John Moores Foundation

John Moores Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1207661).

John Moores Foundation is a registered charity that gives money and support to local organisations doing charitable work, aiming to promote self-esteem and a sense of personal value among less-privileged fellow-citizens rather than to alleviate current special needs. It paid £1,040,729 in grants, according to the annual report. Merseyside is its first concern, receiving around 60-75% of the annual grant total, while Northern Ireland receives around 25% on average.

Priority Areas

John Moores Foundation funds projects based in Merseyside (including Skelmersdale, Halton and Ellesmere Port) and Northern Ireland. It makes grants to local groups, giving priority to small, grass-roots and volunteer-driven organisations that support those most in need and work in areas under-represented in its grant-making. Its stated grant purposes include running costs, salaries, capacity building, volunteer training and out-of-pocket expenses; face-to-face delivery roles are favoured over executive roles. It favours projects that bring communities together around issues important to them, build trust and cohesion through partnership, provide advice and support, and change attitudes or broaden horizons. The organisations and projects should support people facing disadvantage, including people experiencing poverty or poor physical or mental health, refugees, women and girls at risk of violence and abuse, children and young people, families needing support, homeless people, carers and adults with few or no educational qualifications. The foundation is responsive to groups’ own targets and outcomes and prefers smaller schemes where capacity and ambition are well matched.

Themes

• Community cohesion
• Advice and support
• Poverty
• Physical and mental health
• Refugees
• Women and girls
• Children and young people

Geographic Focus

Merseyside; Northern Ireland.

Applicants first contact the foundation by phone, email or letter to confirm eligibility and obtain a link to the online Expression of Interest form, which they then submit.

Who can apply:

• Grants for Merseyside
  • All organisations applying for funding must be established for one year and also produce one year of financial records such as annual accounts, management accounts or detailed income & expenditure records.
  • Applicants with an annual income over £750,000 are unlikely to be considered for funding by JMF.
  • If your group is not a registered charity (e.g. a CIC) , you may apply for funding as long as the work you do is charitable in law.
  • We prefer that your organisation has a minimum of three Directors, with the majority being unrelated and unpaid in any capacity within the organisation
• Grants for Northern Ireland
  • It is unlikely that an application from organisations with an annual income of over £250,000 or with large reserves will be considered for funding. Applicants should also be registered charities or be in the process of applying to be one.
  • You may apply for funding as long as the work you do is charitable in law.
  • We prefer that your organisation is run by a Board where the majority of unrelated members are not paid by the organisation
• All organisations must produce annual accounts (if over one year old), have a written set of rules and a bank account in the name of the group which requires at least two signatories.

What to send:

• Project budget
• Latest annual accounts
• Latest annual report
• Minutes from board meetings
• List of current members of management committee
• Equal opportunities policy
• Job description (when applying for wages)
• Copy of bank statement in organisation’s name
• Signed grant conditions form
• Summary of major sources of income and main expenditure categories in your own format

What the charity says:

• The foundation gives priority to small, grass-roots and volunteer-driven organisations that support those most in need and work in areas under-represented in its grant-making.
• It prefers smaller schemes where capacity and ambition are better matched and people are more likely to be stimulated to further effort.
• It prioritises face-to-face delivery roles over executive roles such as CEOs when considering salary requests.
• It particularly welcomes applications from groups it has not funded before, provided they meet its selection criteria and grant priorities.
• Shortlisted groups may be visited by staff, or staff may phone for more information.
• Trustees will consider projects involving sporting or artistic activities when the organisation’s primary purpose is not sporting or artistic and the project fits funding priorities.