Collective Futures

Registered charity 1208989 · since 2024collectivefutures.org·Barrow-in-Furness, Cambridge, Central Bedfordshire·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£816k

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2026

From filed accounts

£10,000 to £140k

Grant range

From the annual report's grant list

£62,500

Typical grant (median)

10 published grants

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

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

Collective Futures does not accept unsolicited applications and works by invitation only, so a cold funding request is not the way in.
Its focus on early childhood development, social sector capacity and systems change suits work with babies and young children, and its priority areas are North and East Cambridge, Barrow-in-Furness and Central Bedfordshire.
If your work fits, you may send ready-made materials about mission-aligned work, which the foundation says it welcomes, but do not count on that leading to a grant.
Typical grants fall between £10,000 and £140,000, with a median of £50,000, so a request in that range is realistic, though the largest grant was £300,000, so that band is not a ceiling.

Overview

Collective Futures is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1208989).

Collective Futures was established by TDR Capital LLP with the intention of using its skillset and resources to support positive social change. It exists to provide grants and assistance to organisations working to alleviate poverty and/or the effects of economic inequality for children or young people. Its Local Ecosystems Fund is a multi-year grant-making initiative focused on improving outcomes for babies and young children, initially in two communities, with funding of up to £1.2 million over 3 years in North and East Cambridge and Barrow-in-Furness, and seed funding of £150k over 3 years in Central Bedfordshire. Alongside its grantmaking, it invests in strategic projects intended to drive longer-term systems change, and it gave £815,906 in its latest reported year.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Collective Futures focuses on early childhood development and strengthening the capacity of social sector organisations. Its Local Ecosystems Fund supports local organisations and the connections between them, seeking better outcomes for babies and young children in communities with persistent disadvantage gaps while building community infrastructure and capacity. It also supports strategic projects and collaborations intended to drive longer-term systems change around early childhood, engaging funders, businesses and policymakers. The foundation provides unrestricted and project funding, strategic support and capacity to charities and partners working to strengthen communities. Its approach brings evidence together with local insights, works in partnership and lets local partners and families help shape funding priorities.

Themes

Early childhood development
Social sector capacity
Systems change

Geographic Focus

Priority: North and East Cambridge; Barrow-in-Furness; Central Bedfordshire.

What they don't fund

We do not accept unsolicited applications for funding

How to apply

The foundation says it does not accept unsolicited funding applications, but welcomes ready-made materials about mission-aligned work within its focus areas.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Local partners and families help shape the foundation's funding priorities.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Central Bedfordshire
Barrow-in-Furness
Cambridge

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Collective Futures.

Risman FoundationInvitation onlyGave £858k The Fusion21 FoundationInvitation onlyGave £1.1M Stephen Taylor FoundationNo public processGave £20M Cumbria Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £6.5M The Mercers Charitable FoundationNo public processGave £3.7M Funders TogetherNo public process St Giles & St George Education charityMixed deadlinesGave £455k Quintessentially FoundationInvitation onlyGave £443k Foundation for Future LondonFixed deadlinesGave £626k Van Neste FoundationRollingGave £345k

Grants

10 published grants analysed · median £62,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 10 grants in year to 31 March 2026 by size

£10k–£25k30%

£25k–£50k10%

£50k–£100k30%

£100k–£250k20%

£250k–£500k10%

Median £62,500 (year to 31 March 2026)

The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:

Best Start Family Hubs Match Fund
£300,000year to 31 March 2026
Impact Investing Institute
£140,000year to 31 March 2026
Ethos Foundation (Start Strong)
£100,000year to 31 March 2026
Education Policy Institute
£90,060year to 31 March 2026
The School for Social Entrepreneurs
£75,000year to 31 March 2026
Kindred Squared
£50,000year to 31 March 2026
Considered Ask
£30,000year to 31 March 2026
Fair Education Alliance
£10,846year to 31 March 2026

Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 2 grants to individuals.

2 years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2025	£1,399,853	£884,694	£355,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025
year to 31 March 2026	£1,725,586	£1,696,249	£815,906	Accounts for year to 31 March 2026

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2025

£355k grants

YE 2026

£816k grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 March 2026: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

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.