The Berkeley Charitable Foundation

Charity Number: 1152596

Annual Expenditure: £3.1M
Throughout England And Wales

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £3.6m (2023/24)
  • Total Committed Since 2011: £23m+ to 100+ charities
  • Decision Time: Varies by programme (Resilience Fund decisions in early September)
  • Grant Range: £60,000 - £300,000 (Strategic Partnerships, typically over 3 years)
  • Geographic Focus: London, Birmingham, and South of England
  • Active Partnerships: 40-50 expert charities at any given time

Contact Details

Website: www.berkeleyfoundation.org.uk

Email: info@berkeleyfoundation.org.uk

Phone: 01932 584551

Pre-Application Support: The Foundation encourages organisations to contact the team before applying. They provide detailed funding guidelines, webinars, and 1:1 calls for each grant programme.

Overview

The Berkeley Charitable Foundation (registered charity 1152596) was established by the Berkeley Group in 2011 to help young people in areas where Berkeley operates overcome barriers, improve their lives, and build a fairer society. Since its inception, the Foundation has committed over £23 million to more than 100 charities, working with over 33,000 people across London, Birmingham, and the South of England. In 2023/24, they distributed £3.6m to charity partners through grants, staff fundraising, and payroll giving donations. The Foundation takes a distinctive trust-based, long-term relational approach to funding, with most grants running for a minimum of three years. In 2024, they won awards at the Better Society Awards, recognising their commitment to open and trusting grant-making. The Foundation increased unrestricted funding from 46% to 51% in 2024, with 25% of all new grants being unrestricted, giving charity partners flexibility to apply funds where most needed.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Strategic Partnerships (No unsolicited applications)

  • Long-term partnerships aligned with Foundation goals
  • Proactively sought to match business plan priorities
  • Typical range: £100,000 - £300,000 over 3+ years
  • Recent example: £300,000 to Groundwork London for youth environmental leadership programme

Community Partnerships (Staff-nominated)

  • Local charities selected by each Berkeley Group business
  • Minimum 3-year partnerships
  • Small-to-medium organisations working locally
  • Often nominated by staff

Resilience Fund (Application rounds, currently closed)

  • 2025 round: Up to 6 organisations, £90,000 each over 3 years (£450,000 total)
  • 2024 round: Up to 6 organisations, £60,000 each over 2 years (£300,000 total)
  • Focuses on small-to-medium charities
  • Supports organisational development and resilience

Development Fund (Invitation-only)

  • Flexible funding for exploring new ideas
  • Limited availability

Priority Areas

The Foundation supports young people across five impact goals:

  • Ensuring young people have secure, stable accommodation
  • Partners include: Crisis, SPEAR, St Basils, New Horizon Youth Centre
  • Enabling young people to overcome barriers to work and kick-start careers
  • Partners include: Imperial College London, Mission EmployAble, Streets of Growth
  • Supporting young people to live happy, healthy lives
  • Partners include: Action for Carers Surrey, Demelza, Mencap, St Giles
  • Developing young leaders of tomorrow
  • Building leadership skills through social action
  • Partners include: Groundwork London, My Life My Say, Salaam Peace
  • Building capacity of small-to-medium charities
  • Supporting organisations through the Resilience Fund

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited applications outside of the Resilience Fund (though Expressions of Interest are welcome)
  • Organisations outside London, Birmingham, and South of England
  • Short-term projects (grants minimum 3 years for most programmes)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

  • Piers Clanford - Chairman
  • Rob Perrins - Trustee (founding Chair 2011-present)
  • Wendy Pritchard - Trustee
  • Alison Dowsett - Trustee
  • The Venerable Elizabeth Adekunle - Trustee (appointed July 2023)

Leadership Team:

  • Sally Dickinson - Head of Berkeley Foundation
  • Clare Maddison - Interim Head of Foundation
  • Bríd Barrett - Head of Partnerships

Key Quote from Rob Perrins: Speaking at the 2024 Foundation Awards, Rob discussed “why Berkeley has a foundation” and its community benefits, emphasising the Foundation's commitment to creating lasting impact through long-term partnerships.

The Foundation is supported by volunteer Foundation Champions across Berkeley Group who support fundraising and engagement activities. Berkeley Group funds all Foundation overheads, meaning every penny raised is spent on charitable activities.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Unsolicited Enquiries:

  • Submit an Expression of Interest online at: eoi.berkeleyfoundation.org.uk
  • This helps the Foundation understand if your organisation aligns with strategic priorities
  • Not a guarantee of funding but keeps you on their radar for future opportunities

For Resilience Fund (when open):

  • Two-stage application process
  • Stage 1: Initial application form
  • Stage 2: Shortlisted organisations invited to submit full application
  • Applications submitted online through Foundation website
  • Pre-application contact encouraged: call 01932 868555 or email info@berkeleyfoundation.org.uk

For Strategic Partnerships:

  • No unsolicited applications
  • Foundation proactively seeks partnerships aligned with business plan

For Community Partnerships:

  • Selected by Berkeley Group businesses (often staff-nominated)

Decision Timeline

Resilience Fund:

  • Stage 1 applicants notified by end of April
  • Stage 2 applicants receive decisions in early September
  • Grant payments follow shortly after approval

General Timeline:

  • Foundation committed to clear decision-making timelines
  • Acts with urgency to respond to sector needs
  • Provides updates on any changes to decision schedules

Success Rates

The Foundation has committed to transparency around success rates and publishes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion data collected through their Resilience Fund. All grant data is publicly available via 360Giving (grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/org/GB-CHC-1152596), updated every six months with details of all grants awarded since May 2019.

Recent data shows the Foundation works with 40-50 expert charities simultaneously and has awarded over £16.8 million in grants tracked through 360Giving (as of October 2024).

Reapplication Policy

  • The Foundation provides useful feedback to all unsuccessful applicants
  • No specific waiting period mentioned for reapplication
  • Expression of Interest system allows organisations to remain visible for future funding rounds
  • Open to supporting new ideas and pilot projects, demonstrating willingness to accept risk

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Foundation

The Foundation has published eight commitments as an “open and trusting grant-maker”:

  • They clearly state funding priorities and eligibility upfront
  • Provide detailed funding guidelines, webinars, and 1:1 calls
  • Review and test application forms with sector partners before every funding programme
  • Keep forms succinct and only request additional information at shortlisting stage
  • Willing to fund innovative and pilot projects
  • Support smaller charities
  • Include young people and charity partners in decision-making (e.g., Youth Panel from Salaam Peace)
  • Respond quickly to sector needs
  • Provide clear timelines and stick to them
  • Offer feedback to unsuccessful applicants
  • Publish all grant data publicly
  • Committed to transparency around success rates and diversity
  • Increased unrestricted funding to 51% of total in 2024
  • Collaborate flexibly with partners
  • Adapt to changing project plans
  • Assign dedicated Partnerships Manager to each funded organisation
  • Build trust through collaborative relationships
  • Reduce reporting requirements for smaller grants
  • Focus on reflection and learning rather than bureaucracy

Recent Successful Projects

2024 Resilience Fund Winners (Homelessness focus):

  • Settle
  • Esteem
  • The Foyer Federation
  • Youth Concern
  • CARAS

Major Strategic Partnership (2023):

  • Groundwork London: £300,000 for 14-week Youth Leadership Programme supporting 260+ young people (16-19) at risk of becoming NEET. Programme achieved 100% agreement that participation would add value to CVs and 92% reported greater appreciation of environmental issues.

Language and Terminology

The Foundation uses language focused on:

  • Partnership not just funding
  • Trust-based relationships
  • Long-term commitment (minimum 3 years)
  • Flexibility and collaboration
  • Young people thriving
  • Force for change
  • Expert frontline charities
  • Unrestricted funding
  • Organisational resilience

Tips for Standing Out

  • Demonstrate alignment with impact goals - Be specific about which of the five impact goals your work addresses
  • Emphasise long-term approach - They fund 3+ year partnerships; show sustainability
  • Show willingness to collaborate - They want partners, not just grant recipients
  • Include young people in your work - Youth voice is central to their mission
  • Operate in their geographic footprint - Must work in London, Birmingham, or South of England
  • Be a small-to-medium charity - Particularly for Resilience Fund
  • Demonstrate innovation - They're willing to fund pilots and new approaches
  • Contact them before applying - Pre-application calls are encouraged and welcomed
  • Be honest about needs - Their trust-based approach values transparency
  • Connect to Berkeley Group presence - Work in areas where Berkeley operates strengthens case

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. This is a partnership funder, not a transactional one - They're looking for long-term relationships with charities that share their values. Emphasise collaborative approach and openness to building relationships beyond just receiving funds.
  1. Express interest even without open applications - If Strategic Partnerships interest you, submit an Expression of Interest. They proactively seek new partners and this keeps you visible for future opportunities.
  1. Leverage the Berkeley Group connection - With Foundation Champions across Berkeley Group businesses and strong staff engagement (61% participation), having staff connections or working in areas where Berkeley develops properties can strengthen applications.
  1. Embrace their trust-based approach - This funder explicitly commits to flexible, unrestricted funding and reduced bureaucracy. Applications should reflect your authentic work rather than trying to fit rigid criteria.
  1. Don't be deterred by being small - They specifically support small-to-medium organisations and are willing to take risks on innovative projects. Size is not a barrier; impact potential is what matters.
  1. Pre-application contact is genuinely welcomed - Unlike many funders, they explicitly encourage calls and questions before applying. Use this to test fit and build rapport.
  1. Align with current strategic priorities - Their Resilience Fund themes change (2024 focused on homelessness; 2025 on youth leadership and racist/Islamophobic violence). Watch their website for current priorities and tailor timing accordingly.

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

References