Sir Graham Wylie Foundation

Charity Number: 1165447

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: ??247,354 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly specified
  • Grant Range: ??17,000 - ??50,000+ (based on known awards)
  • Geographic Focus: North East England (Newcastle Upon Tyne, Durham, Gateshead, Northumberland, Sunderland)

Contact Details

Website: www.sirgrahamwyliefoundation.org.uk

Email: info@sirgrahamwyliefoundation.org.uk

Phone: 07841513507 / 07557659714 / 07747614499

Address: Estate Office, Close House, Heddon on the Wall, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 0HT

Charity Number: 1165447

Overview

The Sir Graham Wylie Foundation was established in 2016 by Sir Graham Wylie, co-founder of Sage Group plc, with a mission to support underprivileged and vulnerable young people across the North East of England. The foundation reported total income of ??637,911 and charitable expenditure of ??247,354 in 2023. What distinguishes this foundation is its unique 100% pass-through model: Sir Graham personally covers all operational expenses, salaries, and administration costs, ensuring every donation goes directly to charitable causes. The foundation focuses on providing tangible, sustainable support through grants for equipment, buildings, staff, and assets that benefit groups of children and young people for years to come. Sir Graham's philanthropic commitment was shaped by two formative experiences: his own testicular cancer diagnosis in 2000 and his daughter Kiera's open-heart surgery at birth in 2010. He was knighted in 2020 for services to business and charity and serves as patron of the Children's Heart Unit Foundation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates a single grant program with application submissions accepted via downloadable application form from their website. Grants are awarded to support:

  • Capital Projects: Buildings, facilities, and dedicated learning spaces (??50,000 to Newcastle United Foundation for the Graham Wylie Foundation Room)
  • Staff Posts: Salaried positions for teaching assistants and support staff (??45,000 over 3 years to West Denton Primary School)
  • Medical Equipment: Heart scanning tablets and healthcare technology
  • Programmatic Support: Music therapy centres, life skills programs, and ongoing initiatives (??17,000 to Children's Heart Unit Foundation)

Priority Areas

Core Focus: Helping, educating, and inspiring vulnerable and underprivileged children in the North East

Funded Sectors:

  • Essential healthcare services and medical equipment
  • Educational opportunities and talent nurturing
  • Music therapy and arts programs
  • Community development initiatives
  • Support for homeless and vulnerable young people
  • Sports and outdoor education programs

Selection Criteria: According to Sir Graham Wylie, “We prefer things that are helping more than one child, and which are tangible and sustainable.” The foundation prioritizes projects that will have lasting impact and benefit groups rather than individuals.

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation focuses exclusively on:

  • Children and young people (not adults)
  • North East England region only
  • Groups and organizations (not individuals)
  • Projects with tangible, sustainable outcomes
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Governance and Leadership

Founder and Patron: Sir Andrew William Graham Wylie CBE (knighted 2020)

Sir Graham is the co-founder of Sage Group plc (1981), which became the only software company in the FTSE 100. Born in 1959 into a working-class family in Whitley Bay, he sold his stake in Sage in 2003 for ??195 million. He holds honorary doctorates from Northumbria University (2000) and Newcastle University (2004) and has been awarded the freedom of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Board Structure: The foundation has 3 trustees. No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Key Quote from Sir Graham: "I was brought up in the North East. It's where I set up business, it's where I live and it's where I'm bringing up my own children, so it's incredibly important to me to launch this Foundation... The aim is to create a new way of giving, which will benefit children in our region for generation after generation after generation."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Visit the foundation's website at www.sirgrahamwyliefoundation.org.uk
  2. Navigate to the “Who we help” section
  3. Download the official application form
  4. Complete the form with details of your project
  5. Submit the completed form to: info@sirgrahamwyliefoundation.org.uk or by post to the address above

Pre-Application Contact: Organizations are encouraged to contact the foundation at info@sirgrahamwyliefoundation.org.uk or 07841513507 to discuss eligibility and explore funding opportunities before submitting a formal application.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly specified. Applicants should expect to wait several weeks to months for a response. The foundation operates on a discretionary basis rather than fixed grant rounds.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. The foundation distributed ??247,354 in charitable grants in 2023.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly stated. Organizations should contact the foundation directly if an initial application is unsuccessful.

Application Success Factors

Critical Selection Criteria (Direct from Sir Graham Wylie):

  • Scale of Impact: “We prefer things that are helping more than one child” - projects benefiting groups of children are prioritized over individual support
  • Tangibility: Projects must have concrete, measurable outputs such as equipment, buildings, or salaried staff positions
  • Sustainability: “Which are tangible and sustainable” - the foundation seeks projects with long-term impact that will “continue to do so well into the future”

Examples of Successful Projects:

  • Newcastle United Foundation: ??50,000 for dedicated learning facility (Sir Graham Wylie Room), which delivered 753 sessions on employability, health & wellbeing by December 2023
  • West Denton Primary School: ??45,000 over 3 years for Teaching Assistant position to deliver Life Skills Challenge Award to 326 children
  • Nordoff Robbins: Major grant to establish first music therapy centre outside London, serving isolated children across the North East
  • Children's Heart Unit Foundation: ??17,000 for annual Toddle event, plus ongoing support including Kosmos Heart Scanning Tablets

Key Terminology Used by the Foundation:

  • “Vulnerable and underprivileged children”
  • “Help, educate and inspire”
  • “Tangible and sustainable”
  • “Groups of children or young people”
  • “Long-term benefit”

Strategic Approach:

The foundation particularly values healthcare, education, and therapeutic interventions. Sir Graham's personal connection to healthcare (through his daughter's heart condition) makes health-related projects especially resonant. The foundation has maintained multi-year relationships with key partners like Children's Heart Unit Foundation (5+ years of Toddle Walk sponsorship) and Nordoff Robbins (celebrating 6th anniversary in 2024).

Red Flags to Avoid:

  • Individual support requests
  • Projects with limited reach
  • Short-term or one-off initiatives without lasting impact
  • Requests outside the North East region
  • Projects lacking tangible deliverables

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Emphasize Group Impact: Demonstrate how your project will benefit multiple children or young people, providing specific numbers where possible. The foundation explicitly favors projects serving groups over individuals.
  1. Highlight Sustainability: Articulate the long-term benefits and ongoing impact. Show how the grant will create lasting change “for years to come” or “generation after generation.”
  1. Focus on Tangible Outputs: Whether it's equipment, a staff position, a building, or medical technology, clearly identify the concrete asset that will be funded and how it will be used to benefit children.
  1. Align with Personal Mission: Sir Graham's philanthropy is deeply personal, rooted in his own experiences with cancer and his daughter's heart condition. Projects related to healthcare, overcoming adversity, or supporting children facing serious challenges may resonate particularly strongly.
  1. Leverage the 100% Model: Recognize and communicate that you understand every penny of your grant will come from donations, with Sir Graham covering all administrative costs. This demonstrates your appreciation for the foundation's unique approach.
  1. Build Relationships: The foundation maintains long-term partnerships with organizations like Children's Heart Unit Foundation and Nordoff Robbins. Seek to establish an ongoing relationship rather than viewing this as a one-off funding opportunity.
  1. Regional Connection: Emphasize your organization's roots in and commitment to the North East. Sir Graham's deep connection to the region is central to his philanthropic mission.

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