Impact Foundation

Charity Number: 290992

Annual Expenditure: £1.9M
Geographic Focus: West Sussex, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1.93 million (charitable activities expenditure 2023-24)
  • Total Income: £2.28 million (2023-24)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - no public application process
  • Decision Time: Not applicable - works with established partners only
  • Grant Range: Varies by partner and project
  • Geographic Focus: Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, and UK
  • Established: 1985

Contact Details

Address: IMPACT, 151 Western Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3LH, UK

Phone: +44 (0) 1444 457080

Email: impact@impact.org.uk

Website: https://impact.org.uk

Co-Chief Executives: Pascale Noel and Sarah Smith

Social Media:

  • Facebook: IMPACTFoundationUK
  • Twitter: @IMPACT_UK_
  • Instagram: impactfoundation_uk

Overview

IMPACT Foundation (charity number 290992) was established in 1985 by Sir John Wilson, a respected disability prevention campaigner, alongside his wife Lady Wilson and daughter Claire Hicks. The organization emerged during the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) with the ambitious vision of “nothing less than an end to needless disability.”

With annual income of £2.28 million and charitable expenditure of £1.93 million (2023-24), IMPACT UK operates as a fundraising organization that channels support to established partner foundations across Africa and Asia. In the most recent year, nearly 875,000 people benefited from IMPACT's interventions. The organization has supported 13 partner organizations working in 11 countries, including autonomous national foundations such as IMPACT Bangladesh, IMPACT Nepal, IMPACT India Foundation, and IMPACT East Africa.

IMPACT's distinctive approach emphasizes local leadership: “IMPACT believes that local people are best placed to know what needs to be done in their own communities and how to do it in an appropriate and cost effective way. We do not employ expatriate staff.” This model reduces costs while empowering communities to address their own healthcare needs sustainably.

Funding Priorities

Partner Organizations

IMPACT UK provides financial support to a select network of established partner organizations:

Asia:

  • IMPACT Foundation Bangladesh (est. 1993) - Director: Dr. Hasib Mahmud, operates the Jibon Tari floating hospital
  • IMPACT India Foundation - Operates the Lifeline Express hospital train (launched 1991)
  • IMPACT Nepal - Led by Prof. Rakesh Prasad, focuses on hearing loss prevention
  • IMPACT Cambodia - Director: Sambo Tey (website: www.impactcambodia.org)
  • The Lake Clinic (TLC) - Partner in Cambodia since 2008
  • IMPACT Foundation Sri Lanka - Dedicated to remote community healthcare

Africa:

  • IMPACT East Africa - Based in Nairobi, Kenya; Program Manager: Theuri Wachira
  • IMPACT Zanzibar - Also known as Zanzibar Outreach Programme
  • Maternity Africa - Local organization in Arusha, Tanzania

UK:

  • The Tasty Team - UK programme in Mid Sussex
  • The IMPACT Lunch Club - UK-based dining and fundraising group

Priority Intervention Areas

IMPACT focuses funding on six key areas of disability prevention and healthcare:

  1. Accessible Surgery: Restoring sight, hearing, or mobility; repairing cleft lip and childbirth injuries. Recent statistics: 5,523 people received life-changing surgery on the Jibon Tari floating hospital; 9,766 people received operations on the Lifeline Express hospital train.
  1. Early Identification & Treatment: Immunization programs and health screening to catch illnesses in their earliest stages
  1. Safer Motherhood & Child Survival: Prenatal care, pregnancy check-ups, and training Traditional Birth Attendants
  1. Safer Water & Sanitation: Addressing waterborne disease prevention through clean water access and sanitation infrastructure
  1. Ending Malnutrition: Grassroots initiatives including home gardens for families
  1. Health Education & Training: Training local health workers and expanding immunization access

Recent activities include 200 patients screened and 51 cataract surgeries performed at eye camps in Kenya, with a unit cost of approximately £48 to “restore sight, hearing or mobility, or repair cleft lip.”

What They Don't Fund

IMPACT does not:

  • Accept applications from organizations outside their established partner network
  • Fund organizations working outside their geographic focus areas
  • Support projects unrelated to disability prevention or healthcare delivery
  • Provide funding for individual medical treatment requests
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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Co-Chief Executives:

  • Pascale Noel
  • Sarah Smith

Board of Trustees

The organization is governed by 13 trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits. Trustees include:

  • Rob West - Digital consultant specializing in user experience design and usability for healthcare, telecoms, finance and retail sectors
  • Healthcare Professionals:
  • Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Clinical Adviser at the International Centre for Eye Health
  • Mike O'Connell - Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon working in Brighton and Sussex; has worked in Nepal, France, Germany, and with IMPACT in Bangladesh
  • Former GP and Medical Trainer, Past Director of Rotary International and Barrister with experience in developing countries
  • Former British High Commissioner to Ghana and Bangladesh - Founder of IMPACT UK
  • Business Leader - 40 years' experience in the City of London as a Lloyd's Broker, rising to Company Chairman
  • Development Expert - Founding Director and first Chief Executive of IMPACT UK with extensive international development and healthcare delivery experience

Staff

The organization employs 8 staff members based in Haywards Heath, with one employee earning between £60,000-£70,000 annually. Additionally, 13 volunteers support the charity's work.

How to Apply to Impact Foundation

How to Apply

IMPACT Foundation does not have a public application process. The organization works exclusively with a pre-established network of long-term partner organizations across Africa and Asia. These partnerships, some dating back to 1993, were developed through the organization's strategic approach of establishing autonomous national foundations in targeted countries.

IMPACT UK functions primarily as a fundraising organization that raises funds from UK donors, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners, then channels these resources to its established partner foundations who implement healthcare and disability prevention programs locally.

New organizations cannot apply for funding through an open application process. The partnership model is based on long-term relationships with locally-led organizations that IMPACT has helped establish or has worked with for many years.

Getting on Their Radar

Long-term Partnership Approach: IMPACT's history shows they have established most partner organizations through a deliberate strategy of creating autonomous national foundations in their target countries, rather than responding to applications. The organization's founding approach involved working directly with local communities to establish these entities.

Rotary International Connection: IMPACT has a long-standing partnership with Rotary International and Inner Wheel. The organization states: “Our long standing partnership with Rotary enables us to take action to combat needless disability in some of the poorest parts of the world. Our partnership with Inner Wheel has enabled us to improve health and prevent disability across Asia and Africa.” Organizations already connected to Rotary networks may have more visibility with IMPACT.

Corporate and Trust Partnerships: IMPACT notes that “Foundations and charitable trusts play a major role in helping us to combat needless disability around the world” and actively cultivates relationships with corporate partners. Organizations that are already known to IMPACT's existing corporate or trust partners may benefit from warm introductions.

Contact for Partnership Discussions: Organizations interested in exploring potential future partnerships should contact the Co-Chief Executives directly at impact@impact.org.uk or +44 (0) 1444 457080. However, based on the organization's model, such partnerships would likely require alignment with IMPACT's strategic geographic focus and a long-term commitment to collaborative working.

Application Success Factors

Since IMPACT does not accept open applications, traditional “success factors” do not apply. However, research into their partnership model reveals what matters to this funder:

Local Leadership and Ownership: IMPACT's core philosophy emphasizes that “local people are best placed to know what needs to be done in their own communities.” All partner organizations are locally led with local directors, and IMPACT explicitly states “We do not employ expatriate staff.” Organizations must demonstrate genuine local leadership and community connection.

Proven Track Record: IMPACT's existing partners, such as IMPACT Foundation Bangladesh (working since 1993) and The Lake Clinic in Cambodia (partner since 2008), demonstrate the organization's preference for established, proven organizations rather than start-ups.

Focus on Disability Prevention: The organization's founding vision remains central: “nothing less than an end to needless disability.” Successful partners align precisely with this mission through work in accessible surgery, early detection, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, malnutrition prevention, or health education.

Cost-Effective, Sustainable Model: IMPACT emphasizes that their approach “reduces costs and – most importantly – empowers men and women to meet the needs of their own communities in a sustainable way that does not create dependency.” Partners must demonstrate value for money and sustainable impact.

Innovation in Healthcare Delivery: IMPACT's partners have included groundbreaking projects like the Lifeline Express hospital train (launched 1991) and the Jibon Tari floating hospital (launched 1999). The organization values creative approaches to reaching marginalized populations with “modern hospital facilities and equipment to provide excellent and affordable medical and surgical treatment.”

Measurable Health Outcomes: IMPACT reports specific metrics such as “5,523 people received life changing surgery on the Jibon Tari floating hospital” and “£48 can restore sight, hearing or mobility.” Partners must be able to demonstrate and measure tangible health improvements.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: IMPACT UK does not accept unsolicited funding applications and works exclusively with established partner organizations, most of which were founded or identified decades ago.
  • Fundraising Organization Model: IMPACT UK's role is primarily to raise funds in the UK and channel them to autonomous partner foundations in Africa and Asia who implement programs locally.
  • Geographic Specificity: Partnerships are concentrated in specific countries: Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and India. Organizations working outside these regions are unlikely to align with IMPACT's strategy.
  • Local Leadership Required: All partner organizations are locally led with local directors. IMPACT's philosophy explicitly rejects expatriate staffing in favor of empowering local communities.
  • Long-Term Partnership Approach: Existing partnerships date back decades (e.g., Bangladesh since 1993), indicating IMPACT seeks committed, long-term relationships rather than one-off project funding.
  • Rotary Connection Valuable: IMPACT's long-standing partnership with Rotary International may provide a networking avenue for organizations already connected to Rotary or Inner Wheel.
  • Disability Prevention Focus: The organization's mission is laser-focused on preventing and treating needless disability through healthcare interventions, particularly surgery, maternal health, and early detection programs.

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