The Creation of the John Feeney Charitable Trust
John Feeney made many charitable bequests including the creation of a dedicated grant-making Charitable Trust bearing his name. John Feeney directed that 9% of his residuary estate was to be held in trust and the income arising used for the charitable purposes he prescribed.
The money was to benefit
“any one or more of the public charities in the City of Birmingham, or for the promotion and cultivation of art in the City of Birmingham, or for the acquisition and maintenance of parks recreation grounds and open spaces in or near the City”.
An express restriction was included that no part of the income should be applied to purposes, “which could possibly be considered as political or denominational”.
The Feeney Trust has a long history of assisting worthwhile local causes especially within the fields of the arts, heritage and open spaces.
The Feeney Trust has always been a supporter of The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and in the earlier years gave a significant part of its income to assist in the purchase of pictures by Canaletto, Constable, Bellini, Lely, Burne-Jones, Cox and Millais amongst others.