Ambitious Impact
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- Ambitious Impact does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send it a cold application.
- Its main route is the Incubation Program, which supports founders launching new, evidence-backed charities, and grants to existing organisations are only occasional, so a group should consider whether its work fits that aim.
- Of the 21 named grants to organisations, about 8 in 10 fall between £50,000 and £120,000 and the median is about £67,500, so a request in that region is the realistic size, although the largest named grant was about £140,000 and a further £451,057 went in grants the annual report does not itemise.
- The foundation says ideas should meet high standards for expected impact and rest on strong reasoning and evidence, so any proposal needs to show that clearly.
- Applications open during several periods each year, and if you have applied to the Incubation Program before, the foundation asks you to wait a full year (skipping one round) and use the time to improve your fit.
Overview
Ambitious Impact is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1195850).
Ambitious Impact is a charity registered in England and Wales that aims to build and support an ecosystem of high-impact initiatives addressing the world's most pressing challenges. It researches charitable activities with a good evidence base, educates people in entrepreneurship and founding charitable enterprises, and supports founders in the early stages of growth. Its flagship Incubation Program provides research-backed charity ideas, training, co-founder matching, seed funding and mentoring, and participants' proposals go to a network of individual donors interested in early-stage projects. It occasionally makes grants to organisations working towards similar aims, and it awarded £1,969,975 in the period covered by its annual report.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Ambitious Impact supports ambitious founders to launch independent, evidence-backed charities tackling important problems. Its flagship Incubation Program provides research-backed charity ideas, training, co-founder matching, seed funding and ongoing operational and mentoring support. Participants develop charity proposals that are considered by a network of independent seed funders; the foundation also occasionally grants to organisations pursuing similar aims, including start-up projects. Its portfolio spans global poverty and development, animal welfare, mental health, family planning, health policy and biosecurity. The foundation emphasizes strong evidence and expected impact, and supports founders as they build organisations for long-term impact.
Themes
- Global poverty and development
- Animal welfare
- Mental health
- Family planning
- Health policy
- Biosecurity
Geographic Focus
Any country.
How to apply
Participants prepare a project proposal during the Incubation Program. The Programs Team provides feedback before the proposal is submitted to the Seed Network for funding.
Deadlines: Applications are open during several periods each year.
What to send:
- Incubation Program: Upload your CV.
Applying again: Incubation Program: Wait a full year (skipping one round) and use the time to improve your fit.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The charity idea, strategy or plan should meet high standards for expected impact.
- A founder's own proposed idea needs strong reasoning and evidence that it is among the most impactful things they could found.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Ambitious Impact.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 21 grants in year to 31 March 2025 by size
Median £67,307 (year to 31 March 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Learning alliance£138,134year to 31 March 2025
- Centre for Feed Innovation£119,637year to 31 March 2025
- Access to medicines initiative£116,156year to 31 March 2025
- Notify Health£105,471year to 31 March 2025
- Prayatn Sanstha£82,911year to 31 March 2025
- Novah£81,275year to 31 March 2025
- Lead Research£79,771year to 31 March 2025
- Mieux Donner£74,186year to 31 March 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 1 line covering other, unnamed recipients (£451k).
4 years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2022 | £775,697 | £97,085 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £1,955,971 | £1,519,792 | £655,722 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £4,998,564 | £2,797,242 | £1,108,881 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £4,327,287 | £3,953,275 | £1,969,975 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2023; year to 31 March 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
— No grants figure for that year.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- ambitiousimpact.com
- ambitiousimpact.com/about-us · read on 30 October 2026
- ambitiousimpact.com/how-the-program-works · read on 30 October 2026
- ambitiousimpact.com/start-a-charity · read on 30 October 2026
- ambitiousimpact.com/faqs · read on 30 October 2026
- ambitiousimpact.com/incubation-program · read on 30 October 2026
- ambitiousimpact.com/get-in-touch · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Ambitious Impact?
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Applying to Ambitious Impact?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required