Founders Pledge Ltd

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £208 million (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Currently closed until early 2026
• Grant Range: £1,000 - £8,000,000
• Geographic Focus: Global (operates in UK, Germany, USA)

Contact Details

Website: www.founderspledge.com

Email: ops@founderspledge.com

Phone: +44 20 8064 0186

Address: London-based (registered charity 1162201)

Note: Currently not accepting new funding requests - reopening early 2026

Overview

Founded in 2015 by David Goldberg, Founders Pledge is a unique charitable initiative where entrepreneurs commit to donate a portion of their personal proceeds to charity when they exit their businesses. With over £10.3 billion pledged by 1,970 entrepreneurs across 30 countries, the organization has facilitated £1.4 billion in completed donations to date. In 2024 alone, they moved £208 million in grants and achieved a 20:1 return on investment. The organization operates through rigorous research methodology, identifying high-impact funding opportunities across global health, climate change, and existential risks. They received significant recognition in 2024, including a £4 million operational grant from Open Philanthropy.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

• Climate Change Fund: £1,000 - £500,000 (focus on neglected climate solutions)
• Global Health & Development Fund: £5,000 - £8,000,000 (evidence-based interventions)
• Global Catastrophic Risks Fund: £100,000 - £5,000,000 (nuclear security, biosecurity)
• Patient Philanthropy Fund: Variable amounts (long-term future safeguarding)

Application Method: Online portal (currently closed until early 2026)

Priority Areas

• Global Health: Malaria prevention, maternal health, education interventions
• Climate Change: Clean energy advocacy, geothermal development, policy coalitions
• Existential Risks: Nuclear security, biosecurity, AI safety
• Effective Governance: Anti-corruption, institutional reform
• Education: Evidence-based learning approaches, particularly in developing countries

What They Don't Fund

• Local community projects without global impact potential
• Arts and cultural programs
• Religious activities
• General operating costs without clear impact metrics
• Organizations that cannot demonstrate cost-effectiveness

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Governance and Leadership

CEO & Co-Founder: David Goldberg - “I started Founders Pledge to make it absurdly easy for entrepreneurs to do good through their work and in lives”

COO: Charlotte Monico

CIO: Neil Jansen

The organization emphasizes values of “Follow Data, Take Action, Maximize Impact and Energize Others.” Leadership quotes highlight their commitment to evidence-based giving: “The top charities addressing any given problem can be 10x, 100x, or sometimes 1,000x more effective than the rest.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Current Status: Applications closed due to high volume - reopening early 2026

• Online portal at www.founderspledge.com/requests-for-funding
• Two funding types: Large one-time grants (up to £5 million) and ongoing program recommendations

Decision Timeline

• Research Period: 2-6 months per major report/area
• Standard Review: Timeline not publicly available
• Notification: Through online portal system

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed, but organization notes receiving “more requests than they have capacity to process”

Reapplication Policy

Information not available - check when applications reopen in 2026

Application Success Factors

Research-Driven Approach: "We use a problem-first approach with three stages: Identify the world's most pressing problems, prioritize solutions, then identify highly effective organizations implementing these solutions."

Recent Successful Projects:

• Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa: £8M for education interventions reaching 5M children
• DEPLOY/US: £5M for bipartisan climate coalition building
• Bandhan: £5M for poverty alleviation reaching women across 11 Indian states
• OCCRP: £5M for anti-corruption investigative journalism

Key Success Factors:

• Demonstrate measurable impact using cost-effectiveness analysis
• Address neglected but solvable global problems
• Show potential for significant scale
• Provide evidence from randomized controlled trials where possible
• Align with effective altruism principles of maximizing good per dollar spent

Language They Use: “High-impact,” “evidence-based,” “cost-effective,” “neglected solutions,” “scale potential”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Impact Measurement Critical: Must demonstrate quantifiable outcomes using their Scale, Tractability, Neglectedness framework
• Global Scope Essential: Local projects unlikely to succeed unless demonstrating global scalability
• Evidence Base Required: Strong preference for interventions backed by rigorous research and RCTs
• Long-term Relationship Building: Focus on ongoing program recommendations rather than one-off grants
• Timing: Mark calendar for early 2026 when applications reopen - prepare documentation in advance
• Strategic Alignment: Study their research reports to understand current funding priorities
• Network Effect: Consider how funding might leverage additional resources from their entrepreneur network

References

• Founders Pledge Official Website: www.founderspledge.com
• UK Charity Commission Register: Charity 1162201 details
• “Our most impactful year yet” - 2024 Impact Report, Founders Pledge
• “40 million more ways to tackle the climate crisis” - Founders Pledge News, 2024
• "Founders Pledge's 10 Biggest Bets" - organizational overview
• Open Philanthropy Grant Database: “Founders Pledge — General Support (2023)”
• EA Forum: "10 of Founders Pledge's biggest grants" analysis