Hill Dickinson Foundation

Charity Number: CUSTOM_F5303518

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

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Quick Stats

  • Total Funding to Date: Over £464,527 (as of 2025)
  • Success Rate: Approximately 17-25% (4-6 grants from typical regional budgets of £10,000)
  • Decision Time: Approximately 10-12 weeks from deadline
  • Grant Range: £1,000 - £3,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK - Liverpool/Merseyside, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Tower Hamlets (London)

Contact Details

Administration: Community Foundation for Merseyside

Phone: 0330 440 4900

Email: applications@cflm.org.uk or applications@cflm.email

Website: https://cfmerseyside.org.uk/funds/hill-dickinson-foundation-merseyside-

Applications are submitted online through the Community Foundation for Merseyside website, with specific pages for each regional fund.

Overview

The Hill Dickinson Foundation was established in 2009 by Hill Dickinson LLP, an international commercial law firm with roots dating back to 1810 and headquartered in Liverpool for over 200 years. Administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, the foundation has distributed over £464,527 in grants to grassroots charities and community organizations. The foundation aims to make a positive contribution to communities where the firm operates across the UK. In 2019, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, Hill Dickinson increased its overall grant fund by £10,000, resulting in 21 UK charities benefiting from grants of up to £3,000. The foundation prioritizes supporting small, grassroots organizations with limited access to funding, focusing on vulnerable populations in the areas of mental health, homelessness, employability, and food poverty.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Hill Dickinson Foundation operates separate regional grant programs aligned with the law firm's office locations:

  • Merseyside Programme: Up to £2,500 per grant, £10,000 total budget, 4-6 grants expected (rolling application deadlines)
  • Greater Manchester Programme: Up to £2,500 per grant, £10,000 total budget, 4-6 grants expected (rolling application deadlines)
  • Tower Hamlets (London) Programme: Up to £2,500 per grant, £10,000 total budget, 4-6 grants expected (rolling application deadlines)
  • Birmingham Programme: Up to £1,000 per grant, £5,000 total budget, 5 grants expected (rolling application deadlines)
  • Leeds Programme: Up to £1,000 per grant, £5,000 total budget, 5 grants expected (rolling application deadlines)

All programs operate on a fixed deadline basis with specific application windows throughout the year, typically with decisions announced 10-12 weeks after the deadline.

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses on four core themes:

  1. Mental Health and Wellbeing: Projects that assist those suffering from ill mental health, encourage positive mental wellbeing, and support neurodivergent individuals and people with disabilities
  2. Employability and Access to Work: Support for unemployed individuals or those rejoining the workforce, including retraining programs and mock interview initiatives
  3. Food Poverty and Security: Sustainable food security initiatives, food banks, and social supermarkets
  4. Homelessness: Projects tackling the causes or effects of homelessness, including advice services and drop-in centers

The foundation particularly values projects serving vulnerable populations and demonstrating measurable community impact.

What They Don't Fund

  • Statutory organizations or their statutory responsibilities
  • Private businesses or commercial ventures
  • Vehicle purchase or maintenance
  • Retrospective activities (already completed projects)
  • Work that is primarily politically motivated or exclusively religious in nature
  • CCTV or security measures
  • Travel outside the UK
  • Pure entertainment without community benefit
  • National organizations without strong local governance and control
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Governance and Leadership

The Hill Dickinson Foundation is administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, ensuring professional grant management and assessment processes. The foundation represents the corporate social responsibility efforts of Hill Dickinson LLP, which has over 950 employees including more than 200 partners and legal directors across 11 offices globally.

Key Leadership Quote:

Peter Jackson, Chief Executive of Hill Dickinson, stated: “Small charities and local grassroots organisations do extremely valuable work with some of the most vulnerable sections of the community.”

This reflects the foundation's commitment to supporting grassroots organizations that might otherwise struggle to secure funding from larger grant-makers.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through an online form available on the Community Foundation for Merseyside website. Applicants must complete the form and attach supporting documents, which can also be emailed to applications@cflm.org.uk.

Required Documents:

  1. Copy of governing document (constitution, memorandum and articles, etc.)
  2. Latest annual accounts or income/expenditure document
  3. Recent bank statement for the organization
  4. List of Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members
  5. Current Safeguarding Policy

Decision Timeline

  • Applications close on specific deadlines (typically quarterly or biannually for each region)
  • Community Foundation staff review applications for eligibility
  • Applicants may be contacted for additional information during assessment
  • Decision-making panel reviews eligible applications against fund criteria
  • Decisions announced approximately 10-12 weeks after the deadline (typically end of February for autumn/winter deadlines)
  • Notification via email to the contact provided on the application

Success Rates

Based on available budgets and grant amounts, approximate success rates are:

  • Merseyside/Manchester/Tower Hamlets: Approximately 17-25% (4-6 grants awarded per round from typical budgets of £10,000)
  • Birmingham/Leeds: Approximately 20-25% (5 grants awarded from £5,000 budgets)

Actual success rates depend on the number and quality of applications received in each cycle.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly stated. Organizations are advised to contact the Community Foundation for Merseyside directly if unsuccessful to discuss feedback and future application opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's guidance and examples of funded projects, successful applications demonstrate:

Clear Project Focus: “Hill Dickinson would prefer to fund a specific project and be the principal funder rather than a contributor towards a much larger project cost.” Applications should present discrete, well-defined projects rather than general operating costs.

Demonstrated Need and Impact: Applications must “demonstrate a real need for their project and clearly show the impact of their project and what difference it will make to its beneficiaries.” Use specific data and measurable outcomes.

Alignment with Priorities: Ensure clear connection to at least one of the four priority themes (mental health, employability, food poverty, or homelessness). Demonstrate how the project serves vulnerable populations in the specific geographic region.

Fair Wages: The foundation “encourage[s] applications which pay staff at the current Real Living Wage of £12 per hour as a minimum.” While not mandatory, this is viewed favorably.

Local Grassroots Character: The foundation targets small organizations with annual income under £200,000-£250,000 (varies by region). Larger or national organizations must demonstrate strong local governance and control.

Examples of Funded Projects (2020 Award Round):

  • Liverpool Homeless Football Club - providing free access to sporting facilities for disadvantaged individuals
  • The Anthony Seddon Fund - mental health charity
  • The Joanna Project (Leeds) - supporting multiply disadvantaged women
  • Door of Hope (London) - helping women exploited by prostitution
  • Apex Charitable Trust Area, Area 164, Beautiful New Beginnings, Family Tree Wirral, Next Chapter NW CIC, and The Positivetree (Merseyside organizations focused on homelessness, mental wellbeing, and resilience)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Be the Principal Funder: Design your application around a specific project where the Hill Dickinson Foundation grant represents the primary funding source, not a small contribution to a much larger budget.
  1. Show Real Impact on Vulnerable Populations: Clearly articulate how your project will make a measurable difference to vulnerable beneficiaries experiencing mental health challenges, homelessness, unemployment, or food poverty.
  1. Local, Grassroots, and Small: Emphasize your organization's local governance, grassroots nature, and connection to the specific geographic community (Merseyside, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, or Tower Hamlets).
  1. Pay Fair Wages: If employing staff, commit to paying at least the Real Living Wage (currently £12/hour) to strengthen your application.
  1. Complete Documentation: Ensure all required documents are current, complete, and professional. Missing or outdated documentation may delay or disqualify your application.
  1. Specific and Measurable: Avoid vague descriptions. Use concrete data, specific timelines, clear beneficiary numbers, and measurable outcomes to demonstrate both need and anticipated impact.
  1. Apply to the Right Region: Ensure your project and beneficiaries are clearly located within the specific region for which you're applying (e.g., Greater Manchester fund for Manchester-based projects).

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