The Costa Foundation

Charity Number: 1147400

Annual Expenditure: £1.7M
Geographic Focus: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Income: £1,589,574 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Not specified - rolling application process
  • Grant Range: Variable (partnership-based projects from ~£50,000 to over £1 million for multi-year partnerships)
  • Geographic Focus: International - 10 coffee-growing countries (Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.costafoundation.com
  • Email: info@costafoundation.com (for NGO enquiries) or Kate.OBrien@costafoundation.com (Executive Director)
  • Phone: 7710183779
  • Costa Coffee Staff: foundation@costacoffee.com

Overview

Founded in 2007 as the charitable foundation of Costa Coffee, The Costa Foundation (Charity No. 1147400) has a bold vision to eradicate poverty in coffee-growing communities. Over 17 years, the foundation has invested over £20 million in more than 100 new schools and over 800 classrooms across 10 countries, providing access to safe, quality education for over 120,000 children and young people. The foundation operates as a grant-giving organisation that collaborates exclusively with selected delivery partners (NGOs and charities) in coffee-growing communities. A key strategic focus is increasing access to education for girls, with initiatives including dormitories, gender clubs, sanitation facilities, and community workshops addressing gender norms. In 2023, the foundation had a total income of £1,589,574 and charitable expenditure of £1,664,836, funded entirely through donations and fundraising from Costa Coffee stores, customers, and corporate partnerships.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Costa Foundation operates through strategic multi-year partnerships with selected NGO delivery partners rather than open grant rounds. Typical partnership investments include:

  • School Infrastructure Projects: Building new schools and classrooms (single classroom: ~£22,000-£48,000 in Ethiopia; facilities vary by country)
  • Multi-Year Partnership Programmes: Substantial partnerships like Plan International (6 projects totalling over £1 million since 2015) and PEAS Uganda/Zambia (10+ schools supporting 5,000+ students)
  • School Facilities: Libraries (£48,000), toilet blocks (£1,100 in Colombia), teacher/student accommodations
  • Educational Resources: Computers, textbooks (£20 for Vietnamese primary students), desks and chairs (£50 in Honduras)
  • Infrastructure: Water, electricity, agricultural land development for families

Applications are rolling with no time limits, allowing for long-term sustainability planning. The foundation aims to make each school/project sustainable within 5 years.

Priority Areas

  • Education Access: Building and extending schools in areas with greatest educational need
  • Girls' Education: Specific focus on reducing barriers for girls (dormitories, sanitation, gender clubs)
  • Sustainable Development: Projects that can become financially sustainable through government subsidies, low fees, and income-generating activities
  • Community Impact: Schools serving coffee-growing communities where children lack access to secondary education
  • Quality Infrastructure: WASH facilities, science laboratories, libraries, safe learning environments

What They Don't Fund

  • UK-based projects: Only funds international work in coffee-growing communities
  • General charity requests: Does not respond to unsolicited general funding requests
  • Teacher salaries: Typically does not pay ongoing teacher salaries (seeks agreements with local education authorities)
  • Projects outside coffee-growing regions: Must be in Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, Vietnam, or Zambia
  • Individual applications: Works only with established NGO/charity delivery partners
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Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Kate O'Brien, Executive Director (joined June 2023)

  • 20+ years across private, public and nonprofit sectors
  • Former Director at Kinship (kinship care charity) and 11+ years at Save the Children UK
  • Quote: "It's a great amalgamation of all my skills, I'm very passionate about education – both my parents were teachers – and enabling children to thrive wherever they're born in the world."
  • On the foundation's mission: "I hope that the work we do at the Costa Foundation can change at least a few of these girls and families' lives in coffee growing communities to give them a brighter future."

Faye Southey, Project Officer (joined April 2024)

  • Background in inclusive education and youth development
  • Passionate about youth voice and accessible opportunities

Board of Trustees

Rob Swyer, Chair of Trustees

  • 30+ years retail and commercial experience at Mars, ASDA
  • Aims to “continue the amazing work of the Costa Foundation charity”

Amit Aggarwal, Vice Chair

  • Chartered Accountant
  • Background in nonprofit fundraising and corporate partnerships

Rory Blyth, Treasurer

Laura Camfield, Projects Committee Chair (joined 2019)

Other Trustees: Cecile Angrand, Charlotte Balfour-Poole, Hannah Bellamy, Hayley Finn, Nick Orrin (joined 2024)

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Costa Foundation operates through selected delivery partners only rather than open competitive grants. The process:

  1. Initial Contact: NGOs should contact info@costafoundation.com to express interest
  2. Partnership Criteria: Must be an NGO/charity running education-focused projects in coffee-growing communities in one of their 10 operating countries
  3. Needs Assessment: Must demonstrate a clear educational need aligned with the foundation's mission
  4. Grant Application: Partners apply for grants for new schools and projects through the foundation's grant-application process
  5. No Time Limits: Applications have no time limit and can provide resources for existing projects

Decision Timeline

  • Not specified: The foundation does not publish standard decision timelines
  • Partnership-based: Appears to operate on a relationship-driven model with ongoing partner engagement
  • Progress Monitoring: Regular project updates with robust auditing process
  • Staged Funding: Release of funds based on achieving agreed project targets
  • Annual Audits: Delivery partners audited annually to verify budgets, invoices and payments

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation works with selected partners including Plan International, PEAS, Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd (Vietnam, Nicaragua, Peru), and others with established relationships.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified. The foundation appears to maintain long-term partnerships with delivery partners (e.g., PEAS partnership growing since 2010, Plan International partnership since 2015).

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Looks For

Strong Delivery Partners who have:

  • Close relationships with NGOs, government authorities, regional/local authorities, co-operatives, and local communities
  • Proven track record in education delivery
  • Commitment to sustainability (schools that can “run indefinitely and independently of UK fundraising”)
  • Cost-effectiveness (e.g., PEAS schools operate at 72% of government school costs)

Project Characteristics:

  • Located in coffee-growing communities
  • Address real educational need (e.g., Uganda: 3 in 4 children cannot access secondary education)
  • Financially sustainable model through government subsidies, low fees, and income-generating projects
  • Clear impact on girls' education access
  • Integration of WASH facilities and safe learning environments

Recent Funded Projects

  • Plan International Guatemala/Honduras: 6 projects totalling over £1 million, including infrastructure in Madriz (Nicaragua) and San Pedro Carcha (Guatemala), supporting 3,000+ children
  • PEAS Uganda/Zambia: 10 high schools in Uganda, 2 in Zambia, educating 5,000+ students (53% girls)
  • Hibiscus High School, Uganda (first PEAS partnership, began 2011)
  • Dimtu High School, Ethiopia: Serving students who previously had no access to secondary education

Impact Evidence Valued

  • Guatemala: 81% increase in enrolment since 2017
  • Uganda: Costa Foundation-funded schools achieved 55.7% top grades vs 49% nationally
  • Zambia: PEAS Kampinda High School: 56% O Level pass rate vs 51% nationally
  • Nicaragua: 95% of children in completed schools feel school is more enjoyable and safer

Strategic Approach

The foundation values the “SmartAid model” used by partners like PEAS, which focuses on developing sustainable secondary schools that can operate independently. Projects should demonstrate long-term thinking with 5-year sustainability goals.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Partnership-focused: This is not an open grant programme - build a relationship with the foundation before applying. Contact them early to discuss alignment.
  • Geographic restriction is absolute: Must be in coffee-growing communities in their 10 operating countries. No UK funding.
  • Sustainability is paramount: Demonstrate how your school/project will become financially independent within 5 years through government funding, low fees, or income generation.
  • Girls' education is a strategic priority: Projects that specifically address barriers to girls' education (safety, facilities, gender norms) align with current leadership priorities.
  • Evidence of need and impact: Use comparative data showing educational access gaps and project outcomes against national benchmarks.
  • Cost-effectiveness matters: Show value for money - the foundation appreciates efficient models like PEAS (72% of government school costs).
  • Long-term relationship building: Successful partners like Plan International and PEAS have sustained multi-year partnerships - this is not a one-off grant approach.

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