Alex Ferry Foundation

Charity Number: 1179847

Annual Expenditure: £0.9M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £937,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not specified (regional/proactive basis)
  • Grant Range: £641 - £36,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), with focus on shipbuilding, engineering and manufacturing areas
  • Total Grants Made: 242 grants (August 2019 - April 2025)
  • Total Funding Distributed: £2,081,827

Contact Details

Address: 10 Salamanca Place, Vauxhall, London SE1 7HB

Phone: 020 8194 5915

Email: infocseu@cseu.org.uk

Website: www.ferryfoundation.org.uk

For community grant applications, contact must be made through your local CSEU region (10 regions across the UK).

Overview

The Alex Ferry Foundation was established in January 2019 as a unique grant-making charity with deep roots in the trade union movement. Named after the former General Secretary of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), the Foundation was created from a trust fund established in 1989, to which over 200,000 trade union members contributed during a campaign for a 35-hour working week. With an endowment of “many millions of pounds” and annual expenditure of £937,000 (2023), the Foundation is committed to good work, supportive communities and improving lives in UK shipbuilding, engineering and manufacturing areas. The Foundation focuses on relieving financial hardship, promoting education and training, researching occupational pensions and workplace quality of life, and advancing health and safety education for workers, former workers, and their families.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Grants: £641 - £36,000 (based on grant data)

  • Applications accepted ONLY through CSEU regional channels
  • No open application process—must be submitted with regional support documentation
  • Rolling basis through 10 CSEU regions
  • Focus on local initiatives that might otherwise struggle to secure financial support

Research Grants: Amounts not publicly specified

  • No open application process
  • Foundation proactively identifies research partners and issues to fund
  • National-level projects, longer-term focus with greater potential impact
  • Directly delivered or overseen by Foundation staff

Priority Areas

Research Funding Focus:

  • Shorter working time
  • Worker-led just transition
  • Role of technology in the workplace
  • Future of trade unionism
  • “Good work” and work-and-wellbeing connections

Community Funding Focus:

  • Improving community spaces
  • Enabling people to fulfill their potential
  • Projects designed and delivered with local community involvement
  • Bringing people together and building strong relationships across communities
  • Addressing community issues at the earliest possible stage

Beneficiary Focus:

  • Workers and former workers in UK shipbuilding, engineering, and related manufacturing industries
  • Their families and dependants
  • Trade union members and their communities

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not detailed on their website, but applications must align with their core mission of supporting shipbuilding, engineering, and manufacturing communities with connections to the trade union movement.

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Governance and Leadership

Board Structure

The Foundation has a unique governance structure approved by a 2018 High Court of Justice ruling. The board composition is deliberately trade union-focused:

  • Independent Chair: Appointed independently of CSEU or affiliated unions
  • Three CSEU Representatives: Elected at the Executive Council of the CSEU
  • Five Lay Representatives: Elected at a Lay Representatives meeting of the CSEU
  • Requirement: All trustees except the Chair must be trade union officers (full-time or lay shop stewards)

Leadership

Martyn Evans - First Chair and Independent Trustee (served as Executive Chair April 2019-May 2020, now continuing as Chair)

Evans stated: “It is a great privilege to be invited to Chair this exciting new Foundation” and “I am very much looking forward to joining the Alex Ferry Foundation. This is a unique organisation and never before has such a significant charitable sum been directed for the benefit of lay members of trade unions and their communities.”

Partner Unions

The Foundation works closely with CSEU and its partner unions: Unite, GMB, Community, and Prospect.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Community Grants:

  • East Midlands
  • Eastern
  • North West
  • Northern Ireland
  • Scotland
  • Southern
  • South West
  • Wales
  • West Midlands
  • Yorkshire, Humberside and North East
  1. All applications require supporting documentation from the relevant CSEU region
  1. CSEU regions identify and support charitable projects that reflect local priorities and the Foundation's strategic plan
  1. Contact your local CSEU region first—the Foundation does not accept direct applications

Research Grants:

  • No open application process
  • The Foundation proactively identifies partners and research issues
  • Contact the Foundation directly if you believe your research aligns with their priorities (shorter working time, just transition, technology, trade unionism)

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly available. Given the regional approach for community grants, timelines likely vary by region and application review cycles.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. With 242 grants made between August 2019 and April 2025 (approximately 5.5 years), the Foundation averages around 44 grants per year.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not specified on public-facing materials. Given the regional application structure, reapplication guidance would likely come from the relevant CSEU region.

Application Success Factors

Key Success Factors

  1. Trade Union Connection: The Foundation was created by and for trade union members. Applications demonstrating clear connections to workers in shipbuilding, engineering, and manufacturing industries are prioritized.
  1. Regional Support is Mandatory: For community grants, securing support from your CSEU region is essential—this is not optional. Build relationships with regional CSEU contacts before applying.
  1. Community-Focused Outcomes: Projects should demonstrate how they bring people together and build strong relationships across communities.
  1. Good Work and Wellbeing: Applications should connect to the Foundation's core themes of “good work” and improving quality of life for workers and their families.
  1. Local Impact: Community grants favor projects that address local priorities and might otherwise struggle to secure funding.

Example of Funded Work

  • Blooming Well (Plymouth): Supported work with people going through cancer treatment in Plymouth
  • Research projects including “Winning on working time” and “Reimagining Learning: Blueprints for a Shorter School Week in the UK”

Strategic Alignment Language

Use terminology that resonates with the Foundation's values:

  • “Good work”
  • “Supportive communities”
  • “Improving lives”
  • “Worker-led”
  • “Community empowerment”
  • “Realising potential”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. No Direct Applications for Community Grants: You must work through CSEU regions—build these relationships first before considering an application.
  1. Trade Union Roots Matter: This Foundation has a unique heritage as a trade union-created charity. Applications should demonstrate understanding and alignment with trade union values and the industries they serve.
  1. Research Grants Are Invitation-Only: Don't waste time preparing unsolicited research proposals. The Foundation identifies research partners proactively.
  1. Geographic Coverage is Broad but Specific: While UK-wide, the Foundation particularly focuses on shipbuilding, engineering, and manufacturing areas—demonstrate your connection to these communities.
  1. Community Over Capital Projects: The emphasis is on bringing people together, building relationships, and enabling individuals to fulfill their potential rather than funding infrastructure alone.
  1. Funding Can Be Modest or Substantial: With grants ranging from £641 to £36,000, the Foundation supports projects of varying scales. Tailor your ask to genuine project needs.
  1. Long-Term Vision: With an endowment of many millions and a focus on lasting change, demonstrate how your project creates sustainable impact aligned with the Foundation's strategic vision of good work and wellbeing.

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