy.
Peers
- AB Charitable Trust:
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Robertson Trust social profiles
Digital presenceThe Robertson Trust compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
The Robertson Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Robertson Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Robertson Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Robertson Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Robertson Trust
What does The Robertson Trust do?
The Robertson Trust is an independent Scottish grant-making trust that distributes multi-tiered funding — including Wee Grants (£5,000), Small Grants (£5,000–£20,000), Large Grants (£20,000–£50,000), Community Spaces, Community Transport and the Big Change That Lasts Fund (£20,000–£500,000) — to registered charities and constituted community groups in Scotland to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma. It also operates the Robertson Trust Scholars Programme for individuals and runs its impact work through the Impact and Insights Framework (IIF).
Is The Robertson Trust a public or private company?
The Robertson Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Robertson Trust founded?
The Robertson Trust was founded in 1961. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Robertson Trust based?
The Robertson Trust is headquartered in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Robertson Trust make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Investment Returns and Endowment Dividends are the primary driver. The others are charitable Grant-Making.
Who are The Robertson Trust's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Lottery Community Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Direct peers are Corra Foundation and Lankelly Chase Foundation. AB Charitable Trust is listed as a peer.
Does The Robertson Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Robertson Trust.
What industry is The Robertson Trust in?
The Robertson Trust's product category is Charitable Grantmaking Foundation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAN, Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.