Mills & Reeve Charitable Trust

Mills & Reeve Charitable Trust is central to our commitment to making a positive impact beyond our legal work. For over 40 years, it has provided independent, direct funding to a wide range of local, national and international charities.

Funded by contributions from the firm’s partners, it supports charitable causes that align with our purpose and values, key responsible business goals, and strengthens the communities where we live and work.

It's run by the trustees who are responsible for the governance of the Trust and oversee how the Trust’s funds are spent and which charities it will support.

Source of funding and how we decide which charities to support?

Every year the partners make a donation to the Trust based on a percentage of the firm’s turnover for that year. All of that money is then used to make grants to other charities. Funds available for grants in 2025-26 total £320,000.

The trustees decide on a ‘theme’ each year which helps it to focus and prioritise grants for greater impact. The theme for 2025 is health and wellbeing.

Each year, the overall funds available for the making of grants are divided into three funding streams:

Firm

The firm pot is used to provide grants to both national and international charities, and to provide assistance to international crises through Disaster Emergency Committee appeals. Additionally, it donates in memory of M&R colleagues and supports the firm's annual Charity Challenge.

Local office

Donations from the local office pots are used to support charities which are often local to the office in question. Each office has full autonomy of how this pot is allocated through its charitable committee and local charitable trustees.

M&R colleague

The M&R colleague pot is available for any colleague across the business who can request a donation of £100 in any financial year to a specific charity that they are working with or are fundraising for.

Key donations in 2025 include

£10,500 to Cambridge Acorn Project
Cambridge Acorn Project supports local children and families affected by trauma, abuse and financial hardship, helping to positively change the lives of thousands of children and their families.
Visit the Cambridge Acorn project
£10,000 to Jamie’s Farm
A charity equipping young people to thrive through a farm-based residential hosted for schools and groups at 7 farms across the country.
Visit Jamie's farm
£9,000 to SeeSaw
SeeSaw offers free support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire when they have been bereaved or when somebody close to them is terminally ill.
Visit Seesaw
£35,000 to Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to provide urgent, lifesaving support to people affected by major humanitarian crises overseas.
Visit DEC
£10,000 to British Red Cross
The British Red Cross is a leading humanitarian organisation delivering critical support to people facing emergencies in the UK and internationally.
Visit the British Red Cross

Thank you again for all the Mills & Reeve Charitable Trust has done to support the DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal. Your generosity has made an enormous difference to those who were impacted by the devastating earthquake.
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)
Thank you for your incredible kindness and generosity this year. With you by our side, we’ve brought hope and life-saving support to people across the world, and we look forward to continuing our impact together in the year ahead.
British Red Cross
Thanks to Mills & Reeve’s donation, we were able to be there for around 1,230 vital conversations with people who may have had nowhere else to turn. That’s 1,230 lives that could have been saved, thanks to their support.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)