Luton Matters was a new initiative from The Steel Charitable Trust in 2019, designed to assist organisations whose work brings significant benefits to residents of Luton or improvements to the town. Grants of £90k-£100k were made over three years in each of the Trust’s five funding priority categories at the time (Arts & Heritage, Education, Environment, Health, Social or Economic Disadvantage), rolled out over a number of years.
Award recipients
| Award made | To | Category | Project | |
| 2020 | Tangled Feet | Arts and Heritage | Multi-strand, developing new work for schools and a wider Luton audience, and support for emerging talent in the town | |
| 2020 | Luton All Women Centre | Social or Economic Disadvantage | Creation and development of the Employers Against Domestic Abuse (EADA) programme | |
| 2021 | Early Childhood Partnership | Health | Play therapy service for child victims of domestic abuse in Luton | |
| 2022 | Dallow Primary School | Education | English and Maths interventions following COVID-19 | |
| 2022 | Groundwork East | Environment | Regeneration of a section of the River Lea and neighbouring recreation area in Hockwell Ring | |
| 2023 | The Culture Trust Luton | Arts and Heritage | Public art commissions and associated public engagement activities | |
| 2023 | Azalea | Social or Economic Disadvantage | Anti-Sex Trafficking Officer providing support partly from ‘safe space’ mobile van | |
| 2024 | Royal Osteoporosis Society | Health | Creation and development of the Better Bones for Luton service | |
| 2025 | Norton Road Primary School Chantry Primary Academy | Education | Creation of new specialised SEND facilities and spaces within both schools | |
| 2025 | ZSL | Environment | Increasing biodiversity in three Luton school playgrounds & building teachers’ capacity to teach about nature |
The format was phased out in March 2025 after the last awards in Education and Environment were made. It has been replaced with a NEW Luton Matters Programme.
steelcharitabletrust.org.uk 