The main purpose of the Trust is to promote the advancement of education through the provision of bursaries and grants to perpetuate the memory of those former pupils of Edinburgh Institution and Melville College who lost their lives in the two World Wars. This is achieved by the upkeep of memorials and by making grants, in the name of the Trust and to Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College and The Mary Erskine School and their scholars. Over the years, additional generous funding has come from Former Pupils of Edinburgh Institution and Melville College.
The Trust awards bursaries annually to the Erskine Stewart’s Melville schools, which is over 20% of all bursary funding for the schools. Funding is provided from the income derived from the Trust’s capital assets.
The Trust also awards grants to fund extra-curricular and school related projects which would not otherwise receive funding and benefit a large number of pupils.