Card Factory Foundation

Charity Number: 1180081

Annual Expenditure: £0.5M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £483,783 (FY ending January 2025)
  • Annual Income: £1,369,267 (FY ending January 2025)
  • Total Given Since 2018: Over £5 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Monthly for grants under £2,500; quarterly for grants over £2,500
  • Grant Range: Up to £2,500 (occasionally up to £5,000 at trustee discretion)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide, with preference for communities where Card Factory stores operate

Contact Details

Website: www.cardfactoryfoundation.org

Email: trustees@cardfactoryfoundation.org

Phone: 07933399645

Address: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Overview

The Card Factory Foundation is a registered charity (1180081) established in 2018 to make a positive difference for past and present colleagues of Card Factory, their families, and the communities where they live and work. Since inception, Card Factory plc has donated over £5 million to the Foundation, extending support to thousands of individuals, charities, and community organisations throughout the UK. The Foundation operates through three distinct funds: the Family Fund (supporting colleagues and their families during hardship), the Community Fund (supporting charitable projects in communities where stores are located), and the Match Fund (doubling funds raised by Card Factory colleagues for charitable causes). In recent years, the Foundation has expanded its strategic partnerships, including a £1.5 million, three-year Bright Future Initiative with Centrepoint to support young people experiencing homelessness, marking their first major charity partnership.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Local Community Grant Fund: Up to £2,500 (occasionally up to £5,000 at trustee discretion)

  • Unrestricted funding available on a rolling basis
  • Applications under £2,500 decided monthly
  • Applications over £2,500 decided quarterly
  • Grants typically support projects in communities where Card Factory stores trade

Match Fund: £1 for every £1 raised

  • Available to Card Factory colleagues raising funds for charitable causes
  • Doubles the impact of employee fundraising efforts

Strategic Partnerships: Multi-year major grants

  • Example: £1.5 million, three-year partnership with Centrepoint

Priority Areas

The Foundation's current funding priorities focus on three key areas:

  1. Hardship Support: Provide support (financial or otherwise) towards hardship caused by life-changing events
  2. Life Improvement Projects: Support projects that improve lives in meaningful ways
  3. Community Projects: Community projects for Card Factory colleagues and/or communities where Card Factory stores trade

Eligible Causes: Charities and community organisations that provide services and support for:

  • Young people
  • The elderly
  • People with disabilities
  • The arts
  • Sporting facilities
  • Hospices
  • Welfare support services

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not explicitly listed, the Foundation:

  • Will not usually award grants to applicants that have received funding within the last 12 months
  • Focuses on communities where Card Factory stores operate (though not exclusively)
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Governance and Leadership

The Card Factory Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising seven members, including:

  • Brian (Chair)
  • Jane, Julie, and Susan (all Card Factory employees)
  • Nicola and Steve (independent trustees)

Management Team:

  • Pushpinder: Head of Foundation (day-to-day operations)
  • Lily: Administrator

Trustees serve three-year terms with the option for re-appointment for up to two further terms. They attend two daytime meetings in Wakefield each year, plus additional shorter online meetings. No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through a short online application form available on the Card Factory Foundation website (www.cardfactoryfoundation.org).

Application Requirements:

  • Valid charity registration number (must be a registered charity)
  • Organisation must have been established and actively operating for a minimum of 18 months
  • Copy of most recent annual accounts
  • Clear alignment with one or more of the Foundation's three funding priorities

Application Schedule: Rolling basis - applications accepted year-round with no fixed deadlines.

Decision Timeline

For grants under £2,500: Applications are decided monthly by the Charity Trustees

For grants over £2,500: Applications are decided quarterly at trustee meetings

Applicants are notified of decisions following the relevant trustee meeting.

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. However, the Foundation has supported “thousands of individuals, charities and community organisations throughout the UK” since 2018, indicating a substantial volume of successful applications.

Reapplication Policy

The Trustees will not usually award grants to an applicant that has received funding within the last 12 months.

This means organisations should typically wait at least one year after receiving a grant before reapplying. The use of “usually” suggests there may be exceptional circumstances where this rule could be waived, but applicants should plan on the 12-month restriction.

Application Success Factors

Based on the Foundation's stated priorities and structure, successful applications likely demonstrate:

1. Strong Community Connection: The Foundation prioritizes communities where Card Factory stores operate. Applications should clearly demonstrate how the project benefits these communities.

2. Alignment with “Moments that Matter”: The Foundation is "driven by our mission to support people and communities at 'Moments that Matter'" - applications should articulate how the project addresses critical moments or life-changing events.

3. Clear Impact on Priority Groups: Focus on how the project serves young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, or provides essential welfare support services.

4. Organizational Stability: With the 18-month minimum operating requirement and need for recent accounts, the Foundation values established organisations with proven track records.

5. Unrestricted Funding Model: The Foundation offers unrestricted funding (particularly for grants up to £5,000), suggesting they trust applicants to allocate resources where most needed. Applications should demonstrate sound governance and financial management.

6. Modest, Realistic Requests: Most grants are under £2,500 (decided monthly), with larger grants requiring quarterly trustee approval. Applications seeking £2,500 or less may have faster turnaround times.

7. First-Time Applicants May Have Advantage: Given the 12-month reapplication restriction, the Foundation appears to prioritize spreading support across multiple organisations rather than repeatedly funding the same beneficiaries.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Rolling applications: Apply any time - no need to wait for specific deadlines, though be aware of monthly (under £2,500) vs quarterly (over £2,500) decision cycles
  • Keep it simple: The online application is described as “short and simple” - avoid over-complicating your request
  • Geographic alignment matters: While UK-wide applications are accepted, preference appears to be given to communities where Card Factory stores are located
  • Unrestricted funding is valuable: Grants (especially up to £5,000) are unrestricted - emphasize your organisation's ability to allocate funds where most needed
  • Plan for the 12-month gap: If successful, you cannot typically reapply for at least 12 months, so ensure your request is appropriately scaled
  • Modest grant amounts: Most grants are under £2,500; requesting larger amounts requires quarterly trustee meetings and discretionary approval
  • Align with “Moments that Matter”: Frame your application around critical moments, life-changing events, or projects that meaningfully improve lives

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