Big Change Charitable Trust

Charity Number: 1145224

Annual Expenditure: £3.0M
Throughout England And Wales

Contact Info

Website: www.big-change.org

Phone: 020 3126 3971

Email: info@big-change.org

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Information not publicly available
  • Success Rate: Not disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program (6-7 months for competitive awards)
  • Grant Range: £40,000 - £225,000 (for competitive awards)
  • Geographic Focus: UK (primarily England)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.big-change.org
  • Email: info@big-change.org
  • Phone: 020 3126 3971
  • Address: 7 Savoy Court, London, WC2R 0EX

Overview

Big Change Charitable Trust (charity number 1145224) was founded in 2012 by six friends including Holly and Sam Branson and Princess Beatrice, following the London riots. The charity acts as a social impact accelerator that invests in bold ideas to help young people thrive in life, not just exams. Virgin Unite covers all Big Change's overheads, ensuring 100% of donations go directly to funded projects. The organization has backed over 70 projects led by visionary changemakers, with their initial £5m investment leveraging £60m in follow-on funding—generating £12 for every £1 invested. Big Change operates through competitive funding challenges rather than open applications, focusing on early-stage projects with transformative potential for systemic change in education, social care, and mental health.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Spark Awards (most recent cycle for 2025)

  • Amount: Up to £40,000 grant plus £10,000 tailored learning and development program
  • Target: Young leaders or teams aged 18-25 based in England
  • Number of Awards: Up to 10 recipients
  • Application Method: Competitive application during open call periods
  • Selection Process: Initial review (shortlist by mid-May), detailed pitch submission, interview, final notification (end of June)

The Big Education Challenge (£1m prize fund launched 2022)

  • Gamechanger Prize: £225,000 for experienced social entrepreneurs (2 winners in first round)
  • Groundbreaker Prize: £60,000 for applicants aged 18-25
  • Finalist Grants: Up to £50,000 for finalists to develop and test ideas over 6 months
  • Runners-up: £170,000 total shared among 3 runners-up
  • Application Method: Competitive open call (first round deadline was February 2023)

Portfolio Investment Approach

  • Big Change also identifies and supports specific initiatives through strategic partnerships
  • Historical investments: £215,000 to Frontline (2013), £405,000 to Voice 21 (2014-2019)
  • Multi-year support packages combining funding with community connection and development

Priority Areas

Big Change focuses on three interconnected areas:

Early-Stage Systemic Change

  • Projects addressing root causes rather than symptoms
  • Prevention-focused rather than cure-focused initiatives
  • Bold ideas challenging the status quo in education, social care, and mental health

Youth Empowerment

  • Supporting all young people to thrive in life, not just exams
  • Projects led by or benefiting young people aged 18-25
  • Addressing barriers young people face regardless of background

Transformative Education

  • Alternative approaches to learning and development
  • Oracy, creativity, neurodiversity, mental health, climate education
  • Systems thinking and inclusive education models

Areas of Recent Investment Include:

  • Mental health and wellbeing for young people
  • Climate anxiety and green economy pathways
  • Social care transformation (children's social work)
  • Food poverty and community building
  • Entrepreneurship and digital skills
  • Support for blind and partially-sighted young people
  • Loss, trauma, and identity issues

What They Don't Fund

Big Change explicitly states they "don't support what is easy to fund" and avoid:

  • Incremental improvements to existing models
  • Symptom-treatment rather than root-cause solutions
  • Projects focused solely on closing gaps in traditional systems
  • Well-established organizations without transformative potential
  • Projects outside their focus on youth and systemic change

They "fully embrace the things that are often overlooked and underfunded, the 'difficult to define' bits."

Governance and Leadership

Founders and Trustees

  • Holly Branson - Founder and Trustee, Chief Purpose and Vision Officer at Virgin
  • Sam Branson - Founder
  • Princess Beatrice - Founder and Trustee
  • Isabella Branson - Founder
  • Phil Nevin - Founder
  • Sam Richardson - Founder

Executive Leadership Team

  • Essie North - Chief Executive. Background in psychology, strategy consulting, and systems change. Oversees backing projects, catalyzing system change with allies, and building a community to rethink how young people thrive.
  • Ben Haber - Managing Director
  • Hannah Pater - Director of Strategic Development
  • Gemma Drake - Director of Systemic Impact

Senior Staff

  • Beth Vaughan - Head of Communications
  • Beth Boxall - Head of Operations
  • Hannah Cohen - Head of Community

Key Quote from Holly Branson, Founder: "We realised there were so many like-minded people out there with early-stage ideas and projects that we could partner with and help them grow and we are incredibly proud of their work... There is never one solution to solving big problems and it's so important to support early-stage ideas that tackle a systematic issue (like education) from many different angles."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Competitive Funding Challenges: Big Change primarily operates through periodic competitive funding challenges rather than accepting rolling applications. Organizations cannot submit unsolicited applications outside of announced funding rounds.

Application Steps (based on Spark Awards model):

  1. Watch for Open Calls: Monitor www.big-change.org for announcements of new funding competitions
  2. Submit Initial Application: Complete online application during open window (typically several months)
  3. Shortlist Notification: Successful applicants notified (e.g., mid-May for Spark Awards)
  4. Detailed Pitch: Shortlisted candidates submit comprehensive pitch including impact, strategy, and vision
  5. Interview: Selected candidates invited for detailed discussion
  6. Final Decision: Award notifications (e.g., end of June for Spark Awards)

Decision Timeline

For Competitive Awards: Approximately 6-7 months from application deadline to final notification

  • Application window: Typically 2-3 months
  • Shortlist review: 2-3 months
  • Detailed pitch and interview: 1-2 months
  • Final decision: Within 1 month of interviews

Program Development: Finalists receive grants to pilot and test ideas over 6-12 months before larger awards determined

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed. The Big Education Challenge received over 280 submissions and selected 15 finalists, suggesting approximately 5% reach the finalist stage. Specific success rates for other programs not available.

Reapplication Policy

Not explicitly stated. Given the competitive challenge model, unsuccessful applicants would need to apply during the next open funding round. No published waiting periods or restrictions identified.

Application Success Factors

What Big Change Values

1. Early-Stage with High Impact Potential

Big Change specifically seeks early-stage projects that haven't yet scaled but show transformative potential. They provided £215,000 to Frontline when it was just a pilot program; it has since scaled nationally.

2. Systems Thinking Over Symptom Treatment

The organization explicitly looks for projects addressing root causes of systemic failures rather than incremental improvements. As their founding philosophy states, "tackling symptoms wasn't enough and real change required addressing the root causes."

3. Bold, Transformative Ideas

Projects should challenge the status quo and reimagine possibilities. They seek ideas that are “often overlooked and underfunded” and tackle issues from new angles.

4. Youth-Led or Youth-Focused

Strong preference for projects led by young people (18-25) or significantly benefiting young people's ability to thrive beyond academic achievement.

5. Prevention Focus

Big Change explicitly supports “projects working in prevention rather than cure.”

Recent Funded Projects as Examples

Neuromancers (Spark Award 2025) - 19-year-old founder, peer-led mental health support

Force of Nature (Big Education Challenge 2024 winner, £225,000) - 24-year-old founder addressing climate anxiety in students

CanTeam (Big Education Challenge 2024 winner, £225,000) - Transform school canteens into community hubs

Paige Connect (Groundbreaker Prize 2024, £60,000) - Technology upgrade for braille writers for blind youth

Room Too (Spark Award 2025) - Founded by 19-year-old addressing specific youth need

Language and Terminology

Big Change uses distinctive language that applicants should mirror:

  • “Thrive in life, not just exams” (core phrase)
  • “Systemic change” and “transformative potential”
  • “Early-stage” and “pioneers”
  • “Root causes” not “symptoms”
  • “Prevention” not “cure”
  • “Changemakers” and “bold ideas”

Standing Out

Demonstrate leverage potential: Big Change values projects that can attract additional funding—they highlight their £1 to £12 leverage ratio

Show systems impact: Explain how your early-stage project could transform broader systems

Connect to community: Emphasize how you'll engage with Big Change's community of 70+ projects

Youth voice: Center young people's perspectives and leadership

Be unashamedly hopeful: Align with their “10 Big Hopes for Change” philosophy

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Don't apply unless there's an open call: Big Change doesn't accept unsolicited applications. Monitor their website for competitive funding challenges like the Spark Awards or Big Education Challenge.
  1. Early-stage is essential: This funder specifically backs early-stage ideas with high impact potential, not established programs. If you're already scaled nationally, you're likely not the right fit.
  1. Think systems, not services: Applications must articulate how the project addresses root causes and has potential for systemic transformation, not just help individual beneficiaries.
  1. Youth-centered is critical: For most programs, projects must be led by or significantly benefit young people aged 18-25, and focus on thriving beyond academic achievement.
  1. Leverage their community: Big Change offers more than money—emphasize how you'll benefit from and contribute to their community of changemakers, and how you'll attract additional funding.
  1. Prevention over cure: Frame your work as preventative intervention addressing root causes rather than treating symptoms or providing crisis support.
  1. Be bold and specific: They want “bold ideas” that are often “overlooked and underfunded.” Generic or safe proposals won't succeed. Show how you're challenging the status quo with a specific, testable approach.

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References