The Charity was formally established in 1886 when Sutton Coldfield became a Borough. Its history can be traced back to 1528, when Bishop Vesey established a Corporation to govern the Town. This had responsibility for looking after needy people. Over the centuries, the Charity accumulated land and used rental income to help the poor and sick and provide education. Through the sale of land and sensible investment, the Charity now maintains 46 Almshouses for elderly local people, and makes grants of around £1 million annually to needy people and organisations within the boundaries of the former Borough of Sutton Coldfield.

In recent years, the Charity has also made some large, special grants where Trustees have identified gaps in local provision. These include a Millennium Award to Good Hope Hospital of £600,000 to fund a new Angiography Unit and £1.33 million to St Giles Hospice in 2006 for establishing a Cancer Day Care Centre on a derelict farm site owned by the Charity.