The Ernest Cook Trust

Our major areas of expertise are outdoor learning, land-based education, grant-making and land management. A distinctive characteristic is our position as both a landowner and an educational charity and the corresponding multiple values we attribute to land. Our estates generate income but are also places of heritage, significant ecological interest and vibrant places to learn. Through outdoor learning, land-based skills, grant-making and partnerships, we create opportunities to learn, develop confidence and gain a greater understanding of the natural world and how it is cared for. As a long-term landowner, we work closely with our tenant farmers and other tenants, supporting sustainable land management and helping to foster strong, thriving rural communities.

Mission

To help everyone cultivate deep-rooted connections with the land through outdoor learning and experiences in nature. We believe that land can deliver multiple benefits at once, united by a unique ability to enrich our lives and livelihoods.

Geographic Focus

United Kingdom

Programme Areas

The trust largely focuses on organisations that devote themselves to educational schemes also relating to rural conservation.

Funding areas include:

• Countryside and the environment
• Environmental research
• Arts, crafts and architecture
• Youth
• Other unspecified educational grants Countryside and the Environment Emphasises grants that benefit rural areas. Grants in this category are made for educational work concerning conservation of the countryside and for schemes that lead to a greater understanding of the countryside and rural life in general. Support is also given to responsible projects designed to increase an intelligent concern for the environment as a whole. Environmental Research Provides grants for research to universities or other relevant institutions. Projects supported reflect the trust’s concern for the rural environment. Arts, Crafts and Architecture Encourages appreciation of architecture and supports organisations providing training in practical conservation skills and in rural crafts. Youth Supports education and training including work that helps young people to lead fulfilled lives while remaining sensitive to the needs of others, and that increase their chances of employment.
• Other Unspecified Educational Grants A number of projects which lie outside the immediate areas of concern for the trust are supported simply upon their merits as outstanding schemes or because they show potential for small amounts of money to have maximum impact on worthwhile activities. Exceptional grants are also made for educational projects that have a geographic connection or close link with the trust.