History of the Chapman Charitable Trust

Who and Why?

The Chapman Charitable Trust was established on 30th October 1963 by the settlor, Mrs Marjorie Chapman. Her two sons, John and Roger, were the original trustees and the current trustees include one of her grandsons, a granddaughter and three great-grandsons.

When the trust started the focus for grant-making was to support a few organisations suggested by the settlor and we still make grants to these initial charities. As the capital of the trust has grown and the income available for grant-making has increased our focus for new grants has moved towards sectors aligned with the interests and personal family experiences of the current trustees. These sectors include charities which work on improving mental and physical health, particularly for children, on alleviating issues surrounding pollution and pesticides, on increasing accessibility to the arts and on sustaining our natural environment.