The Ouseley Trust

Overview

The Trust’s object is to promote and maintain a high standard of choral service in the Church of England, the Church in Wales, and the Church of Ireland.  This includes support for the education of pupils attending any school where the choral liturgy is sung within one of these three denominations.

What they fund

Applicants must clearly demonstrate how they will promote and maintain high standards of choral worship in the Church of England, the Church in Wales, and the Church of Ireland. 

They support a wide range of projects from innovative schemes to core costs. 

The Trustees’ policy is to make grants in the following areas: 

• Grants towards the costs of musicians, scholarships, bursaries, and choral outreach/development schemes. 
• Means-tested assistance towards the fees of individual choristers at cathedrals and choral foundations. 
• Purchase of liturgical music (not hymn books or psalters). 
• Courses for individuals and groups of church musicians.
• Where there is no specific choir school: grants towards chorister support costs, including theory, instrumental and vocal tuition, plus travel and subsistence associated with choristers at cathedrals and choral foundations
• Other projects (e.g., outreach) of an innovative kind that are likely to further the Trust’s object in a direct and effective way.
  •  In exceptional circumstances, these may include music commissions. In EVERY case, the project must have a direct bearing on the promotion and maintenance of a high standard of choral worship

Where applications are towards assistance with fees for individual choristers at cathedrals and choral foundations, the parent(s) of children aged under 18 will be required to complete a separate Financial Declaration Form and this will also need to be endorsed by an officer of the school or cathedral submitting the application. This is also available online and should be submitted alongside their Main Application Form.

They encourage all applicants to have an informal pre-application conversation in advance of applying. Details below.

What's the maximum grant?

No maximum grant size is listed. The largest grant they have made is ₤50,000 to a cathedral. 

In 2024, the average grant made was £3,000.