The Ebico Trust For Sustainable Development

Charity Number: 1127587

Annual Expenditure: £2.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2 million (funding commitments by 2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Rolling basis assessments
  • Grant Range: £4,000 - £100,000
  • Geographic Focus: England, Scotland, and Wales

Contact Details

Website: https://trust.ebico.org.uk/

Email: admin@trust.ebico.org.uk / ebicotrust@ebico.org.uk

Phone: 01993 323128

Address: The Carpenters Workshop, Combe, Oxfordshire, OX29 8ET

For Funding Enquiries: trust.ebico.org.uk/apply-for-funding/

Overview

Established in 2008, The Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development (Charity No. 1127587) is the charitable arm of Ebico Limited, a not-for-profit energy supplier. The Trust receives financial surpluses from Ebico's energy supply business to support its mission. By 2023, the Trust had delivered over £2 million in funding commitments. The Trust's mission is singular and focused: to make sustainable living affordable for all households by supporting innovators developing practical, commercial solutions for low-carbon home heating and energy efficiency. The Trust believes that for a fair Zero Carbon energy transition, innovation in sustainable home heating to deliver competitively priced low-carbon warmth is essential, particularly for lower-income households. All trustees serve without remuneration, ensuring 100% of surplus funds support the charitable mission of fighting fuel poverty in Britain.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Ignite with Ebico: £5,000 - £10,000 commercial or design support packages delivered by venture-building and innovation experts. Partnership with Sustainable Ventures. The original program awarded £100,000 in total grant funding. Applications assessed on a rolling basis with specific funding rounds.

Build. with Ebico: Two-stage program offering £4,000 (Stage 1) and £12,000 (Stage 2) grants, totaling up to £16,000 per recipient. Includes an initial Innovation Bootcamp, followed by 3-4 months of mentorship at each stage. Focus on go-to-market strategies, governance, and investment readiness.

Ebico Affordable Warmth Incubator: Partnership with Sustainable Pioneers CIC. Provides £7,500 grants to three pre-start-up teams, plus access to coworking space and workshop facilities at Sustainable Ventures' Waterloo, London location. Each participant receives a £500 stipend for the first stage. Opportunity to pitch for additional £15,000 investment and further support, with potential access to up to £125,000 investment from the Sustainable Accelerator.

Priority Areas

  • Low-carbon home heating technologies
  • Energy efficiency solutions for homes
  • Heat loss prevention innovations
  • Technologies addressing fuel poverty
  • Solutions making sustainable warmth affordable and accessible
  • Products and services for lower-income households
  • Innovations applicable to social housing
  • Modular and scalable home energy solutions

The Trust specifically seeks innovations that bridge the gap between sustainability and affordability, ensuring Net Zero solutions are accessible to economically disadvantaged families.

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects not focused on domestic heating or energy efficiency
  • Solutions not addressing affordability for lower-income households
  • Non-UK registered businesses
  • Initiatives outside England, Scotland, and Wales
  • Projects without commercial viability potential
  • Purely theoretical research without practical application pathways
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Governance and Leadership

Phil Levermore, C.Eng, MIET - Trustee & Founder

Co-founder of Ebico Limited (1998) and founder of the Ebico Trust for Sustainable Development. Former Chairman of The Climate Group and current CEO of Ebico. Committed to supporting practical strategies for home energy affordability for low-income households.

Nick Johansen - Trustee

Over 15 years of experience in the energy industry, having helped establish successful energy suppliers including Good Energy and OVO Energy. Experienced in working with social housing organizations on Solar PV projects and involved in Green Deal Provider, Assessor, and Installer entities.

Stephen Knight - Trustee (appointed 2019)

Former Chief Marketing Officer of a major UK energy supplier with over 30 years of sales and marketing experience. Previously head of Brand and Marketing for Walt Disney Company in the EMEA region. Serial entrepreneur with experience founding multiple businesses.

Guy Stenhouse - Trustee & Chairman of Ebico Limited

Chairman of Shancastle Investments Limited (a private family investment company) and former Managing Director of an independent merchant bank. Serves as investment adviser to public and private businesses.

All trustees receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Ebico Trust operates through specific grant programs rather than open rolling applications. Interested innovators should:

  1. Monitor program announcements on the Trust's website (trust.ebico.org.uk) and news section for upcoming funding rounds
  2. Contact the Trust directly via email at admin@trust.ebico.org.uk to discuss project ideas and upcoming opportunities
  3. Apply when programs open - recent programs have had specific application windows (e.g., applications closing at midnight on specific dates)

For general enquiries about funding: Visit trust.ebico.org.uk/apply-for-funding/ or email admin@trust.ebico.org.uk

Eligibility Requirements (across all programs):

  • Must be a UK-registered business
  • Must innovate in home heating, heat loss prevention, or energy efficiency solutions
  • Must address both affordability and sustainability
  • Must demonstrate potential commercial viability

The Trust states: "We're always looking for new ideas to support innovators in household sustainability so, if you've got an idea for a project or collaboration, get in touch."

Decision Timeline

Applications are assessed on a rolling basis for most programs, though specific programs have fixed deadlines. The Trust does not publicly disclose average decision timeframes. Programs typically operate on cohort models with:

  • Application deadline
  • Selection and notification period
  • Bootcamp or initial assessment phase
  • Multi-stage support periods (typically 3-4 months per stage)

Success Rates

The Trust does not publicly disclose application volumes or success rates. However, programs typically support small cohorts (e.g., three pre-start-up teams for the Affordable Warmth Incubator, select innovators for Ignite with Ebico).

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified. Interested applicants should contact the Trust directly to discuss reapplication opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Recent Successful Projects demonstrate what the Trust values:

  • FurbNow: Platform simplifying energy efficiency home improvement projects with planning, installation, and financing support
  • AliveLabs: Modular Greenwall Cladding Systems reducing pollution and energy consumption with zero-maintenance design
  • BioTwin: Hemp Shiv wall studs reducing CO2 during manufacturing with better thermal properties than steel
  • Anzen Smart Walls: Smart heating and ventilation system integrated into building walls for air extraction and purification
  • Isometric Outcomes: Humidex - energy-efficient bathroom ventilation device with heat recovery
  • Moonlight Energy: Sand-Dome thermal battery using sand and glass for heat storage in district heating
  • Lowen Energy: Community-based microgrids as alternative to National Grid connections
  • Qube: Sustainable Structural Insulated Panels (Bio SIPs) from PET recycled materials and flax/hemp/bioresin

What Makes Applications Stand Out:

  1. Dual focus on sustainability AND affordability - The Trust's mission statement emphasizes that “sustainable living must be affordable to all households.” Solutions must be commercially viable for lower-income families.
  1. Commercial viability and scalability - The Trust provides investment readiness support and commercial strategy development, indicating they seek solutions with market potential beyond grant funding.
  1. Innovation in established problem areas - Focus on “the long-standing challenges of providing affordable, low-carbon warmth” suggests they value fresh approaches to persistent issues.
  1. Practical, deployable solutions - Funded projects range from product development (wall studs, ventilation devices) to service platforms (installation management), all with clear pathways to market.
  1. Alignment with Net Zero transition - Projects should contribute to the UK's transition to a net zero carbon economy while ensuring accessibility for all socioeconomic groups.
  1. Early-stage but progressing - Programs target pre-start-up and early-stage enterprises, suggesting they seek teams with developed concepts ready for acceleration, not purely theoretical ideas.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Be UK-specific and ready: All programs require UK-registered businesses with solutions applicable to the UK housing and energy market
  • Demonstrate the affordability angle: It's not enough to be sustainable - you must clearly show how your solution will be affordable and accessible to lower-income households
  • Show commercial potential: The Trust provides investment readiness support and connects to further funding opportunities, indicating they seek ventures with business sustainability beyond grants
  • Target early-stage innovators: Programs are designed for pre-start-up and early-stage businesses, not established companies or purely academic research
  • Engage proactively: The Trust welcomes direct contact to discuss ideas before formal application periods open
  • Think partnership-ready: Programs are delivered in partnership with organizations like Sustainable Ventures and Sustainable Pioneers, suggesting value placed on collaboration and ecosystem engagement
  • Be patient with timing: Programs operate on cohort models with specific application windows, so monitoring the website and news section is essential

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