The J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust was endowed by Sir John Paul Getty, KBE, who died in April 2003 in London, where he had lived since the 1970s. The Trust started distributing funds in 1986, and since then it has awarded nearly £38 million to over 3,000 charities across the United Kingdom.
The Trust's main aim has always been to fund well managed projects which help to relieve poverty, support disadvantaged people, and effect long-term change where help is not readily available from the public or private purse. The Trust also provides funding for the arts, and towards the conservation of the natural and built environment.
The Trust currently has a capital of around £44 million, and in 2008, it awarded grants amounting to £3.1 million to support its charitable aims.
In accordance with the expressed wishes of Sir Paul, the trustees have now decided to wind down the Trust over a period of between five and ten years. This means that they will be increasing the level of annual spend and will be looking for opportunities to award a number of more substantial grants that will have an enduring impact.