The Austin Bailey Foundation

Charity Number: 514912

Annual Expenditure: £0.2M
Geographic Focus: City Of Swansea

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £193,700 (2023-24)
  • Grant Range: £500 - £24,000
  • Decision Time: Applications reviewed at tri-annual meetings
  • Geographic Focus: Swansea (local grants) / Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean (international)
  • Application Cycle: Rolling with fixed deadlines

Contact Details

Website: www.austinbaileyfoundation.charity

Email: localcharities@austinbaileyfoundation.org

Phone: 07768081757

Address: St Thomas Church, Lewis Street, Swansea SA1 8BP (also 25 Onslow Square, Unit 4, London SW7 3NJ)

Pre-application Support: Review FAQ and Guidelines for Applicants sections on website before applying

Overview

The Austin Bailey Foundation was established on 1 February 1984 by Keith Bailey, a former Japanese prisoner of war (1942-1945), whose wartime experiences and subsequent business success inspired a deep commitment to helping “those less fortunate who are in need or adversity.” Following Keith's death in 1990, his son Clive Bailey became Chairman, continuing the founder's vision. With an annual income of £200,382 and expenditure of £193,700 (2023-24), the foundation operates with seven trustees and no paid staff. The foundation distributes its unrestricted income across three equal priorities: 50% to local Swansea charities and community groups, 25% to local churches, and 25% to international poverty relief. In 2020, four new Swansea-based trustees were appointed to bring “a more youthful dynamic to local activities,” alongside enhanced digital presence through a new website and social media engagement.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Local Charities & Community Groups (Swansea area)

  • Standard Grants: £500 - £2,000 (bi-annual meetings in April and September)
  • Application Method: Electronic application form submitted one month before meeting
  • Focus: Small organizations undertaking specific projects

Local Churches (Swansea area)

  • Standard Grants: £500 - £2,000 (bi-annual meetings)
  • Application Method: Electronic application form submitted one month before meeting
  • Focus: Furtherance of Christian faith and community service
  • Recent Example: 14 churches shared £6,517 for COVID-19 safety measures (2020-21); 17 churches received £19,500 (2021-22)

International Charities

  • Small Grants: Generally £1,000 (three times per year at April, September, December meetings)
  • Flagship Grants: £12,000 - £24,000 over three years (selected every three years)
  • Application Method: Electronic application submitted 10 weeks before meeting
  • Eligibility: UK-registered charities working in developing countries

Priority Areas

Local (Swansea)

  • Children and young people
  • Families and elderly
  • Community cohesion
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Disability support
  • Asylum seekers and refugees
  • Homeless individuals
  • Unemployed people
  • Prisoners and probation services
  • Poverty alleviation

Recent Local Grant Examples:

  • Surfability UK: Inclusive surfing equipment (3 tandem seated surfboards, 2 beach wheelchairs)
  • Race Cymru Wales: Crossing Borders Youth Group workshops
  • Faith in Families: Art and craft materials for confidence-building
  • Women4Resources: Food growing project with Swansea Quakers
  • Discovery (Swansea University): Community meals for disabled adults
  • Circus Eruption: Workshops for children facing challenges

International

  • Relief of poverty and ill-health in developing world
  • Fostering opportunities for young people
  • Self-sustaining development projects
  • “Hidden emergencies” over high-profile disasters
  • Geographic priorities: Africa, poorer parts of Latin America and Caribbean, poorer countries of Asia

Current International Flagship Partners (2022-2024):

  • Renewable World (Nepal): Solar energy and water pumping technology for 9,600 people in far west Nepal
  • ACET/Shining Star (Zimbabwe): Supporting vulnerable young women escaping prostitution with counseling and work skills training
  • Action through Enterprise (Ghana): Training for dry-season farming in remote areas affected by climate change
  • Tiyeni (Malawi): Soil conservation and agricultural methods
  • Ripple Effect (Kenya): Farm yield improvement
  • Pump Aid/Beyond Water (Malawi): Water pump repair entrepreneurship

What They Don't Fund

International:

  • Developed countries (including Eastern Europe)
  • BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China)
  • High-profile disaster appeals (prefer “hidden emergencies”)

Local:

  • Primarily salary costs (prefer project-specific funding)
  • Organizations outside Swansea and immediate area (for local categories)
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Governance and Leadership

Chairman: Clive Bailey

  • Son of founder Keith Bailey
  • Trustee since 1984, Chairman since 1990
  • Background in accounting and business
  • Responsible for international grants
  • Met Mother Teresa in 1994; traveled to Palestine with Terry Waite in 2016

Vice Chairperson: Sandra Morton

  • Trustee since 1997
  • Handles local charity applications
  • Background in adult education

Other Trustees:

  • Rev Steven Bunting MBE: Vicar of St Thomas Church
  • Sian Popper: Early Years Education background
  • Sally Goldstone: Solicitor, former High Sheriff
  • Eleanor Norton: Student Volunteering Services director
  • Dr. Ashraf Mikael: Physician
  • Adam Leach: International development experience

Governance Culture: The trustees “take a strong personal interest in the projects” and encourage project feedback and achievement updates. Four new Swansea-based trustees appointed in 2020 to enhance local engagement.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Review FAQ and Guidelines for Applicants on website
  2. Download application form from website
  3. Complete form and gather required attachments
  4. Submit electronically via email to administration office

Key Requirements:

  • Local applicants must demonstrate strong Swansea area involvement
  • International applicants must be UK-registered charities working in developing world
  • Applications must be submitted early—foundation notes “requests always exceed grant-giving capacity”

Decision Timeline

Meeting Schedule: Trustees meet three times annually

  • April meeting: International applications due 10 weeks before; local applications due 1 month before
  • September meeting: International applications due 10 weeks before; local applications due 1 month before
  • December meeting: International grants only; applications due 10 weeks before

Note: Exact meeting dates displayed on homepage. High volumes of overseas applications may lead to temporary stops on new applications before meetings.

Notification: Trustees have final decision-making authority. Specific notification timelines not publicly disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations cannot reapply within 12 months of receiving a grant. All grant recipients must complete an evaluation form post-grant.

Application Success Factors

Strong Preference For:

  • Self-sustaining projects: Trustees consistently emphasize projects with “strong development theme with potential to become self-sustaining”
  • Community involvement: Organizations that “ask their beneficiaries to contribute, involve and educate others stand a better chance”
  • Small organizations: Foundation explicitly states preference for small organizations over large ones
  • Specific projects: Project funding preferred over general running costs or salary expenses
  • Entrepreneurial approaches: International projects that “allow prosperity to multiply”

Application Advice from Foundation:

  • Submit early: “Requests always exceed grant-giving capacity” and application stops may occur before meetings
  • Be specific: “Carefully explain project specifics” and provide clear project details
  • Demonstrate impact: “Highlight self-help and sustainability” and show community benefit
  • Be transparent: Clear articulation of project goals essential

What Makes Applications Stand Out:

  • Clear demonstration of how beneficiaries will be involved/educated
  • Evidence of local community buy-in and participation
  • Realistic plans for project sustainability beyond grant period
  • Small-scale, focused initiatives with measurable outcomes
  • For international: focus on “hidden emergencies” rather than high-profile disasters

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Apply early in the cycle: The foundation explicitly warns that high application volumes often force them to stop accepting applications before meeting deadlines
  • Emphasize self-sustainability: This is the single most consistent theme across all their guidance—show how the project will continue beyond the grant
  • Think small and focused: They prefer small organizations and specific projects over large-scale programs or operational costs
  • Demonstrate community participation: Projects where beneficiaries contribute, learn, and educate others are strongly preferred
  • For international applications, target “hidden emergencies”: They explicitly prefer lesser-known crises over high-profile disaster appeals
  • Local applicants must have genuine Swansea connections: The foundation takes its local geographic focus seriously
  • Complete the evaluation form: Post-grant reporting is mandatory and likely affects future application success

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