1. Charities
Introduction
SGH Martineau are proud to serve a range of national and family
charities, educational and arts charities, churches and other places
of worship. Whether you are trustees of a major organisation with
substantial assets or a family charity, our team ensures that you are
equipped with the knowledge and confidence that you require to
face the challenges and opportunities with which you are presented
on a daily basis.
Grant making charities
Grant making trusts may be set up by individuals (during their
lifetime or by their Wills) and may also be used as a vehicle for
charitable giving by companies. A grant making charity will make
distributions from its income and/or capital to a variety of individuals
and charities each year, usually in response to formal grant
applications.
It is not always cost efficient for a charity to maintain their own
office. Nevertheless, many charities require a proper support
mechanism to ensure that the management of accounting,
administrative and grant making services are delivered to the best
effect.
The Charities team at SGH Martineau are able to offer a tailored
approach, from full outsourced management to individual schemes.
We can provide charities with a ‘virtual’ office, free from the burden
of overheads and employment of staff and without the risk of
operating expensive, dedicated premises. Full support on every
aspect of a charity’s affairs can be given, from secretarial support to
assistance with grant making policy to maintenance of statutory and
regulatory records.
We act for many new and established grant making charities and
are able to offer practical advice and ongoing governance support.
How can we help?
Our Charities team offers a full administration support service for
grant making charities of all sizes. The administration involved in
running a grant making charity can be time consuming and it is
important that proper and accurate records of meetings and
decisions are kept and full accounts maintained.
SGH Martineau can help you with the setting up, reviewing of and
the administration of a charity in a number of ways – these are set
out below.
Starting up a charity
• Setting up a charity and registering it with the Charity
Commission
• Preparing an agenda for the first Trustees’ meeting
• Chairing the first Trustees’ meeting and attending further
meetings as required
• Assisting with drafting investment and conflict of interest
policies
• Preparing the grant making policy and process
• Drafting a template grant application form for applicants
• Arranging investment of assets and assisting in choosing
the right investment manager
Ongoing charity administration and grant management
• Receiving and collating grant applications and circulating them
prior to Trustees’ meetings
• Responding to questions from potential grant applicants
• Providing an email address to receive electronic grant
applications
WWW.SGHMARTINEAU.COM
THE SERVICES WE OFFER - GRANT MAKING CHARITIES

2. • Assisting with setting up a website and advertising, and
building and maintaining a presence on social media websites
• Processing grant applications and payments
• Attending some or all Trustees’ meetings
• Providing specialist charity advice (if required)
• Providing documentation to confirm a change of Trustees when
necessary
• Arranging and maintaining insurance
• Preparing the agenda for Trustees’ meetings (if required)
• Preparing minutes and legal documentation
• Liaising with investment managers, auditors and the Charity
Commission
• Maintaining a bank account
Accounting and tax support
• Bookkeeping
• Preparing annual accounts that meet required reporting
standards
• Completing and submitting the Charity Commission annual
return
• Maintaining accurate information on the Charity Commission
website
• Preparing Tax Returns and liaising with HM Revenue & Customs
• Maintaining bank accounts and managing cash flow
• Arranging for payment of invoices and trust expenses
Additional advice and support
We can advise on and assist with the following matters ensuring the
smooth running of a charity:
• The extent of the objectives of a charity
• The duties and responsibilities of the Trustees
• Whether the proposed grant application qualifies for charitable
status (if applicable)
• The appropriate wording for restrictions and conditions on
proposed grants
• Changes to the governing documents of the charity when
necessary
• Buying and selling land and assets
• Managing properties and agricultural land
• The recruitment of further charitable Trustees
• Intellectual Property matters (such as copyright or protecting a
charitable logo)
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Trading (including setting up subsidiaries)
• Employment Law
• Tax
Copyright SGH Martineau LLP 2012
SGH Martineau LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership
We guide you through the ever changing requirements of Charity and Company Law so that you can focus on delivering real benefits to
those that you serve.
We have excellent facilities and Trustees’ meetings can be held in our modern offices in Birmingham and London. We also have video
conference facilities at both offices.
We can provide as much or as little support as you need, depending on the size of your charity and the experience of the Trustees.
We may be able to offer fixed fees for our services, we can also carry our work on an hourly basis depending on the requirements of the
individual charity.
Contact
We would be delighted to talk through the options available to you. For further information please contact:
Lesley Davis
Partner and Head of Private Client
T: 0800 763 1427
E: lesley.davis@sghmartineau.com