About us

The Volant Trust was established to work to alleviate social deprivation, with a particular emphasis on supporting women, children and young people at risk

The origins

J.K. Rowling

“I set up the Volant Trust, in my mother’s maiden name, in 2000 to support charitable causes and issues I feel passionately about and want to support. Since then the Trust has donated to countless charitable organisations, both large and small, to help women and children, who are at risk in their lives or find themselves in situations, where there seems no way out.”

Our criteria

Our criteria for funding

The Volant Trust is a grant-making trust, which primarily helps fund charitable organisations and projects based in Scotland working to alleviate social deprivation, particularly concerned with women, children and young people.

Open Grants programme

If you are interested in applying to our Open Grants Programme, find out whether your project fits with our criteria by visiting What we Fund.

Other Funding

Our main area of support is through our Open Grants Programme. However, you can read about other work that we support below.

Other funding

The Volant Charitable Trust is committed to other work that includes international projects, the support of single parents through Gingerbread and more recently, charities assisting vulnerable groups impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living.

You can read more about our support for these below.

UK & International Covid-19 response fund logo

UK & International Covid-19 response fund

Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, The Volant Trust has donated in excess of £12 million to 135 charities and organisations in the UK and internationally to help vulnerable groups particularly impacted by Covid-19.

Whilst applications to this fund are now closed, awards continue to be made at the sole discretion of the Trustees to charities helping to alleviate social deprivation and assisting vulnerable groups affected by the cost of living, particularly women and children.

Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic logo

Multiple Sclerosis

Research into the causes, treatment and possible cures of multiple sclerosis. All of the Volant Trust’s support in this area is through the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh, named after J.K. Rowling’s mother, who died in 1990 from complications related to MS.

More than 20 million people worldwide are diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease each year. At present, all of these disorders are progressive and incurable. There is a need for research that will lead to new therapies.

Due to this support, the Trust no longer accepts applications to do with multiple sclerosis.

Visit Anne Rowling Clinic

International Support

International Support

The Trustees have chosen to fund major disaster appeals as the focus of the Trust’s international work and awards for these are made from time to time at the sole discretion of the Trustees. The Volant Trust does not invite applications towards this programme.

Gingerbread logo

Gingerbread

Since 2000, The Volant Charitable Trust has supported Gingerbread, which campaigns on behalf of single parents, as well as providing expert advice and practical support.

Visit Gingerbread

What we fund

Who we provide funding for

If you wish to apply for funding, please see What we Fund for information.

What we fund