| AdminHistory | The St Katharine and Shadwell Trust (SKST) was founded by News International (NI) in 1990 with an initial donation of £3.5 million. The Trust was to benefit the area around Wapping, specifically the former wards of St Katharine & Shadwell in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In 2004 the Trust's area of benefit was extended to include the whole of Tower Hamlets and in 2006 to include neighbouring boroughs Hackney and Newham, as well as the City of London. SKST was a a registered charity (1001047) and a company limited by guarantee (2563543) governed by Articles of Association. The governors represented local businesses (in particular NI), the local authority, and local residents. The Trust derived most of its income from its own investments.
The area benefiting from the Trust's activities is an area of many contrasts, containing some of the most deprived communities in the UK as well as the City of London and the redeveloped Docklands. In 2008 over 100 languages were spoken in the boroughs where the Trust worked and it had the highest proportion of young people in the country.
The Trust was primarily a grant making charity and from the beginning it supported voluntary organisations and schools rather than individuals in need. Initially the Trust's priorities were deliberately wide-ranging to include education and training, facilities for recreation, relief of poverty and sickness, advancement of public education in the arts, and housing for disabled people (Annual report 1991). In time the Trust focused more on education and training. In 2010 priorities were defined as 'to improve life, social and transferable skills, raise educational achievement, enhance employablility, increase economic activity, broaden horizons, and increase social cohesion' (Business plan 2010-13, I/SKS/1/2/27). There was no formal application form, instead applicants wrote a letter to explain who they are and what they want. Decisions were made by the full board which met four times a year.
Grants were awarded to cover salaries, contribute to project costs, purchase equipment or fund recreational activities. Some grants were repeated over a number of years, others were a one-off response to a particular need or opportunity. In 1991 the trust awarded just over £110,000 to 40 applicants ranging from £191 for a floor polisher for an old age pensioner's club, to £10,000 to support the Shadwell Basin Project, a youth project started by local parents to make use of the river.
In 1995 grant expenditure exceeded 200,000 for 56 projects and programmes, in 1999 the average grant was £3,922, individual grants ranged from £249 for a fax machine to £13,000 towards a Shadwell football development programme with Leyton Orient.
In addition to running a grants programme the Trust funded so-called special projects. These were projects or programmes initiated by the Trust or of particular importance in meeting the Trust's priorities. Most of these supported education and training, including training and development support for the voluntary sector. They include the artists-in-residence scheme, the mother-tongue project, summer university and summer holiday play schemes, the local Youthbank, and Web Wise Wapping (ICT for schools). In 2002 the Trust began managing grant programmes on behalf of third party funders such as Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest and Community Learning Chest in the borough of Tower Hamlets, and the Société Générale Social. These were administered according to priorities agreed with the funding organisation.
2011 was a period of transition for the Trust as the annual grant from NI came to an end and the Trust moved out of the NI offices to Fashion Street. Grant-making activities were temporarily suspended as the Trust reappraised its position, activities and programmes. The prospect of a merger with the neighbouring Isle of Dogs Community Foundation (IDCF) was raised and consultation and planning took place during that year. On 1 October 2012 the Trust ceased to operate as an independent charity and merged with the IDCF to form East End Community Foundation (EECF), registered charity number 1147789 and registered company number 8104415. The area of benefit of East End Community Foundation is the same as that of Trust: the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, and Tower Hamlets, and the City of London. |
| CustodialHistory | Deposited by the St Katharine and Shadwell Trust in 2013 |