The Cole Trust
Charity 326866
Overview
Summary
The Cole Trust appears to be a narrowly defined faith-oriented charitable trust whose role may be to direct support through Protestant Christian activity rather than to operate a broad range of public-facing services. Its objects span poverty relief, education and religion, but the recorded activity is solely religious. This suggests that religious practice may be the trust’s primary operating channel, with its wider charitable purposes potentially pursued within that framework.
Operational geography
Coverage: Regional
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission record states that the trust operates in Birmingham City and six other West Midlands local-authority areas, which supports a regional declared footprint but does not identify any Birmingham ward, recognised place, service venue or delivery location.
- The charity reported £0 income in both the years ended 31 December 2023 and 31 December 2024, with only £200 expenditure in 2024. This makes its current level of active delivery or grant-making uncertain.
- The registered Oldbury address is outside Birmingham and should not be treated as a Birmingham operational site. The Charity Commission also records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.
- The listed website, kcc.co.uk, could not be retrieved, so it provides no verified evidence of current activities, sites, partnerships or Birmingham delivery.
- Historical references to grants from The Cole Trust to other organisations do not establish current partnerships or current operational reach.
Additional evidence needed
- A current statement from the trust or its working name, King's Community Church - The Cole Trust, describing active services, grants and the places where they are delivered.
- Current annual accounts, a trustee report, grant-award records or project information showing whether activity resumed after 31 December 2024.
- Verified information about any current Birmingham worship, community, advice, education or grant-funded delivery sites.
- Evidence from current partner organisations confirming any active, material relationship with the trust and the Birmingham locations affected.
Areas of work
- Religious Activities
Who they help
- Other Defined Groups
How they help
- Other Charitable Activities
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A broad charitable remit appears to be expressed through a religious focus
The trust’s formal purposes include poverty relief and education alongside Protestant Christianity, yet its recorded activity is religious. This may indicate that it pursues its wider aims through faith-based giving, institutions or initiatives rather than through separately identified poverty or education programmes.
Why it matters
This helps distinguish the trust’s legal scope from its apparent operational identity. Potential partners may need to understand its religious orientation to assess whether there is a meaningful fit.
Show evidence
“THE OBJECTS OF THE TRUST ARE THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, FURTHERANCE OF EDUCATION, FURTHERANCE OF THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN RELIGION.”
Source:Charity Commission“Religious activities”
Source:Charity Commission
The intended beneficiaries are not publicly distinguishable from the available record
The classification of beneficiaries as 'Other Defined Groups' suggests the trust serves a bounded or specifically eligible constituency, but the evidence does not identify that group or whether eligibility is faith-based, geographic or otherwise defined.
Why it matters
The unspecified beneficiary group is central to understanding the trust’s civic reach. It may be a focused resource for a particular community, but its accessibility and potential connections remain unclear.
Show evidence
“Other Defined Groups”
Source:Charity Commission“Other Charitable Activities”
Source:Charity Commission
- Whether the trust makes grants, delivers activities directly or supports another organisation.
- Which defined groups benefit and how Protestant Christian purpose shapes eligibility.
- Whether poverty relief and education are active priorities or only retained constitutional purposes.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports, accounts or grant lists showing expenditure, recipients and activities.
- Information on trustees, geographic area of benefit, eligibility criteria and relationships with churches or other charities.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Religious activities
Charity objects
THE OBJECTS OF THE TRUST ARE THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, FURTHERANCE OF EDUCATION, FURTHERANCE OF THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN RELIGION.