Charles Wallace India Trust
Charles William Wallace was born in Calcutta in 1855. He was a trader and managing agent in the British Empire, living between India and Britain. In 1886 he co-founded the firm of Shaw Wallace. The name still exists in India but there is no connection now with the Charles Wallace India Trust.
On his death in London in 1916, Wallace's will stated that ‘all possessions great and small being acquired from the people should be returned to the people’. After provision was made for his immediate successors for one generation, Wallace asked for his estate to be divided between India and Britain.
Following an agreement between the two governments in 1978, the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) was set up in 1981. The CWIT supports scholarships and gives grants to Indian nationals working or studying in the arts, humanities and heritage conservation, enabling them to pursue courses and working attachments. It also supports a number of research fellowships at UK institutions in specific fields, such as the Fellowship in Creative Writing hosted by the University of Stirling.