The Aziz Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £1,671,067 (2023/24)
• Grant Range: £500 - £15,000 (organizational grants)
• Geographic Focus: United Kingdom only
• Founded: 2015
• Primary Focus: Individual scholarships (over 660 awarded), with selective organizational grants

Contact Details

• Website: www.azizfoundation.org.uk
• Phone: 020 7432 2467
• General Enquiries: enquiries@azizfoundation.org.uk
• Scholarships: scholarships@azizfoundation.org.uk
• Address: c/o Zedwell Hotel, Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7DH

Overview

The Aziz Foundation was established in 2015 as a family foundation by property entrepreneur and philanthropist Asif Aziz. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting the most disadvantaged communities in Britain, with a particular focus on nurturing confident, articulate public leaders of Muslim background who can critically engage with public narratives and address social challenges facing British Muslim communities and wider society. In 2023/24, the Foundation had total income and expenditure of £1.67 million. While the Foundation is best known for its Masters scholarship programme (having awarded 660 scholarships and 71 internships by 2025), it also maintains organizational grant-making activities. The Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025, publishing a social impact report titled “From Barriers to Bridges: A Decade of Impact.”

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Individual Scholarships (Primary Focus): Full tuition fee Masters scholarships for British Muslims at UK partner universities in areas including Media & Journalism, Technology, Sustainability/Environment, Law, Policy (excluding Health Policy), Arts & Culture, Philanthropy & Grant-making, and Sports.

Organizational Grants: The Foundation makes selective grants to UK universities, registered charities, and organizations running projects for charitable purposes. Historical grant-making totaled £1,303,790 in 2021/22. For project funding, grants typically do not exceed 25% of project costs, capped at £15,000. Grant range: £500 - £15,000.

Community Empowerment: Works with disadvantaged communities, particularly African-Caribbean, Gypsy-Traveler, Muslim, and White working class communities to identify pressing issues and support local and national initiatives.

Priority Areas

• Community Development: To identify needs, raise awareness and strengthen capacity for self-help in disadvantaged communities; to invest in and develop the leadership capacity and human capital of disadvantaged communities
• Public Engagement: To strengthen the representation, visibility and voice of disadvantaged communities in policy, media and public discourse
• Leadership Development: Supporting initiatives that develop effective leadership and service infrastructure within disadvantaged communities
• Strategic Areas: Community work, arts and culture, and research

What They Don't Fund

• Work outside the UK
• International students (scholarships are for UK Home Fee status only)
• Large UK-wide charities unless the proposal has potential to achieve substantial impact
• Projects where organizational grants would exceed 25% of project costs (above £15,000 cap)

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Governance and Leadership

Founder: Asif Aziz, property entrepreneur and founder of Criterion Capital. Asif Aziz is also an Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths, University of London.

Board of Trustees: 3 trustees (including one of Asif Aziz's daughters). No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Staff: 4 employees (none receive benefits over £60,000)

Governance Structure: The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for all grant-making decisions in line with the Foundation's charitable purposes. The Board may delegate certain decision-making responsibilities to subcommittees or staff within its framework of delegation.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Organizational Grants: The Aziz Foundation does not currently appear to have an open public application process for organizational grants. While the Charity Commission confirms the Foundation engages in “grant making to organisations” as part of its activities, most publicly available information about organizational grant applications dates from 2018. The Foundation awards grants only to UK universities, registered charities, and organizations running projects for charitable purposes in line with the Foundation's objectives.

Historical Application Process (2018): Applications were submitted online via their website and went through a three-stage process:

• Stage 1 – Application: Initial assessment to ensure basic criteria are met
• Stage 2 – Assessment: Staff determine whether the request should be shortlisted; shortlisted applications reviewed by Grants Review Committee(s), Board of Trustees, or delegated authority
• Stage 3 – Decision: Final determination by appropriate authority

Organizations interested in funding should contact the Foundation directly via enquiries@azizfoundation.org.uk to inquire about current grant opportunities.

For Individual Scholarships: Applications open in January each year through the Foundation's website, with two application cycles (April and June deadlines).

Decision Timeline

Scholarships: Applicants are notified within 6-8 weeks whether they have been shortlisted for an interview.

Organizational Grants: Specific timelines not publicly disclosed; likely varies based on trustee meeting schedules and application assessment.

Application Success Factors

For Organizational Grant Seekers

Alignment with Mission: The Foundation's Board of Trustees wish to make grants to a wide range of organizations and are particularly keen to help disadvantaged communities and sections of society. Applications should demonstrate clear benefit to disadvantaged communities in Britain, particularly African-Caribbean, Gypsy-Traveler, Muslim, and White working class communities.

Community Development Focus: Projects should address community development through identifying needs, raising awareness, strengthening capacity for self-help, or developing leadership capacity and human capital.

Public Engagement: Proposals that strengthen the representation, visibility, and voice of disadvantaged communities in policy, media, and public discourse align with Foundation priorities.

UK Focus: All funded work must take place in and benefit communities within the United Kingdom.

Strategic Impact: The Foundation will normally only make grants to large UK-wide charities where the proposal has potential to achieve substantial impact.

Realistic Grant Requests: For project funding, grants typically do not exceed 25% of project costs and are capped at £15,000.

Charitable Status: Priority given to registered charities and charitable community groups, though in exceptional circumstances other bodies or individuals may be supported with Board authorization.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• The Foundation's primary current focus is individual scholarships for British Muslims, with over 660 scholarships awarded to date
• Organizational grant-making continues but does not appear to have a public open application process currently
• Contact the Foundation directly (enquiries@azizfoundation.org.uk) to inquire about organizational funding opportunities
• The Foundation maintains a strong focus on supporting disadvantaged communities in Britain, particularly Muslim communities, with recent expansion to African-Caribbean, Gypsy-Traveler, and White working class communities
• Grants to organizations are typically modest (£500-£15,000) and focused on community development and public engagement
• All funded work must be UK-based and demonstrate clear benefit to disadvantaged communities
• The Foundation operates as a family foundation with trustee-led decision-making, suggesting relationship-building and direct engagement may be important for organizational funding

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

• The Arts Council of England
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
• The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
• The Big Give Trust
• The Barrow Cadbury Trust
• Smallwood Trust
• THE UNDERWOOD TRUST
• Theatre Development Trust
• THE MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION
• THE FENTON ARTS TRUST
• SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES
• HELP FUND
• WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
• People's Postcode Lottery
• National Lottery
• Google
• Bloomberg
• People’s Postcode Lottery

References

• The Aziz Foundation website: www.azizfoundation.org.uk
• UK Charity Commission Register, Charity No. 1169558: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1169558&subid=0
• FundsforNGOs: “The Aziz Foundation: Call for Grant Applications for Development Fund” (2018 information)
• FundsforNGOs: "Aziz Foundation's Grant: Supporting Charitable Activities in United Kingdom"
• The Aziz Foundation news: “The Aziz Foundation publishes Social Impact Summary Report” - www.azizfoundation.org.uk/aziz-foundation-publishes-social-impact-summary-report/ (2025)
• Various UK university scholarship pages confirming partnership with The Aziz Foundation (2024-2025)