The Guide to New Trusts 2026: What’s new and why does it matter?

The Research Team at DSC has recently finished putting together the latest edition of The Guide to New Trusts, and we were happy to find yet another cohort of promising, innovative new grant-makers at the start of their funding journeys.  

This edition features over 100 recently registered trusts, all new to Funds Online. Established by a diverse range of individuals, groups and families, each trust has its own mission and need to address.  

Where possible, our research delves into the backgrounds and charitable activities of the founders and trustees behind each grant-maker, including charities they have supported before, fundraising they have been involved in, and the industries in which they work. Often, this helps us to get a sense of the causes they may be likely to support. This edition features trustees from a variety of interesting backgrounds, such as a TV doctor, an actor, barristers and many more. 

As well as individual founders, 12% of the grant-makers in this edition are associated with companies. CAF’s Corporate Giving Report 2026 found that only 27% of businesses support charities in any way, so it is always encouraging to come across companies that do. One way that companies give back is by launching their own corporate foundations. Often, this is a way to formalise existing ESG work. This edition features corporate foundations from businesses across a range of industries, including technology, finance, law, and hospitality. 

The grant makers listed in the guide don’t represent every charity registered during that period. Instead, we carefully select those with a wide geographical area of operation and the greatest potential to support a broad range of organisations. We include grant makers that fund a wide variety of charitable causes or areas that affect many people, such as health, social welfare, disability and the environment.  

While many of the trusts in the guide are still taking their first steps, others have already started making an impact. So far, the trusts in this guide have funded a variety of work, including cost-of-living support, community initiatives, children’s charities, bereavement services and more.  

Why are new grant makers so important?  

As always, when researching new trusts, we are struck by the resilience and determination of new grant makers, who continue to emerge and respond to growing needs. At a time when many in the sector are struggling to find funding, these new trusts offer fresh opportunities. 

Our recent research found that nearly 90% of the new trusts we collected over ten editions of this guide are still operating today, with combined expenditure of £480 million in their latest financial years. Even among those that have since closed, 6.1% had, at some point, become significant grant-makers, awarding around £200,000 in a single year.  These findings highlight the potential new trusts can offer, and building relationships with them early can open doors to valuable funding opportunities and partnerships that deliver long-term benefits.  

Keeping track of emerging funders can be difficult and time-consuming. The Guide to New Trusts aims to make the search a little bit easier by bringing them together in one invaluable resource. 

 Download your digital copy here.