FAQs

You can submit an application at any time and it will be considered at the next quarterly meeting (in February, May, August and November).

Please use the online form and follow any instructions.

You will receive an automated response to say that we have received your application.

Our funding rounds close mid February, May, August and November each year. Governors then meet at the end of those months to assess all applications. All applicants are notified within 1 week of the meeting.

Where an award has been made, you will receive an email requesting you to send further details, such as confirmation of the course you are attending, confirmation of household income and bank details. Once these have been received and checked, the payment will be made, subject to our approval procedures. You will be kept informed of the progress by email.

You can apply once in each 12-month period for funding for a named individual or organisation.

We provide feedback to explain why a particular application has been unsuccessful.

All applications for funding for school trips are confirmed with the school concerned and paid directly to the school.

To apply for funding, the organisation needs to be constituted and established for not-for-profit purposes. The beneficiaries of the funding must be residents of East Lothian (excluding Musselburgh, Wallyford, and Whitecraig).

For school trips, the maximum that you can apply for is the cost of the trip. For individuals, the maximum that you can apply for is £1,000. For organisations, the maximum that can be applied for is £2,000.

If your application is successful, there will be some means testing applied, so you may not receive the full amount you have requested.

The Trust is a small organisation with the objective to help those in financial or other hardship, we therefore need to make an assessment based on financial information. Our privacy policy sets out how we look after your data.

The Trust is a small charity and does not have the resources to provide multi-year funding. There should be at least 12 months between applications and there is no guarantee a project will be supported year on year.

If you need help with the application and haven’t found your answer on the website, please send an email to elet@charityfin.com

All applications are initially assessed as to whether they meet the eligibility criteria, if not, you will be contacted at that point to provide further information if necessary. All applications are then considered by the Governors at their quarterly meetings and a consensus decision is made. All funding decisions are final.