The Foundation supports a broad range of organisations and activities that share a commitment to making a positive impact to the lives of the communities in which they work, and that are driven by a desire to achieve excellence. They make grants across the UK to organisations in the following categories: Arts; Education; Youth; Health; Community; Museums and Heritage; Environment; Religion and Welfare.

The principal objects of the Trust are to provide funds for the advancement of all the schemes which are for the physical wellbeing and improvement in general physical condition of the youth of the City of Edinburgh, for the advancement of knowledge in the science of chemistry as it affects the trade and industry of Great Britain, for making donations for the upkeep, extension and equipment of any charitable institution, hospital or society administered in Scotland whose objective is the restoration of the sick to health and for the advancement of knowledge in medicine and surgery including the granting of bursaries and scholarships, funding research work and the purchase of necessary equipment.

Funding is UK-wide although a preference is given to Scotland. Themes supported are: Services and Sea; Education & Training; Children & Youth; Science, Engineering & Technology; Agriculture & Horticulture; Tarland & Local Area.

Social investors can provide the required up-front funding for new interventions and services delivered by charities and social enterprises, knowing their returns will only be made if the intervention achieves specific improved social outcomes. Examples of such programmes are: working with vulnerable children to improve educational attainment, and providing family therapy to avoid vulnerable adolescents being taken into local authority care.

The trust has general charitable purposes, with a preference for the West of Scotland.

The Foundation's main grants programme provides support for places. These grants are for capital initiatives, i.e. buildings (new build or refurbishment) and equipment. They fund a broad range of organisations working across the fields of education, science and medicine, health and disability and arts and humanities. They fund the following categories of places which each have specific funding criteria: disability; mental health; older people; historic buildings & landscapes; hospices & palliative care organisations; places of worship; libraries & archives; museums & galleries; performing arts; public engagement with science organisations; secondary schools & sixth form colleges; special needs schools & colleges; Universities & research institutions.

The trust usually supports specific services or projects and prefers to give start-up grants for new initiatives. Grants are usually one-off and average £2,000. They primarily give to organisations in Fife.

The fund will consider giving grants towards medical capital projects, medical care or research and in support of medical training. It will also consider grants for running costs, for example grants towards medical capital projects, medical care or research and in support of medical training. The Hospital Saturday Fund will also consider grants for running costs.

The Trust purposes are the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science. In practice they support useful work in the developing world done by youngster in their Gap Year and support a number of good causes.

This trust supports a range of charitable organisations, generally with the emphasis on work being done in Dundee and Tayside, or possibly Scotland-wide. Organisations supported include health and welfare organisations and groups which provide assistance to individuals suffering from physical and mental illnesses.