Longleigh Foundation

Charity Number: 1169016

Annual Expenditure: £1.1M

Geographic Focus: Throughout England

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Quick Stats

Registered Charity: 1169016
Annual Giving: £1,143,355 (2023-24)
Total Income: £1,248,787 (2023-24)
Decision Time: 2 working days (crisis grants), 7 working days (other individual grants)
Grant Range: £82 - £79,900
Geographic Focus: National (UK social housing sector)
Grants Awarded: 746 grants (2023-24, 11% increase)

Contact Details

Address: Suite C, Lancaster House, Grange Business Park, Enderby Road, Whetstone, Leicester, LE8 6EP

Phone: 0207 164 6199

Email:

General: contact@longleigh.org
Research grants: research@longleigh.org
Individual grants (Stonewater residents): customers@stonewater.org

Website: https://longleigh.org

Overview

The Longleigh Foundation was established in 2015 by Stonewater, a major UK social housing provider, with an initial endowment of £500,000. As an independent charitable foundation (registered as Company No. 09923402), Longleigh operates with total assets generating approximately £1.2 million in annual income. The foundation's mission is to create real change for social housing residents across the UK through three distinct funding streams: individual grants for immediate needs, project grants for community-focused initiatives, and research grants that drive policy change. In 2024, Longleigh won the 'Commercial Collaboration of the Year' award at the Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) Annual Awards for their groundbreaking research on floor coverings in social housing. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Aileen Edmunds (appointed 2023) and Chair Fiona Ellison, the foundation has grown grant funding for projects and research from £171,600 to £845,919 in just three years, demonstrating significant strategic expansion beyond their original Stonewater-focused remit.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Individual Grants (£82 - £2,500)

Immediate Resettlement Grants: Essential items like clothing and food for people moving into new homes
Critical Incident Grants: Support after floods, fires, or serious incidents
Essential Household Items and Services Grants: Help with unexpected financial pressures
Heating & Eating Grants: Assistance with food and utilities costs
Flooring Grants: Up to £2,500 for those with medical or social care needs
Education, Training & Employment Grants: Work-related costs including courses, equipment, and travel

Application Method: Rolling basis via Stonewater staff only (no direct public applications)

Project and Research Grants (£55,000 - £79,900+)

Multi-year funding available (foundation prefers longer-term commitments)
Recent examples: £79,900 one-year grant for women's refuge recovery scheme; £55,000 rural housing research project
Focus on financial, mental, and physical health and wellbeing initiatives

Application Method: Invitation only via periodic “calls for applications” (at least one call annually)

Priority Areas

For Individual Grants:

Households experiencing financial hardship
People with disabilities or diagnosed health conditions
Those receiving mental health or substance addiction treatment
People moving from homelessness
Those fleeing domestic abuse
Victims of reported crime
Families where children receive free school meals
Households involved with social services

For Project and Research Grants:

Financial wellbeing and debt support services
Mental health and counseling services
Employment and skills training
Housing policy research
Rural housing challenges
Standards in social housing (e.g., flooring, living conditions)
Community-based support programs for vulnerable residents

What They Don't Fund

Individual Grants:

Rent payments
Ongoing income support
Non-essential items
Property adaptations
Gardening equipment
Previously purchased items (cannot reimburse)

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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

Fiona Ellison (Chair)

Director at Unite Foundation (university accommodation scholarships for care leavers); extensive experience in youth and charitable sectors; former Director at Step up To Serve

Heather Bowman

35+ years in social housing and third sector; former Chief Operating Officer of a large housing association

Fiona Smith

Head of Performance and Analytics at Merseyside Police; previous leadership roles at Crisis (homelessness charity)

Louise Winterburn

Deputy Chief Executive at World Habitat; 20+ years in community and enterprise sector; manages World Habitat Awards

James Holton

15+ years in legal property dispute resolution; specializes in landlord and tenant sector

Nayan Nath

Senior Investment Manager at Charities Aid Foundation; expertise in social investments and impact investing

Richard Lakey

25+ years in finance and governance across public, private, and charitable sectors; personal experience of growing up in social housing

Company Secretary: Annie Harling (20+ years corporate governance experience)

Leadership Team

Aileen Edmunds, Chief Executive

Appointed October 2023; previously set up a multi-million pound foundation at Trafford Housing Trust (now L&Q). On rural housing challenges, Edmunds stated: “This research makes clear what many working in rural communities already know: delivering affordable homes in these areas is harder, but no less urgent.” On flooring standards in social housing, she has urged: "If, as a landlord, you can't afford to put flooring in as standard practice, please just stop ripping perfectly decent flooring out. Give the next tenant a choice."

How to Apply to Longleigh Foundation

How to Apply

IMPORTANT ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTION: The Longleigh Foundation operates with significant restrictions on who can apply:

Individual Grants

These are ONLY available to residents living in Stonewater properties or those who have signed a Stonewater tenancy but not yet moved in. Applications cannot be submitted directly by residents - they must be submitted by a Stonewater staff member on behalf of the resident.

Process: Stonewater residents should email customers@stonewater.org to request support
Application: Stonewater staff complete an online application form
Documentation: Supporting documents may be required
Portal: Online application system for Stonewater staff at grants.longleigh.org

Project and Research Grants

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Instead, they issue periodic “calls for applications” based on emerging themes in the social housing sector and learning from their individual grants program.

Notification: Calls are announced on the Longleigh website (longleigh.org) and social media
Frequency: At least one call per year
Application Format: Short video (maximum 10 minutes) explaining response to the call and how the project will help “enable lives to be transformed”
Example Current Call: Rural housing research partner (deadline January 20, 2025, budget £55,000)

Decision Timeline

Individual Grants:

Crisis Grants (Immediate Resettlement, Heating & Eating): 2 working days
Other Individual Grants: 7 working days from fully completed application
Notification: Via Stonewater staff member who submitted application

Project and Research Grants:

Timeline varies by specific call
Foundation works collaboratively with applicants throughout process
Multi-stage process: initial video submission, then invitation to full application for selected organizations

Success Rates

Individual Grants: In 2023-24, the foundation awarded 746 individual grant applications, an 11% increase from the previous year. Between July and December 2023 alone, 323 grants were awarded totaling £292,126.

Project and Research Grants: In 2023-24, the foundation funded 11 projects focused on health and wellbeing. No specific application-to-award ratio available, as grants are invitation-based following initial call responses.

Reapplication Policy

Individual Grants: Stonewater residents can apply multiple times for different needs, subject to eligibility criteria for each grant type. No documented waiting period between applications.

Project and Research Grants: Organizations can respond to multiple calls for applications. The foundation emphasizes their “completely relational approach” and commitment to multi-year funding, suggesting they build ongoing relationships with successful grantees.

Application Success Factors

For Individual Grants (via Stonewater Staff):

Meet Specific Eligibility: Applications must demonstrate the resident falls into at least one priority category (disability, financial hardship, fleeing domestic abuse, homelessness, etc.)

Complete Documentation: Foundation aims for quick decisions but requires fully completed applications - incomplete forms delay the 2-7 day processing timeline

Appropriate Grant Type: Match the request to the correct grant category (e.g., don't apply for flooring through Essential Household Items grant)

Within Grant Limits: Individual grants range from £82 to £2,500 maximum; ensure requests are reasonable and evidenced

For Project and Research Grants:

Respond to Specific Calls: Success requires waiting for and responding to announced calls rather than submitting unsolicited proposals. Monitor their website and social media regularly.

Flooring standards (three-year, award-winning research partnership)
Rural housing challenges (£55,000 research call)
Financial and mental wellbeing services
Support for vulnerable women with complex needs

Video Application Quality: The 10-minute maximum video submission is your first impression. CEO Aileen Edmunds and the board are looking for clear explanations of how your work will “enable lives to be transformed” - use this exact language and framing.

Evidence-Based Approach: The foundation's 2025 strategic goal emphasizes “embedding impact and purpose across all grant programmes, with each intervention rooted in an evidence base.” Applications should demonstrate how you will measure and prove impact.

Multi-Year Thinking: The foundation explicitly states they are “keen to provide longer-term, multiple-year funding so that organisations have the time to really test, improve and embed their work.” Proposals that outline multi-year timelines are favored.

Relational Approach: Edmunds describes their approach as “completely relational” - they want to work collaboratively throughout the application process and beyond. Demonstrate openness to partnership and feedback.

Social Housing Focus: While expanding beyond Stonewater, the foundation remains laser-focused on the social housing sector. Projects must directly serve social housing residents or drive policy/practice change that benefits them.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Individual grants are restricted to Stonewater residents only - this is not an open grant program and applications must come via Stonewater staff, making this unsuitable for general grant-writing purposes

Project/research grants are invitation-only following calls for applications - you cannot submit unsolicited proposals; success requires monitoring their communications and responding when calls are issued (at least annually)

The foundation has grown significantly in project/research funding (£171,600 to £845,919 in three years), indicating expanding capacity and ambition beyond their original Stonewater-only focus

Multi-year funding is preferred - proposals should outline longer timeframes that allow for testing, improvement, and embedding of interventions

Evidence and impact are paramount - the 2025 strategy emphasizes evidence-based interventions, so applications must demonstrate robust measurement and learning approaches

Use their language - frame proposals around “enabling lives to be transformed” and focus on social housing residents' wellbeing (financial, mental, and physical health)

The 10-minute video matters - this is your gateway to full application; it must be compelling, clear, and demonstrate deep understanding of social housing sector challenges

Watch for policy-relevant research opportunities - their award-winning flooring research and rural housing work show appetite for evidence that can drive systemic change