The Robertson Trust is Scotland's largest independent grant-giving trust. Established in 1961 through a donation from three Robertson sisters, the Trust has awarded over £180 million to Scottish charities. It focuses on improving life chances for children and young people, as well as improving well-being for girls and women. In 2016-2017, the Trust awarded £16.4 million to 683 organizations, supported 453 undergraduate students through scholarships, and housed 25 charities at Robertson House in Glasgow.

1. Overview of The Robertson Trust

2. Our Mission
“To improve the quality of life and realise
the potential of people and communities in
Scotland.”

3. About The Robertson Trust
1961
£180m+
32
Now the biggest independent grant-giving Trust in Scotland,
The Robertson Trust was stablished in 1961 by the three
Robertson sisters, Elspeth, Agnes and Ethel, who donated their
shares in the Edrington Group
The Trust has given away over £180m to Scottish
charities over the years.
Following recent growth, the Trust now has a
team of 32 based in its Glasgow office

4. How we work
Giving
Innovation
& Learning
Scholarship
Robertson
House

5. 2016-17 STATISTICS
Statistics
£16.4m
awarded to
683 organisations
12xInnovation & Learning
programmes running
453 undergraduates supported
through our bursary scheme
25x charities based in Robertson
House in Glasgow

6. Innovation and Learning Team

7. Aim to develop our understanding and knowledge, collect
evidence and to test innovative solutions to complex problems
within specific identified themes. We actively seek to use this
evidence to inform use of our resources in the future, support
capacity within the third sector and to inform broader policy and
practice. Where appropriate we aim to take an “early action”
approach where we try to tackle to root cause of a problem
rather than the symptom.
More than money

8. Following a strategic review in 2016 we
identified two new themes of work:
• Improving Life Chances for Children and
Young People
• Improving Well-Being of Girls and Women
There is also a third underpinning theme of
Alternative Funding Models
Themes

9. Partnership Award Outcomes
1 2 3 4
Funded charities
increase
skills/knowledge
to make a
difference
Trust, charities,
policy makers and
other influencers
better understand
what works and
what doesn’t
More resources
are allocated to
development
areas and use the
evidence from our
funded projects
Outcomes
identified in logic
model are
achieved

10. • Improved Outcomes for Looked After Young People
Reframing Programme – Care Experienced Young People (in partnership
with CELCIS and Life Changes Trust)
a programme to reframe how children’s social care in Scotland is
presented in public messaging, with the aim of improving public support
for, and engagement with, solutions to enable these young people to be
valuable and valued members of their communities
Transforming Pathways (in partnership with CELCIS)
Support for Community Planning Partnerships to re-balance the public
resources dedicated to children and families away from late-stage crisis
responses towards early intervention and prevention
Improving Life Chances for Children and Young People

11. • Well-Being and Family Support Programmes
Learning Together about Making Choices (with Jeely Piece Nursery, two
schools in Castlemilk and University of Strathclyde)
Project which used coaching techniques to enable schools to adopt an
attachment aware approach in nurseries and primary schools
Dundee and Includem Raising Attainment Project (with Includem and
Dundee City Council)
An enhanced exclusion and attainment service across the secondary
school estate in Dundee working with 100 young people and their
families many of whom are in the care system. Funded with Scottish
Attainment Challenge Funding and using the Trust’s Social Bridging
Finance Model.
Improving Life Chances for Children and Young People

12. The Robertson Trust Scholarship

13. The Robertson Scholarship Bursary
Bursary Awards:
£2,800 at home | £4,000 living away
A self-development programme for 16-25 year
olds - with financial support based on criteria
of low-income background or care experience
4x
Scholars in
total
466
conference45
Graduates in
2016 across
24 disciplines
173New scholars
in 2016

14. Contact Details
For more information:
W: www.therobertsontrust.org.uk
E: christine@therobertsontrust.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter @RobertsonTrust