Grants are available for organisations in the UK working in the areas of arts and heritage, education, environment, health, or social and economic disadvantage.

The Trust will consider applications from registered charities, exempt charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations and municipally funded museums.

Applicants must have an annual turnover of over £50,000.

Grants awarded are usually single payments of between £10,000 and £25,000. In some cases, larger grants are awarded in instalments, payable over a period of years.

Applications are made via an online form and may be for support towards capital projects, specific projects, research programmes and core costs.

There are very few restrictions on the purpose for which a grant may be used but they do not fund expeditions or projects that promote religion. This does not exclude, for example, an eligible religious organisation from applying for work that is not religious in nature, such as providing a food bank or maintaining an historic building.

There are currently specific focus areas in the Health category of mental health and older people.

The current priorities for the Social and Economic Disadvantage category are disadvantaged children and housing and homeless people.

The Environmental category can currently include measures that improve the applicant organisation’s carbon footprint but the organisation’s main business must still be connected to one of the main five funding categories. ‘Traditional’ environmental applications remain welcome (eg. to improve habitats, conserve species or reduce waste).

There are usually four application deadlines a year:

• 11 January
• 11 April
• 11 July
• 11 October.

For full details, visit the Steel Charitable Trust website.