Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Charity Number: 200051

Annual Expenditure: £47.5M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £45-50m
  • Success Rate: 6% overall (84% of invited proposals funded)
  • Decision Time: Up to 6 months (4-6 weeks for EOI response, 3 months for proposal decision)
  • Grant Range: £30,000 - no maximum (median £150,000)
  • Geographic Focus: UK only

Contact Details

  • Website: www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk
  • Email: info@esmeefairbairn.org.uk
  • Phone: 020 7812 3700
  • Pre-application support: Regular Q&A webinars throughout the year

Overview

Founded in 1961, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the UK's largest independent grant-makers with an endowment of £1.93bn. The Foundation distributes £45-50m annually through its three strategic priorities, focusing on long-term, transformative projects. Under the leadership of Dame Caroline Mason DBE (CEO since 2013), the Foundation has achieved record funding levels, including £57.3m distributed in 2023. The Foundation updated its strategy in September 2023, extending their commitment to current funding priorities through to 2027. They emphasize open and trusting grant-making practices, with 66% of grants in 2024 being unrestricted or for core costs.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

  • Main Grants Programme: £30,000 - no maximum (rolling applications)
  • Social Investments: Up to £60m allocation for repayable finance
  • Impact Investments: Up to £10m allocation for market-rate returns
  • Median grant: £150,000 over 3 years
  • Typical duration: 3-5 years (54% of grants in 2024 were 25-36 months)

Priority Areas

Our Natural World: Species health and habitats; sustainable and ethical food (nature-friendly farming and fishing); clean and healthy freshwater environments

A Fairer Future: Arts, creativity and rights of children and young people; improving systems, policy and practice; empowering organisations to tackle systemic injustice and inequity

Creative, Confident Communities: Communities working together for change; community-driven enterprise and regeneration; community-led art and creativity

What They Don't Fund

  • Capital costs (building work, renovations, equipment) - though may provide social investment
  • Academic research (unless demonstrable practical outcomes)
  • Healthcare with clinical basis, medical research, hospices, counselling/therapy
  • Independent/fee-paying schools
  • Work primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities
  • Advancement of religion
  • Organisations with annual turnover under £100,000
  • Individual grants
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Governance and Leadership

Dame Caroline Mason DBE serves as Chief Executive (since 2013), appointed DBE in 2021 for services to the charity sector during Covid-19. The Board is chaired by Sir Jonathan Phillips (since 2019) with 12 trustees including several family members of the founder. Key investment leadership includes Matthew Cox (Investment Director) and Jonny Page (Head of Social and Impact Investing).

Key Quote from Leadership: Dame Caroline's leadership philosophy emphasizes “open and trusting grant-making practices” and the Foundation's approach of involving communities directly in decision-making through their advisory panels and Young People Collective.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Two-stage process via online portal:

  1. Expression of Interest: 300 words total answering two questions
  2. Full Proposal: Detailed application (if invited)

Rolling applications with no deadlines throughout the year

Decision Timeline

  • EOI Response: 4-6 weeks
  • Proposal Decision: 3 months
  • Total Process: Up to 6 months for successful applications
  • Decision Points: Grants up to £250k decided every 6 weeks; over £250k decided 6 times annually by Trustee Board

Success Rates

  • Overall: 6% of all EOI received awarded grants in 2024
  • EOI to Proposal: 7% of eligible EOI invited to submit proposals
  • Proposal Success: 84% of proposals submitted receive grants
  • New Organisations: 54% of grants through open applications went to organisations new to Esmée

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants can reapply immediately without waiting periods, but must propose substantially different work. The Foundation provides feedback to all organisations invited to submit full proposals.

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Foundation:

  • Focus on alignment with their three strategic priorities and long-term outcomes
  • Be specific about outcomes (up to 25 words each, maximum of 3)
  • Account for inflation in multi-year funding requests
  • Demonstrate clear approach to diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Strong preference for core/unrestricted funding applications

Successful Project Examples:

  • In 2024, made 241 grants totalling £45.1m including one £2.7m grant to Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund
  • 66% of grants were unrestricted or for core costs
  • Average grant: £187,030; median: £150,000

Language and Approach:

The Foundation values transformative, long-term impact and community-led solutions. They prioritize organisations “led by the people they serve” and seek work that creates “change for the future.”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Core funding preference: 66% of grants support core costs - emphasize organisational sustainability and flexibility
  • Long-term relationships: They make fewer, larger, longer-term grants rather than many small ones
  • Strategic alignment: Clear connection to one of their three priority areas is essential
  • Community leadership: Priority given to organisations led by communities they serve
  • Inflation consideration: Multi-year applications should account for inflation increases
  • DEI commitment: Strong organisational approach to diversity, equity and inclusion expected
  • No rush: Rolling deadlines mean you can take time to craft strong applications rather than rushing to meet fixed deadlines

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