To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Trust and 30,000 performances of The Mousetrap since the play opened on the 8th of June 1952, we are delighted to launch this special £1,000,000 fund which aims to celebrate innovation and excellence in the Arts. We want to celebrate creative expression and the art of storytelling, be it through music, opera, performance, visual arts, exhibitions, or the written word.
Established in 1995 by its Founder and Chairman, Mathew Prichard, the Trust derives its main income from royalties from The Mousetrap, the murder mystery written by Mathew’s grandmother, Agatha Christie.
We invite applications in excess of £100,000 from Arts organisations delivering ambitious, innovative and high-profile projects that help people appreciate the endless possibilities the Arts can offer. We want to support big stories which are designed to achieve ultimate impact and enjoyment for audiences.
“My grandmother spent her life being enthralled by the Arts. She wrote to entertain and loved being entertained by so many different art forms. I remain grateful to all the Arts practitioners who continue to bring her work to life and have enabled the Colwinston Trust to be involved with projects that I think would have been close to her heart. It is my ambition that the 30th anniversary fund will continue to encourage this to happen.”
Mathew Prichard
Collaborative projects which demonstrate excellence and extend the range and reach of the activity to Wales, are of particular interest.
Organisations interested in the 30th Anniversary Fund should get in touch to discuss projects in advance of submitting an application.
Please contact us at; colwinstontrust@colwinston.org.uk
Guidelines and Application Forms are available to download from our website and completed applications should be submitted by 30th July 2025.
Please note that the 30th Anniversary Fund is in addition to our regular funding rounds, for which applications should be submitted as normal by 30th September 2025 for the November Meeting.
Applicants should apply to either the 30th Anniversary Fund or our regular funding round, and will not be considered for both.
Existing grantholders for current projects will not be considered additionally for the 30th Anniversary Fund.
Successful applicants to the 30th Anniversary Fund will be notified in November 2025.