Shaftesbury Young People and SYP Trust

What Shaftesbury Young People and SYP Trust does

Shaftesbury Young People, operating as SYP Trust, is an endowed charitable foundation registered in England and Wales (Charity Commission no. 311697, Companies House no. 00081186) that provides small, unrestricted grants — typically £5,000 to £10,000 — to community organisations working with disadvantaged young people aged 11–18 in Greater London. Founded in 1843 by William Williams under the patronage of Lord Shaftesbury as 'The National Refuge for the Homeless and Destitute Children', the charity operated direct services (children's homes, schools, and the Arethusa training ships) for over 175 years before reforming in 2021 into a grant-making body, SYP Trust, retaining its financial endowment and (until September 2022) the patronage of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

The trust runs a two-stage application process, with grants awarded twice yearly (June and December), across four priorities: Learning & Employment, Health & Wellbeing (with a current focus on medium- to long-term mental health), Voice & Citizenship, and a parallel Innovation Strand for pilot projects unique in London. Applicants must typically be small registered charities, CICs, or exempt charities with annual income under £400,000 and reserves equivalent to 3–6 months of running costs. Grants are unrestricted, and the trust emphasises ongoing, two-way relationships with grant-holders rather than transactional giving.

Operationally, the trust is a lean organisation with one Charity Manager (Johanna Tompsett), a Board of seven Trustees (chaired by Clare Searle), and no owned premises — registered office services are provided by TC Group in Bournemouth and administrative contact by Ward Goodman Ltd in Wimborne. Technology use is limited to a Squarespace-based website and standard email/online application infrastructure; there is no proprietary technology, no app or API, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is derived from a managed investment endowment (with the Treasurer, Elliot Bancroft, sourced from Rathbone Brothers plc's Charities Team) plus voluntary donations processed through Charities Aid Foundation.

Name

Shaftesbury Young People and SYP Trust

Legal name

Shaftesbury Young People

Website

https://shaftesburyyoungpeople.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1843

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SYP Trust is an endowed UK grant-making foundation (Charity no. 311697) founded in 1843 that awards small, unrestricted grants (typically £5,000–£10,000) twice yearly to London community organisations supporting disadvantaged young people aged 11–18.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Charitable Grant-Making

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Charitable grant-making
• Youth funding programmes
• Community grants
• Nonprofit foundation
• Small charity grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grant-Making: SYP Trust operates as a charitable grant-making body, using its financial endowment to provide grants to small organisations supporting disadvantaged young people in London. The organisation reformed from a service provider to a grant-maker in 2021, supported by patronage from HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SYP Trust is a charitable grant-making foundation that provides small, unrestricted grants (typically £5,000–£10,000) to small charities and community organisations working with disadvantaged young people aged 11–18 in Greater London. Grants are awarded twice yearly (June and December) across four priorities: learning and employment, health and wellbeing, voice and citizenship, and an innovation strand for pilot projects. The trust leverages its financial endowment and 170+ years of heritage to strengthen community support for vulnerable, excluded, and disadvantaged young people.

Product overview

SYP Trust operates as a grant-making organisation rather than a technology product company. The organisation's core offering is its grant-making programme, which provides small grants (typically £5,000-£10,000) to small charities and community organisations working with disadvantaged young people (ages 11-18) in Greater London. The programme focuses on three main outcomes: opportunities for learning and employment, health and wellbeing (particularly mental health), and empowering young people to have a voice and be active citizens. Additionally, an Innovation Strand funds pilot projects that are unique in London with high impact potential.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant-Making Programme A grant-making programme providing small, unrestricted grants (typically £5,000–£10,000) twice yearly (June and December) to small charities and community organisations in Greater London working with children and young people aged 11–18.
• Learning and Employment Grants Funding strand focused on opportunities for young people to access learning and employment, with priority given to work with those disengaged or excluded from compulsory education, including refugees, those with disabilities, school avoiders and young people from traveller communities.
• Health and Wellbeing Grants Funding strand for empowering young people to lead healthy lives, with current focus on medium to long-term mental health support through tailored and small-scale support meeting individual needs as identified by the young people themselves.
• Voice and Citizenship Grants Funding for engaging young people to feel empowered in their choices and have a voice in decisions that affect their lives, including projects for leadership skills development and creative projects enabling young people to speak out on key issues.
• Innovation Strand Funding Funding to pilot innovative ideas under the main priorities that are unique in London with potential for high impact in the local area or could be easily adopted in other London Boroughs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports young people to learn, be healthy, be heard, and be active citizens
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TC GroupminorOthers · 1 January 2021TC Group provides registered office services for Shaftesbury Young People. Address: Waverley House, 115-119 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8DY
• Ward Goodman LtdminorOthersWard Goodman Ltd provides administrative/c/o services for the charity, based in Wimborne, BH21 7SF.
• Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF)minorOthersSYP Trust is a member of the Association of Charitable Foundations, a membership organisation for grant-making charities in the UK.
• London FundersminorOthersSYP Trust is a member of London Funders, a network of funders working in London to support communities.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)minorOthersSYP Trust is a member of NCVO, a leading membership body for charities and volunteer organisations in England.
• HRH Queen Elizabeth II (Historical Patron)coreOthersThe charity was supported by patronage from HRH Queen Elizabeth II until her death in September 2022. The patronage provided royal endorsement and support for the organisation's mission.
• London Metropolitan ArchivesminorOthersPartnership for historical archive searches. SYP Trust's unique reference at the archives is LMA/4647. The archives are located at 40 Northampton Road, London, EC1R 0HB.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• London Community Foundation: London-focused grant-making foundation funding small community organisations. Comparable in geographic restriction, target beneficiary mix, and small-grant portfolio strategy.
• The Tudor Trust: UK grant-making trust funding small community-led organisations working with disadvantaged people. Comparable in preference for small charities and unrestricted, relationship-based grant-making.
• John Lyon's Charity: London-focused youth grant-making charity providing small and medium grants to organisations working with children and young people. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, beneficiary age group, and grant-making (not service-delivery) model.
• City Bridge Foundation: City of London Corporation's charitable arm funding London-based charities tackling disadvantage and inequality. Directly comparable in geographic focus, target beneficiary mix, and unrestricted grant-making approach.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Children in Need: Major UK-wide grant-maker supporting disadvantaged children and young people. Comparable in mission and beneficiary age range, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic remit than SYP Trust.
• The Prince's Trust: Large UK youth charity supporting disadvantaged young people through funding, training, and programmes. Comparable beneficiary focus, but operates a direct-delivery model across the UK rather than a London-restricted grant-making model.
• Lloyds Bank Foundation: UK charity funding small and medium-sized charities supporting disadvantaged people. Comparable in focus on small charities and unrestricted funding, but operates across England and Wales with broader thematic remit.
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Major UK grant-making foundation with significant youth-focused programmes and mental health initiatives. Comparable in mission areas (youth, mental health) and unrestricted grant philosophy, but operates at much larger scale.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Major UK grant-making foundation with substantial funding streams for children and young people, mental health, and social change. Comparable in funding priorities but operates across the UK and at significantly larger scale.
• The National Lottery Community Fund: UK's largest community grant-maker distributing National Lottery funds. Comparable as a primary funding source for small London charities serving disadvantaged young people, but operates at vastly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shaftesbury-young-people

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Shaftesbury Young People and SYP Trust