Objectives and Activities
Objects: the promotion and encouragement of education in history or the arts, primarily but not exclusively in so far as such subjects are associated with the City of York.

Aims and objectives
The Committee's policy is to apply funds in two main areas:
1. The award of essay prizes on subjects within the Charity's objects
2. The provision of financial assistance by way of grants or loans for publications or projects within the objects of the Charity which might otherwise be unable to proceed.

Grant making policies: The Committee's policy is to support publications or projects within the Charity's objects which are unlikely to proceed without the Charity's assistance. Where a publication or project is likely to recover its costs or show a profit, the Charity will normally make an interest-free loan.

Achievements and Performance
In 2006, the Committee agreed to make a grant of £1,500 towards the costs of issues 21, 22 and 23 of York Historian, the magazine of the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society. The Committee also offered grants towards a book produced by York Civic Trust entitled, "Why is York Special", an oral history project relating to York in the Second World War undertaken by York Archaeological Trust and a book of epitaphs.

During the year a sub-committee was established to investigate the possibility of reviving the Sheldon Memorial Lecture with a lecture or series of lectures exploring Oliver Sheldon's contribution to establishing the University of York.