The Aurelia Foundation
Charity Number: 1161851
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Quick Stats
- Registered Charity Number: 1161851
- Annual Income: £147,321 (year ending April 2024)
- Annual Giving: Approximately £140,000-£190,000
- Grant Range: Known grants include £62,500
- Geographic Focus: England and Wales
- Application Method: Invitation only / No public application process
Contact Details
Phone: 020 3195 6510
Note: The Foundation has a policy of not responding to any correspondence unless it relates to grants it has agreed to make or to the general management of the Foundation.
Overview
The Aurelia Foundation was established on 12 March 2015 and registered as a charity on 27 May 2015. The Foundation operates with a proactive, trustee-led approach to grant making, with trustees identifying projects and organisations they wish to support rather than accepting unsolicited applications. The charity was formerly known as The Cunningham Foundation. With an annual income of approximately £147,321 (FYE April 2024) and expenditure of approximately £142,943, the Foundation supports a wide range of charitable causes across England and Wales. In the year ending 5 April 2022, the Foundation donated £190,500 to support ongoing charitable projects, including Ukrainian relief efforts in Romania.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programs
The Foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published criteria. Instead, trustees proactively identify causes and organisations to support based on their charitable objectives.
Recent Grant Examples (2022):
- Rainbow Trust Children's Charity: £62,500
- Turtle Key Arts Centre Trust: £62,500
- Ukrainian Relief in Romania (supporting Ukrainians evacuated from cities under siege)
- Various other charities (total distribution £190,500)
Priority Areas
The Foundation's objects are “such exclusively charitable purposes as the trustees may from time to time decide.” This gives the trustees broad discretion to support:
- Other charities and voluntary bodies
- The general public/mankind
- Both individuals and organisations
Recent giving has included:
- Children's charities
- Arts and culture
- Emergency humanitarian relief
What They Don't Fund
No explicit exclusions are published, but the Foundation only supports causes identified by the trustees themselves.
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Governance and Leadership
Trustees (all appointed 12 March 2015):
- Charlotte Cunningham - Chair
- Also serves as trustee of The Abderrahim-Crickmay Charitable Settlement and Turtle Key Arts Centre Trust
- Mark Victor Cunningham - Trustee
- Also serves as trustee of Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
- Mary Wynne Finch - Trustee
- Also serves as trustee of Cwmni Plas Glyn'y-Weddw Limited
Governance Standards:
- All three trustees serve without remuneration, payments, or benefits
- The Foundation has no employees or trading subsidiaries
- Trustees recuse themselves from decisions involving organisations where they hold other trusteeships
Application Process and Timeline
How to Apply
This Foundation does not have a public application process.
The trustees identify projects and organisations they wish to support proactively. The Foundation explicitly does not make grants to people or organisations who apply speculatively.
The Foundation maintains a strict policy of not responding to any correspondence unless it relates to grants it has agreed to make or to the general management of the Foundation.
Decision Timeline
Not applicable - grants are awarded at trustee discretion rather than through an application cycle.
Success Rates
Not applicable due to the invitation-only nature of grant making.
Reapplication Policy
Not applicable - there is no application process for organisations to pursue.
Application Success Factors
Since this Foundation does not accept applications, success in receiving funding depends on:
Trustee Connections: The Foundation appears to support causes connected to the trustees' wider charitable interests. For example:
- Rainbow Trust Children's Charity received £62,500 and trustee Mark Victor Cunningham also serves as a trustee there
- Turtle Key Arts Centre Trust received £62,500 and trustee Charlotte Cunningham also serves as a trustee there
- In both cases, the relevant trustee recused themselves from the grant decision
Alignment with Trustee Interests: Based on recent giving patterns, the trustees have supported:
- Children's welfare and support services
- Arts and cultural organisations
- Emergency humanitarian causes (e.g., Ukrainian refugee relief)
Grant Size: Known grants include awards of £62,500, suggesting the Foundation is capable of making substantial individual grants. With total annual giving around £140,000-£190,000, the Foundation appears to make a small number of significant grants rather than many small ones.
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- No application process exists - this Foundation cannot be approached for funding through traditional grant applications
- Trustee-led philanthropy - all funding decisions are made proactively by the three trustees based on their own charitable interests
- Connection is key - grants appear to flow to organisations within the trustees' existing charitable networks
- Substantial grant size - when the Foundation does give, grants can be significant (e.g., £62,500)
- Do not contact - the Foundation explicitly does not respond to unsolicited correspondence
- Small operation - with only three trustees and no staff, this is a private family foundation model
- Responsive to current events - demonstrated by Ukrainian relief support, suggesting trustees respond to emerging needs
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References
- UK Charity Commission Register, The Aurelia Foundation (Charity No. 1161851), accessed 29 December 2024
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5060653
- UK Charity Commission, Trustee Information for The Aurelia Foundation, accessed 29 December 2024
- UK Charity Commission, What, Who, How, Where - The Aurelia Foundation, accessed 29 December 2024
- Giving is Great, The Aurelia Foundation Charity Factsheet, accessed 29 December 2024
https://givingisgreat.org/database/charity-factsheet/?regNo=1161851
- UK Charity Commission, Annual Accounts to 5 April 2022, The Aurelia Foundation
Information includes: £190,500 total grants awarded; £62,500 to Rainbow Trust Children's Charity; £62,500 to Turtle Key Arts Centre Trust; support for Ukrainian Relief in Romania