If you are professionally involved in the arts, you or your organisation may be eligible for a grant from the Garrick Charitable Trust. This page is designed to tell you all about the Trust and how to apply for a grant.

Named after the great actor-manager David Garrick, the Garrick Club in London has an outstanding theatrical and artistic background. It was founded in 1831 and occupies a building in Garrick Street on the edge of Covent Garden, in the heart of London’s theatreland. Many legendary actors, directors, writers and artists have been members, from Charles Dickens and Sir Henry Irving in the nineteenth century to Lord Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Lord Attenborough and Sir Donald Sinden in the modern era.

The playwright and writer AA Milne, best known for his creation Winnie the Pooh, was also a devoted member. He bequeathed to the Garrick Club a portion of his estate. In 2001, the Club sold its interest in the estate to the Disney Corporation. Some of the money was used to establish the Garrick Charitable Trust. In its first seven years, it has made 300 grants totalling almost £1.2 million.

About The Trust
Like the Garrick Club, the Trust aims to encourage theatre, music, literature and dance. The Trust is independent of the Club. We focus on helping professional organisations in need of financial support. We have a particular interest in helping actors, directors, writers, musicians, composers and choreographers in the early stages of their careers.

If you apply, you will need to show that the amount of money you request will make a real difference to your organisation’s future, for example by raising the standard of performance or achieving bigger audiences.

Who Can Apply For A Grant

Before you apply, please check whether your project falls within the Trust’s criteria for funding. We will only consider applications from organisations which are involved in theatre, music, dance or literature. You must be a Registered UK Charity. We explicitly support proposals which help professionals to develop their careers and this should ideally include an element of genuine and significant mentoring or coaching. We prefer projects where our modest contribution may make a real difference. Please note that we do NOT support the following: drama, dance or music conservatoire training or academic studies; amateur productions; projects outside the UK; capital appeals. Grants will normally be in the range of £2,500-£5,000 and may sometimes be granted for more than one year. We ask organisations receiving a grant to wait three years before reapplying.

The Trustees meet quarterly usually in March, June, September and December with the next meeting being held in March. If you wish to be considered at this meeting, you will need to submit your application no later than Friday 14 February. Any applications that are received after this date will be held over to the next meeting.

How to Apply For A Grant - Application Form
Please download a copy of the Garrick Charitable Trust application form from the website, complete all fields and submit your completed form with all required attachments by email to charitabletrust@garrickclub.co.uk. 

Alongside your application Form you are requested to submit your most recent accounts together with a detailed project budget. You may wish to include CVs of the people involved in the project, reviews of previous productions or publicity flyers.

All applications will be considered at the first available Trustees’ Meeting.

For more information please contact:

Sarah Charles
Email: charitabletrust@garrickclub.co.uk
Please email any queries and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.