Ssp Foundation

Charity Number: 1163717

Annual Expenditure: £0.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £428,460 (FY 2024)
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £260,000+ (recent grants)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-focused
  • Application Method: No public application process - trustee discretion and employee nominations
  • Charity Number: 1163717

Contact Details

Address: 32 Jamestown Road, London NW1 7HW

Phone: 020 3714 5265

Email: ssp.foundation@ssp-intl.com

Overview

The SSP Foundation (registered charity number 1163717) was established on 24 September 2015 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. With total income of £408,909 and expenditure of £428,460 in the year ending 30 June 2024, the foundation operates as the charitable arm of SSP Group plc, a global food and beverage operator in travel locations. The foundation has two primary objectives: providing grants to UK registered charities that promote healthy eating (particularly for young people) and combat food poverty/food waste, and match-funding charities nominated by SSP Group employees. The foundation is governed by 7 trustees and supported by 10 volunteers, with no trustees receiving remuneration.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The SSP Foundation operates two distinct funding streams:

1. Strategic Charity Partnerships (large grants, trustee-selected)

  • Recent partnerships with FareShare and Trussell Trust
  • Multi-year commitments with significant funding (£100,000 - £260,000 per year)
  • Previously supported Macmillan Cancer Support as Charity of the Year (£100,000-£150,000 grants)

2. Employee Match Funding (variable amounts, employee-nominated)

  • Matches donations made by SSP Group employees to their chosen charities
  • Supports employee fundraising efforts
  • Primarily benefits employees of Select Service Partner UK Limited (SSP UK)

Priority Areas

Primary Focus:

  • Promoting healthy eating, particularly in young people
  • Combating food poverty
  • Reducing food waste
  • Supporting those struggling to feed themselves

Recent Grant Recipients:

  • FareShare: UK's largest charity fighting hunger - received funding for IT and logistics infrastructure, including grants to purchase delivery lorries (£60,000 in 2023, additional funding in 2024)
  • Trussell Trust: UK's largest food bank network - received funding for the Help through Hardship helpline (£50,000 in 2023, additional funding in 2024)
  • Macmillan Cancer Support: Former Charity of the Year partnership (2018-2022) with grants of £100,000 (2019), £150,000 (2020), and £100,000 (2022)

What They Don't Fund

No explicit exclusions are published, but the foundation's charitable objects limit funding to:

  • UK registered charities only
  • Organizations working within their priority areas (healthy eating, food poverty, food waste)
  • Charities nominated through employee fundraising must align with SSP Group employee interests
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Governance and Leadership

The SSP Foundation is governed by 7 trustees, though specific trustee names are not publicly disclosed on the Charity Commission register. The foundation operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation - Foundation, with governance oversight ensuring that no trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

The foundation is closely connected to SSP Group plc's corporate governance structure, with strategic decisions aligned to the company's sustainability commitments and community investment priorities.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The SSP Foundation does not have a public application process. Grants are awarded through two closed mechanisms:

  1. Trustee-Selected Strategic Partnerships: The foundation's trustees identify and select major charity partners based on alignment with the foundation's charitable objectives. These decisions appear to be made at trustee level without external applications.
  1. Employee Nominations: SSP Group employees can nominate charities they support through fundraising efforts. The foundation then provides match funding for employee-nominated charities. This process is available only to SSP Group employees, principally those working for Select Service Partner UK Limited (SSP UK).

Getting on Their Radar

The SSP Foundation operates through strategic partnerships identified by trustees and employee nominations. Based on research findings:

For Strategic Partnership Consideration:

  • The foundation selects charity partners that align with SSP Group's business interests in food and travel sectors
  • Recent partnerships show preference for large, established national charities working in food poverty (FareShare and Trussell Trust being UK's largest in their respective areas)
  • Previous Charity of the Year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support resulted from company-wide employee vote in 2018

Annual Fundraising Events:

  • The foundation hosts an annual charity gala and auction, which raised over £260,000 in 2024 and £225,000 in 2023 for their charity partners
  • These events combine table sales, charity auctions, and raffles to raise funds for the foundation's selected partners

SSP Group Employee Connection:

  • If you work for SSP Group companies, particularly Select Service Partner UK, you may be able to nominate charities through internal employee channels
  • The foundation matches employee donations and fundraising efforts for nominated charities

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Strategic partnerships appear to be multi-year commitments with decisions made at trustee level on an ongoing basis.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists. Strategic charity partnerships appear to be renewed annually based on trustee discretion.

Application Success Factors

Since the SSP Foundation does not accept public applications, organizations cannot directly apply for funding. However, understanding what attracts the foundation's support may be valuable:

Strategic Partnership Selection Criteria (based on recent grants):

  • Scale and reach: The foundation partners with the UK's largest organizations in their sectors (FareShare is the UK's largest food redistribution charity; Trussell Trust runs the UK's largest food bank network)
  • Alignment with food sector: All major partnerships connect to SSP Group's core business in food and beverage (FareShare addresses food waste, Trussell addresses food poverty, previous Macmillan partnership connected to SSP employee engagement)
  • Infrastructure and systems development: Recent grants specifically funded tangible infrastructure (delivery lorries for FareShare, helpline development for Trussell Trust)
  • Measurable impact: The foundation appears to favor projects with clear, quantifiable outcomes (e.g., FareShare lorry “facilitates distribution of millions of meals each year”; Trussell Trust helpline support for “nearly 900 individuals, projected to generate income boost of over £625,000”)

Employee Match Funding:

  • Available to charities that engage SSP Group employees through workplace giving or employee-organized fundraising events
  • The foundation broadly matches employee contributions to their chosen charities

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application route exists - this is a private foundation operating through trustee discretion and employee nominations, not through open grant applications
  • Focus on food and travel sectors - all major partnerships connect to SSP Group's business in food service at travel locations
  • Scale matters - recent partnerships favor large, nationally-recognized charities with established infrastructure
  • Infrastructure investment - the foundation supports capital projects (vehicles, technology, helplines) that enable charities to expand their reach
  • Multi-year partnerships - strategic relationships span multiple years with substantial annual grants (£100,000+)
  • Employee engagement drives selection - the previous Macmillan partnership resulted from company-wide employee voting, suggesting employee connection influences trustee decisions
  • Annual fundraising events - the foundation hosts high-value charity galas generating £200,000+ annually for chosen partners

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