The Charles Plater Trust (CPT) has launched a new 2.5 million grant programme which hopes to offer up to £500,000 in grants for good causes, annually, for the next five years. The Trust are calling on registered charities who share its Catholic Social Teaching values to apply for grants for social action, lay leadership or applied research projects for up to £50,000 per grant. Bishop Richard Moth, the new chair of the CPT said:

“It is significant and timely that we are extending the Church’s charity and social mission to all who care about making a difference in our increasingly divided and unequal society. We have been working hard over the last year to reorganise our finances so that we can make more of the legacy of the late Fr Charles Plater available for good causes. This is our biggest and most sustained programme of grant making ever, and I know that there are great partners out there for us to work with to make real the Church’s social mission across England and Wales on the 100th anniversary of the death of Fr Plater.”

Cathy Corcoran, former CEO of the Cardinal Hume Centre, and the new chair of the CPT grant making committee said:

“We’ve now got a challenging task to find the best of the best applicants to support. We judge each application on its respective strengths and go through a rigorous process to be as transparent and open about who we fund and why. Since 2008, we’ve funded 51 different projects and look for partners who care as much as we do about delivering high quality work that can evidence the difference made to vulnerable individuals, communities or create transformations in policy and practice.  It’s a real privilege to help make a difference in this way.”

Any registered English or Welsh charity can apply for funding, as long as the proposed work has direct benefit in England and Wales and fits one of the three Plater priority themes of lay leadership, social action and/or applied research. The Trust will also consider applications from organisations seeking to use a grant as match funding as part of a larger project. All further details can be found at www.plater.org.uk where there is an online application form for ease of submission. The closing date is Tuesday 15th March 2022 with all successful applicants publicly announced at an award ceremony on 25th May 2022.

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