OVERVIEW: The London-based Purley OverSeas Trust makes small grants in the areas of global development, global health and sustainable agriculture. A significant portion of its grantmaking goes to developing nations in Africa.
IP TAKE: The Purley OverSeas Trust is a small community-led funder that raises money through donations and local fundraising events. Its grantmaking supports NGOs and grassroots organizations working in the areas of development, health and agriculture, and many of its grants support organizations operating in Africa.
The trust’s average grant size is about $500, but grants generally go to organizations for whom small sums can make a difference. Purley has traditionally run an open application program, but paused all fundraising and grantmaking since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Check in with this responsive funder to see how grantmaking may be evolving.
PROFILE: A U.K.-based funder, the Purley OverSeas Trust was established in 1984 and is funded through donations and fundraising events including concerts, dinners and game nights held in the Purley area of London. The trust aims to increase awareness of social and economic problems in developing nations and to “help the poorest people of the world to help themselves to a better standard of living by funding small-scale self-generating projects.” It names agricultural projects, medical projects, educational projects and social projects as its areas of grantmaking interest. Most of the trust’s grants support projects in African nations.
Grants for Global Development
The Purley OverSeas Trust does not outline specific goals for its global development grants. One recently funded project involved the development of a water storage and transport system for a small village in Ghana by the Mount Zion Welfare Organisation, a Ghanian NGO founded by “marginalized, disadvantaged, underserved rural women and girls.” Another global development grantee, the Toppin Crue Foundation of Zambia, used funding to transport tools necessary to complete construction of a school in an underserved community.
Grants for Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture appears to be a growing area of interest for Purley. One recent grant supported a Ugandan organization, SRCDO, which used funding to train orphans and caregivers to raise cabbage. Another recent grant supported Malawi’s Pamudzi Youth for Development, which supports banana cultivation and reforestation projects. And in Liberia, the trust has supported the Foundation for Women and Children Empowerment, which runs sustainable agriculture training programs.
Grants for Global Health
Global health is a smaller area of funding for Purley and overlaps significantly with its global development grantmaking. One recently funded project involved the installation of solar power for healthcare clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trust has also given to a leprosy trust in Nepal and the international organization Sightsavers, which aims to prevent avoidable blindness and to protect the rights of the disabled in the developing world.
Important Grant Details:
In a recent year, the Purley Overseas Trust made about $14,000 in grants. Its average grant size is about $500, and it tends to support small, grassroots organizations for which these small grants can have significant impact. More than half of its grants support organizations and projects in Africa, but the trust does not place geographical limits on its funding. For additional information about the trust’s past grantmaking see its projects page.
While the trust has traditionally run open application programs, it has paused all fundraising and grantmaking because of the COVID-19 crisis. Prospective grantees should check the trust’s website periodically for updates. General inquiries may be directed to the trust via email.
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