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Sir John Priestman Charity Trust
Supporting the upkeep of historic religious buildings
Founded: 1931
Charity Details
Full Name: Sir John Priestman Charity Trust
Founded: 1931
Type: Independent
Where Operates: North East England
Headquarters: Sunderland, SRI IJG
Charity No: 209397
History and Activities
The Sir John Priestman Charity Trust was established by the shipbuilder, Sir John Priestman (1855-1941) in 1931 with an initial endowment of £100,000 (£6,475,903 in today’s money). The charity supports the upkeep of historic religious buildings in North East England and the Country of York. Many churches face challenges relating to maintenance costs, but these needs are perhaps most acute in deprived communities which often rely heavily on churches to fulfil a wider role in the community. It is these communities, and their buildings, which the charity seeks to prioritise. When making decisions on funding applications they work with the Church of England to select the applications which most need help. In particular, the charity prioritises the upkeep of church organs, which is appropriately in line with the wishes of its founder, as Sir John who was a keen organist.
The policy of the trustees is generally to award modest grants to a relatively large number of bodies, rather than a few large grants. In 2017, these varied in value from £500 to £18,000 but the average amount awarded was generally around £4,000. The largest grant made in 2017 was £18,000 to Sunderland Minster. Sir John himself had originally donated £35,000 (£2,366,352 in today’s money) to rebuild the church in the gothic revival style in 1935. In total the trust gave financial support to 230 projects in 2017. In 2016, the charity gave £15,000 to support the ongoing repair work to the Central Tower at Durham Cathedral, which dates back to 1484. Without the good work the trust does in our region, many historic buildings would no longer be available for future generations to use.
The charity holds a permanent endowment and is solely reliant in income from its investments. In 2017, they received an income of £510,156 from investments totalling £14,205,341.
Vital Statistics (year to 31/12/2017)
| Total Income:
| £510,156
|
| Voluntary Income:
| £0
|
| Investment Income:
| £510,156
|
| Employees:
| 0
|
| Total Expenditure (TE):
| £460,348
|
| Grants to Beneficiaries (GR):
| £372 732
|
| GR as % of TE:
| 80.9%
|
| Investments at Year End:
| £14,205,341
|
References
Corder, C. (2016). Sunderland philanthropist helped the sick, the poor and the church, Available here (Accessed: 12/10/2018).
Cordner, C. (2016). The man who donated millions for the good of Sunderland, Sunderland Echo, Available here (Accessed: 12/10/2018).
Charity Commission (2018). Reports and Financial Statements 2017. Available here (Accessed: 16/10/2018).
National Church Trust. (2018). Sir John Priestman Trust, Available here (Accessed: 16/10/2018).