QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust

What QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust does

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is a UK-registered charity (No. 1152032) founded in 1990 by the Royal Warrant Holders Association, originally to mark the Association's 150th anniversary and the 90th birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. QEST's core function is grant-making for craft training and education, operating a bi-annual (Spring and Autumn) application cycle with a four-stage assessment (online form, shortlisting, interview in London or via Zoom, panel decision). It offers three primary grant products: Scholarships of £3,000-£18,000 for mid-career to established craftspeople, Emerging Maker Grants of £3,000-£10,000 for early-career practitioners (1-5 years), and Apprenticeship funding of up to £12,000 (max £6,000 per year) paid to employers for master-apprentice workplace learning. Named Grants of £12,000+ allow donors to fully fund a maker with 15% retained for administration. Since 1990 the charity has awarded £7.5 million to almost 900 craftspeople across 130 craft disciplines, with 80% of alumni still practising and 72% actively teaching or training others.

QEST generates income through four streams: individual donations (Benefactor tiers at £1,000/£2,500/£5,000+, Patrons' Club at £35,000 minimum over 3 years, and legacy gifts), corporate partnerships and sponsorships (flagship partners Johnnie Walker since 2012, Penhaligon's, Launer, Crown Paints, Howdens, Sanderson Design Group, Winch Design, DBR Limited, Morris & Co.), trust and foundation grants (Benefact Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund, D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Turners' Company, Carpenters' Company), and Named Grants. The charity runs a portfolio of partnership programmes beyond core grants, including Craft&Making Saturday Clubs (with National Saturday Club and Howdens, 12 clubs UK-wide), Making the Future (with Education and Employers, engaging 13,000+ school children in 2024-25), Know-How Craft Studio (with Intoart, 1,092 hours delivered in 2024), and the Building Arts Programme (with The King's Foundation). A separate Craft Your Future careers hub, co-created with QEST's Youth Board, was launched in 2025, and a £134,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund project 'Tradition in Transition' began in 2026.

QEST is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Lisa Montague, with Chris Satterthwaite CBE as Deputy Chair and Joanne Milner as Treasurer; Deborah Pocock LVO serves as CEO. Operations are run by an 8-person staff team from a single office at 1 Buckingham Place, London. The charity holds royal patronage from HM King Charles III (retained May 2024, following his earlier role as Prince of Wales from 2017), with Vice Patrons the Earl of Snowdon and the Marquess of Salisbury, and a network of Ambassadors. There is no technology platform underpinning the business beyond a standard online application form; the organisation's core assets are its 35-year brand, its 900+ alumni network, and its curated portfolio of corporate and institutional funders.

Name

QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust

Legal name

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust

Website

https://qest.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QEST is a UK charity that funds craft training and education through bi-annual grant cycles, awarding Scholarships (£3,000-£18,000), Emerging Maker Grants (£3,000-£10,000), and Apprenticeships (up to £12,000) to ~40-50 makers per year across 130 disciplines, supported by individual donors, corporate brand partners, and trust and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London, Greater London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: QEST receives donations from individuals who want to support talented makers. Donors can contribute any amount, with opportunities to become Benefactors at various tiers (£1,000+, £2,500+, £5,000+), join the Patrons' Club (£35,000 minimum over 3 years), or make legacy gifts through wills.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Brand partnerships including named charity partnerships, event sponsorships, project sponsorships, retail partnerships (percentage of sales donations), in-kind support, and prize donations. Major partners include Johnnie Walker, Penhaligon's, Launer, Crown Paints, and Howdens.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including Benefact Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and others to support grant programmes and partnership initiatives.
4. Named Grants: Organizations and individuals can fully fund a maker's training through Named Grants (£12,000+), where the maker is known as the 'QEST [donor name] Scholar/Emerging Maker/Apprentice'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

QEST is a registered UK charity that awards grants to individual craftspeople for training and education across 130 craft disciplines. It runs three core grant types (Scholarships £3,000–£18,000, Emerging Maker Grants £3,000–£10,000, and Apprenticeships up to £12,000), plus partnership programmes that engage young people and underrepresented groups in craft careers.

Product overview

QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) is a UK charity offering multiple grant programmes and partnership initiatives to support craft careers. Core offerings include three grant types: Scholarships (£3,000-£18,000 for mid-career makers), Emerging Maker Grants (£3,000-£10,000 for early-career makers), and Apprenticeships (up to £12,000 for master-apprentice partnerships). These are complemented by educational programmes including the Building Arts Programme (King's Foundation partnership), Craft&Making Saturday Clubs (National Saturday Club partnership), Making the Future schools programme, and Know-How Craft Studio (Intoart partnership for disabled makers). QEST also operates the Craft Your Future resource hub and administers the annual Award for Excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crafting Tomorrow: Partnership programmes including Craft&Making Clubs, Making the Future, and Know-How Craft Studio aimed at inspiring young people and building diverse pipeline of craft talent
• Craft Your Future
• QEST Award for Excellence

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of alumni from the last 10 years are still practising their craft; 72% are now teaching or training others
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, flagship and minor.

• Crown PaintsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Crown Paints Crafted™ range partnership with QEST to champion talented craftspeople.
• IntoartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Know-How Craft Studio programme offering workshop programmes, commissions and masterclasses in craft disciplines led by specialist craftspeople including QEST Alumni for artists with learning disabilities. 1,092 hours of craft activities delivered in 2024.
• National Saturday ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership to deliver Craft&Making Saturday Clubs giving 13-16-year-olds opportunity to study subjects they love at local university, college or cultural institution for free. Supported by Howdens. 12 clubs across UK with 200 young people attending weekly classes in 2024.
• Johnnie WalkerflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2012Long-term creative partnership since 2012, collaborating with over 60 makers including QEST Scholars for special-edition whisky in honour of HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Supports QEST in celebrating excellence and expanding visibility for makers. In 2025 hosted A Celebration of Craft at Johnnie Walker Experience. In 2026 announced sponsorship of The Sustainable Craft Prize.
• The King's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Building Arts Programme, a 6-month programme for students or practitioners with at least three years' experience in practicing their craft to explore the multifaceted nature of the built environment. Applicable to architecture, design, carpentry, metalwork, painting and stonemasonry.
• Education and EmployerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaking the Future campaign encouraging young people in secondary schools to think about a career in crafts and conservation sectors. QEST alumni volunteer through online matchmaking platform to connect with local schools. Engaged 13,000 school children in 2024-25.
• Cockpit ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQEST Scholars receive a place on the Cockpit PDP professional development programme as part of their scholarship. Partnership provides additional business skills support for emerging craft professionals.
• Penhaligon'sflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing champion of QEST supporting individual awards, commissioning makers, and sponsoring high-profile events. In 2026 launched The King's Road collection reimagining Chelsea space as hybrid boutique and gallery featuring works by QEST Alumni through series of three curated installations per year.
• LaunermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLauner x Sanderson Collection marks landmark collaboration celebrating British creativity and heritage. Handbags reimagined in Sanderson fabrics with percentage of sales donated to QEST.
• Morris & Co.majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack Friday Campaign partnership with Morris & Co.
• Sanderson Design GroupflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through Launer x Sanderson Collection. In 2026 also sponsor of QEST Sanderson Rising Star Craft Award.
• Heritage CraftsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Sustainable Craft Prize (sponsored by Johnnie Walker), celebrating makers that have taken significant steps to improve environmental sustainability. Also partnered on Heritage Crafts' sustainability award.
• GusbourneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGifted products for QEST's 35th Anniversary Reception charity raffle.
• Homo FabermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean craft foundation providing fellowship opportunities for QEST makers.
• Craft FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival partnership for craft sector visibility and maker showcase.
• Hand & LockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmbroidery prize partnership, delivered workshops through Know-How Craft Studio.
• Hub Sleaford (shoemaking)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CraftLab programme partner for Tradition in Transition project.
• Sheffield Museums (metalworking)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CraftLab programme partner for Tradition in Transition project.
• Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery (weaving)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CraftLab programme partner for Tradition in Transition project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arts Council England: National public body distributing lottery and government funds to arts and culture organisations across England, including craft makers. A much larger and broader incumbent funder that competes for the same restricted grant pool as QEST but at radically larger scale.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth-focused charity supporting young people into education, training, and employment, including into creative and craft careers. Overlaps with QEST's youth programmes (Craft&Making Saturday Clubs, Making the Future) but operates at significantly larger scale and broader remit.
• Crafts Council: The UK's national body for contemporary craft, supporting makers through exhibitions, research, and policy work. Overlaps with QEST in serving UK craftspeople and advocating for the sector, but operates at a broader national scale and is publicly funded rather than donation-driven.

Others

• Garfield Weston Foundation: One of the largest UK grantmaking foundations, supporting education, heritage, and community causes. Comparable as a UK grantmaking entity funding craft education and is an active QEST funder (named scholarships), but does not itself deliver craft training programmes.
• National Lottery Heritage Fund: Major UK heritage grantmaker distributing lottery funds for heritage projects. Comparable as a grantmaking organisation funding heritage craft and is an active QEST funder (£134k Tradition in Transition award, 2026), but does not directly compete for craft-maker applicants.
• Benefact Trust: UK grantmaking trust distributing profits from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group to charitable causes including craft and heritage. Comparable grantmaking model and an active QEST funder, but does not directly compete for craft-maker applicants.
• The Dulverton Trust: UK grantmaking trust funding heritage, craft, education, and welfare causes with a similar donation-to-grantee flow as QEST. Comparable as a UK grantmaking peer in the heritage/craft space but does not run its own training programmes.

Direct peers

• Cockpit Arts: London-based craft incubator providing studio space, business support (including the PDP programme referenced in QEST scholarship packages), and maker development. Directly comparable as a craft support organisation serving the same maker demographic in the UK, and an active QEST partner.
• Heritage Crafts: UK registered charity championing traditional craft skills through the Red List of Endangered Crafts, advocacy, and the Heritage Crafts Awards. Directly comparable to QEST as a UK craft-focused charity serving makers and the heritage craft sector, though with a more advocacy/research orientation versus QEST's training grant model.
• The King's Foundation: Royal-affiliated charity delivering heritage craft education programmes (including the Building Arts Programme delivered jointly with QEST). Directly comparable in mission around heritage craft training and royal/charitable positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/queenelizabethscholarshiptrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queen-elizabeth-scholarship-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/qestcraft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust