Futures For Kids

Charity Number: 1124171

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

Stay updated on changes from Futures For Kids and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £136,062 income / £218,993 expenditure (FY 2024)
  • Total Raised Since 2008: £3.4+ million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Not publicly specified
  • Geographic Focus: UK and international (global)
  • Trustees: 5
  • Volunteers: 1
  • Employees: 0

Contact Details

  • Website: www.futuresforkids.org.uk
  • Email: ffk.enquiries@gmail.com / ffktrustees@gmail.com (for grant applications)
  • Phone: 020 7519 1824
  • Address: c/o Forvis Mazars, 30 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7AU
  • Charity Number: 1124171

Overview

Futures for Kids was launched in February 2008 by individuals from the futures and derivatives industry in Europe to support disadvantaged children and young people globally. The charity acts as a fundraising vehicle through which institutions and individuals within the listed and cleared derivatives industry can raise money for carefully selected children's charities. Since inception, they have raised over £3.4 million. The organization operates with 5 trustees, all participants from the derivatives industry bringing expertise in management, marketing, events organizing, and other skills. No trustees receive remuneration. Their strategic approach involves both long-term support for core charities and one-off donations for capital projects and immediate appeals. The charity has no employees and relies entirely on volunteer effort from within the futures industry.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Futures for Kids does not operate structured grant programmes with defined amounts. Instead, they:

  • Provide long-term support to core charity partners
  • Make one-off donations for capital projects
  • Respond to immediate appeals

A grant application form is available on their website (FFK_Charity-Guidelines-Application-2018.pdf), though specific grant amounts are not publicly disclosed.

Priority Areas

Futures for Kids makes grants to charities that:

  • Relieve hardship, poverty, sickness and distress among children and young people
  • Improve education or employment prospects of children and young people
  • Provide education, training, and mentoring
  • Offer relief of hardship for disadvantaged children globally

Geographic scope: UK and international, with recent support including Sierra Leone, Nepal, and various African countries.

Current Charity Partners

  • EducAid (Sierra Leone) - Education for disadvantaged children
  • Kids in Kathmandu (Nepal)
  • Leadership Through Sport & Business (UK) - Youth employment and career development
  • We See Hope (Africa) - Supporting vulnerable children and communities

Past Charity Partners (partial list)

The Pace Centre, Camara, Bicycle Helmet Trust, Sarcoma Trust, The Lily Trust, ABC Trust, Snow Camp, Refuge, Special Effect, Action Tutoring, Beyond Autism

What They Don't Fund

Not explicitly stated in public materials.

Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for Futures For Kids?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Emma Davey - Chair
  • Katy Birch
  • Michal Bussi
  • Gerry Turner
  • Pat Kenny

Patron

  • Walt Lukken

The trustees are described as “participants from the listed derivatives industry bringing together extensive experience and expertise of management, marketing, events organising and other skills.” Some have been involved since the charity's foundation. Bill Templer previously served as Chairman.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Futures for Kids accepts grant applications through a downloadable application form available on their website. The specific document is “FFK_Charity-Guidelines-Application-2018.pdf” which can be accessed at www.futuresforkids.org/grants.

Applicants should:

  1. Download the grant application form from their website
  2. Complete the application, telling their story
  3. Submit to: ffktrustees@gmail.com

The charity assesses applications “against a list of criteria to ensure charities provide education, training, mentoring and the relief of hardship for disadvantaged children and young people.”

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not stated in public materials.

Application Success Factors

Based on their stated priorities and funded charities, successful applications likely demonstrate:

Focus on education and opportunity: Funded charities like EducAid, Kids in Kathmandu, and Leadership Through Sport & Business all emphasize education, skills development, and creating pathways to employment for disadvantaged young people.

Long-term approach: The charity explicitly seeks to support “charities taking a longer term approach to improving the lives and prospects of children around the world” rather than short-term interventions.

Practical, tangible support: Their description emphasizes providing “clothing, equipment, and other goods for daily living” and practical support like bicycles, mentorship, and skills training.

Clear impact on disadvantaged children: All supported charities work with orphaned, vulnerable, or disadvantaged children and young people, helping them “break cycles of poverty.”

Global reach with local impact: While UK-based, the charity explicitly supports international work, with current partners in Sierra Leone, Nepal, and across Africa.

Measurable outcomes: The charity has raised £3.4 million and emphasizes helping “thousands of children” - they appear to value charities that can demonstrate reach and impact.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Industry connection matters: This is a charity run by and for the futures and derivatives industry - while not stated as a requirement, applicants should be aware of this focused funding community
  • Tell your story: The charity explicitly encourages applicants to “tell their story” in applications - compelling narratives about impact on disadvantaged children are valued
  • Long-term vision required: They explicitly seek charities taking a “longer term approach” rather than quick fixes
  • Focus on practical support: Education, training, mentoring, and relief of hardship are the four key pillars - applications should demonstrate how they deliver these
  • Be prepared for trustee discretion: With only 5 trustees, all from the same industry, decision-making appears to be based on trustee assessment against criteria rather than a formal scoring system
  • Download the guidelines: The 2018 application guidelines PDF will contain more specific criteria and requirements
  • International work welcomed: Despite being UK-based, they actively support global charities - international organizations should not hesitate to apply

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References