Press Release: For Immediate Release
Monday 20 July 2026
CPT aims to bring the gift of hope to people and communities across England and Wales by forging strong partnerships with secular and faith charity partners.
Catholic charity, The Charles Plater Trust (CPT), has announced significant grant funding of more than £460,000 to 29 new charity partners.
CPT has awarded more than £5 million to over 200 UK charities to date, reaffirming the moral imperative for all members of the Church to act in solidarity with people of goodwill.
Social inequality is increasing in the UK, with a range of complex challenges experienced by people and communities across England and Wales. The Trust’s 19 large and 10 small grants have been awarded to a range of innovative charities working to build social justice and community cohesion by tackling exclusion and social and economic injustice, and empowering people of all faiths and none to exercise leadership in their communities.
The religious order of The Daughters of Divine Love based in south London, were awarded grant funding of £10,000. Reflecting on the impact of CPT funding, a representative from the order said:
“CPT’s grant will enable us to keep our doors open to those who need us most. It will strengthen our Soup Kitchen at a critical time, when more people than ever are turning to us for nourishment, dignity, and human connection. Belief in our mission helps us reach neighbours who would otherwise go without care.”
Non-faith charity, the Happy Baby Community, received a large grant of £25,000 in support of their work with women fleeing violence and human trafficking. Speaking about the scope of CPT funding, Director, Miriam Ugoh, said:
“For asylum-seeking mothers navigating poverty, isolation, and an often brutal system, CPT funding means more than skills; it means dignity, agency, and a real stake in their own futures. When a mother moves from service user to peer volunteer to Community Leader, she transforms not just her own life but her family's. This investment will help more women make that journey. “
Award holder, Free to be Kids, explained what the £20,000 funding will mean for vulnerable children in London:
“A grant towards our 18-month Journey Programme will be truly transformative. We can help London's most vulnerable young people transform their mental health and futures through the power of the outdoors and targeted youth work.
Children who've never left their area of London before, and whose school lives give them repeated messages of failure and low self-worth, instead lead night walks through the woods, work in teams to canoe down rivers, or climb a hill for the first time, creating a vastly healthier psychological story about themselves.”
The Oswin Project was awarded a grant of £22,250 for its work breaking the cycle of reoffending by providing people with criminal records the skills, support and opportunities they need to build positive futures in the North East of England. Fiona Sample MBE, Chief Executive Officer said:
“We all want to create safer communities, fewer victims of crime. By supporting the work of a Mentor Manger, the Charles Plater Trust is helping the Oswin Project build a bridge of opportunity from prison to the community and ensuring we can continue to reduce recidivism. Our Mentor Manager plays a critical role in achieving this, co-ordinating our mentoring, training and qualifications programmes and delivering the direct support that enables prisoners and prison leavers to build a crime free purposeful future. We are immensely grateful for the security and continuity your funding brings.”
The Most Reverend Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and Chair of The Charles Plater Trust, highlighted the excellent work being done by CPT’s charity partners. Reaffirming the life-giving message of the Gospel and the dignity of and value of the human person, he said:
“The Charles Plater Trust awards are testament to the richness of our faith and the gift of Catholic Social Teaching. The Gospel is not something that can be confined to the private sphere; it must be preached, lived, and modelled in every age.
This year’s grant awards will enable The Charles Plater Trust to support a range of partners working for the common good across England and Wales today, promoting the values of Catholic Social Teaching and promoting a dignified life for all.”
*Ends*
Notes:
2025-26 Grant Awards
Projects with an Applied Research Theme
Campion Hall, University of Oxford | £27,350
Plater Master’s Scholarship in Christian Social Thought
Lay Leadership
Catholic Student Network, Nationwide across England and Wales | £4,000
Catholic Students Leadership Summit 2026
Million Minutes, Nationwide across England and Wales | £5,000
Celebrating Young People: Revival
Independent Catholic News, Nationwide across England and Wales | £5,000
ICN Contributors
Maryvale Community Project, West Midlands | £5,000
Catholic Social Action through parish-rooted friendship, inclusion, learning and well-being
Social Action Projects to Tackle Homelessness
Daughters of Divine Love, London | £10,000
Dignity Through Community: Expanding the Divine Love Soup Kitchen in South London
Canaan Trust, East Midlands | £20,653
From Exclusion to Contribution: Education and Work Programme Restoring Dignity to Homeless Lives
Mustard Tree, Manchester and Salford | £25,000
Employment and Skills Co-ordinator
Social Action Projects with Children and Young People
The Caedmon Company, East of England| £4,160
The Hero's Journey - Arts-based Learning Intervention Project
StartStrong Fitness CIC, South East England | £5,000
Parent & Baby Exercise Classes
National House Project, London, South East, North West and West Midlands | £19,992
House Project Programme
The Big House, London | £20,000
The Open House Project
Brent Centre for Young People, London | £25,000
Youth Mental Health Access and Advocacy
Social Action Projects to Improve Life for People with Disabilities
Wild Rhythm, Mid and South Wales | £4,800
Rhythms of Nature Programme
Caritas St. Joseph’s, London | £20,300
Lifelong Learning Centre, Hendon
Social Action Projects for Migrants and Asylum Seekers
Kent Refugee Action Group, Kent | £15,997
Youth Ambassador Programme
Jesuit Refugee Service UK, London | £18,925
Housing and Hope
Happy Baby Community, London | £25,000
Building Pathways
Social Action Projects for Vulnerable Women and Girls
Faith Regen Foundation, London | £5,000
Women’s Economic Awareness Hub
Medaille Trust, South East | £25,000
Building Independence for Female Survivors of Slavery and Trafficking
The Baytree Centre, London | £30,000
The Fatima Project
Social Action Projects for Criminal Justice
Radical Recruit, Nationwide across England & Wales | £4,480
The Next Chapter– Reclaiming the Narrative
Key4Life, London, North West, South West and East Midlands | £15,000
Key4Life Prison Programmes
Oswin Project, North East England | £25,250
Volunteer Development Project
Exit Foundation, London | £25,000
Hope Filled Futures
Social Action Projects for Vulnerable Populations
Educate Not Mutilate, London | £5,000
Courage Talks – School Workshops
Margaret Clitherow Trust, East Midlands, South East and South West England | £25,000
Securing Dignity, Inclusion and Safety through Education in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
