Igy Foundation
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Quick Stats
- Annual Giving: £2,234,716 (2024)
- Success Rate: Not publicly available
- Decision Time: Not specified
- Grant Range: Not publicly specified
- Geographic Focus: England and Wales
Contact Details
- Website: www.igyfoundation.org.uk
- Email: info@igy.org.uk
- Phone: 020 7351 1450
- Address: 1a Burnsall Street, London SW3 3SR
Overview
The IGY Foundation was established in January 2014 by Nick Sleep and is named after the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), a collaborative scientific endeavour that embodied the spirit of making knowledge “available to all mankind.” Founded after Sleep and partner Qais Zakaria closed their successful Nomad Investment Partnership, the foundation operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a mission to “rationally and quietly reallocate capital to where it can do the most good.” The foundation had an income of £378,990 in 2024 and made grants totaling £2,234,716, demonstrating significant grant-making activity from its capital base. The foundation takes a distinctive long-term, relationship-based approach to philanthropy, preferring anonymous giving and personal assessment of charities by trustees.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programs
The foundation does not appear to operate formal grant programs with specified amounts or deadlines. Applications are assessed on an individual basis by trustees.
- Application Method: Not publicly specified - foundation maintains low profile and may proactively identify grantees
- Application Cycle: Not publicly specified
Priority Areas
The IGY Foundation provides funding to charities that:
- Work for the benefit of children and young people
- Support people with disabilities
- Demonstrate grassroots need-driven approaches
- Show potential for long-term, sustainable impact
- Focus on quality outcomes over publicity
What They Don't Fund
The foundation explicitly states they are:
- Not interested in: Publicity-hungry organizations, advocacy groups, lobby groups, or political agendas
- Not interested in: “Managerial wish lists” or intermediate charities that don't start from grassroots need
- Preference against: Short-term, transactional relationships with donors
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Governance and Leadership
Trustees:
- Nick Sleep (Chair, appointed 2013) - Co-founder of Nomad Investment Partnership
- Serita Sleep (appointed 2013)
- Alex Montgomery (appointed 2018)
- Mark Byrne (appointed 2020)
No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The trustees personally assess potential charities rather than delegating this work.
Key Philosophy from Leadership:
The foundation's principles document states: “Our aim is to rationally and quietly reallocate capital to where it can do the most good.”
On their approach to giving: “We are willing to test the waters with small donations and, if the opportunity arises, we will scale. We are prepared to do the heavy financial lifting when we find truly good ones.”
On what they look for: “We are looking for charities that start from grass roots need and then work backwards...we are disinterested in publicity hungry, advocacy, lobby groups and political agendas.”
Application Process and Timeline
How to Apply
The IGY Foundation does not publicize a formal application process. The foundation:
- Maintains a preference for anonymous donations
- Conducts its own assessment of potential grantees
- Maintains a low profile to “filter out the noise of the day”
- May proactively identify and approach organizations rather than accepting unsolicited applications
Interested organizations may contact the foundation at info@igy.org.uk, though there is no guarantee of response given their preference for maintaining a low profile.
Decision Timeline
Not publicly specified. The foundation emphasizes long-term relationships over quick decisions.
Success Rates
Not publicly available. The foundation does not publish lists of grant recipients or application statistics.
Reapplication Policy
Not publicly specified.
Application Success Factors
Given the foundation's published principles, organizations that would align well with IGY Foundation include those that:
- Start from grassroots need: The foundation explicitly seeks organizations that identify real community needs first, then design solutions - not those with “managerial wish lists”
- Take a long-term approach: The foundation values multi-year, relationship-based partnerships and criticizes the UK charity sector's “just-in-time” funding culture that creates financial insecurity
- Focus on quality over publicity: Organizations should prioritize substantive impact over media attention or advocacy work
- Demonstrate win/win orientation: The foundation seeks “self-reinforcing, virtuous spirals” and sustainable models
- Are open to starting small: The foundation states they are “willing to test the waters with small donations and, if the opportunity arises, we will scale”
- Welcome partnership-style relationships: The foundation prefers “open, fact-based discussions” and treating donations as partnerships
- Have ultimate sustainability goals: The document suggests ideal charities are “ultimately seeking to put themselves out of business” through systemic solutions
The foundation acknowledges that “some outcomes just cannot be empirically measured” and is willing to invest in foundational platforms that enable future work, even if immediate results aren't visible.
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- No formal application process: This is a highly selective, trustee-driven foundation that may not accept unsolicited applications. Building awareness through sector networks may be more effective than cold applications.
- Long-term relationship focus: If you do connect with this foundation, be prepared for multi-year partnership discussions rather than one-off grants.
- Grassroots credibility is essential: Demonstrate that your work emerges from genuine community need, not organizational growth ambitions.
- Quality over scale: The foundation values depth of impact and sustainable models over size or publicity.
- Low profile preferred: They prefer anonymous giving and may not provide public recognition of their support.
- Trustees do their own research: They personally assess charities rather than relying on applications or intermediaries, so organizational reputation and sector visibility matter.
- Scaling potential: Be prepared to start with a small grant as a “test,” with potential for significant scaling if the work proves impactful.
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References
- UK Charity Commission Register of Charities - IGY Foundation (Charity No. 1155564): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1155564&subid=0
- IGY Foundation website - Principles page: https://igyfoundation.org.uk/principles/
- IGY Foundation website - Short-term vs Long-term: https://igyfoundation.org.uk/short-term-v-long-term/
- IGY Foundation website - Home: https://igyfoundation.org.uk/
- Giving is Great - IGY Foundation Charity Factsheet: https://givingisgreat.org/database/charity-factsheet/?regNo=1155564