The Framlingham Foundation Trust T/a The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation

Charity Number: 1170682

Annual Expenditure: £0.3M
Geographic Focus: Suffolk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £324,048 (charitable activities, year ending December 2024)
  • Total Income: £895,244
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not specified
  • Grant Range: Small grants (specific amounts not disclosed)
  • Geographic Focus: Suffolk, UK
  • Age Restriction: Under 18 years old

Contact Details

  • Website: https://www.essmf.com/
  • Email: enquiries@essmf.com
  • Phone: 01743 292444
  • Registered Address: Hardwick & Morris, 41 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LA
  • Charity Number: 1170682

Overview

The Framlingham Foundation Trust, operating as The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation, was established by musician Ed Sheeran and registered with the Charity Commission in 2016. The foundation has dual purposes: it makes grants principally for drama, music and arts teaching at Thomas Mills School in Framlingham, Suffolk (Ed Sheeran's former school), and secondarily makes grants to young people under 18 across Suffolk for music-related purposes. With annual income of approximately £895,244 (year ending December 2024), primarily from donations and legacies, the foundation has distributed over £500,000 to Thomas Mills School over multiple years for equipment such as MacBooks, cameras, photography darkrooms, and musical instruments. The foundation launched a public grant program in December 2019 to provide “small but useful grants” to help young musicians across Suffolk with their musical development.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Individual Youth Music Grants

  • Amount: “Small but useful grants” (specific amounts not disclosed)
  • For young people under 18 living in Suffolk
  • Application method: Online application form (when open)
  • Rolling/periodic application windows

Thomas Mills School Support

  • Primary institutional beneficiary
  • Grants for drama, music and arts teaching
  • Secondary grants for sports and other pupil activities
  • Not open to public application

Priority Areas

  • Music education for young people under 18 in Suffolk
  • Purchasing musical instruments
  • Funding music studies and lessons
  • Paying for rehearsal space
  • Drama, music and arts teaching at Thomas Mills School
  • Educational equipment (computers, cameras, photography equipment)
  • Music department resources
  • Supporting pupils' musical development and mental health

What They Don't Fund

  • Applicants over 18 years old
  • Applicants living outside Suffolk
  • Non-music-related activities (for individual grants)
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Governance and Leadership

The charity has 3 trustees who serve without remuneration. The foundation employs 1 staff member. No trustees receive any payments or benefits from the charity, and it does not have any trading subsidiaries.

While specific trustee names were not publicly available in the research, the foundation is closely associated with Ed Sheeran, who launched the initiative in December 2019.

How to Apply to The Framlingham Foundation Trust T/a The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation

How to Apply

For Individual Young Musicians:

The foundation operates a periodic application process for individual grants. Applications are accepted through an online form on the foundation's website (www.essmf.com) when the application window is open.

Eligibility requirements:

  • Must be under 18 years old at time of application
  • Must live in Suffolk, United Kingdom

When applications are open, applicants complete an online form explaining what they would like to do with the grant. The foundation encourages applicants to "just let the foundation know what you'd like to do when applying."

Note: As of the most recent information available, the 2025 grant application process is closed. The foundation operates on a periodic basis rather than rolling applications. Interested applicants can sign up for the newsletter at www.essmf.com to receive updates about when applications reopen.

For Thomas Mills School:

The school receives grants through trustee discretion as the foundation's primary institutional beneficiary. This is not open to public application.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed.

Success Rates

Success rates and application statistics are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated purposes and Ed Sheeran's comments, the following factors appear important:

For Individual Applicants:

  • Clear demonstration of need: The grants are described as “small but useful,” suggesting they're designed to help young musicians who need financial support to continue their musical development
  • Suffolk connection: Strong emphasis on helping young people in Suffolk specifically, reflecting Ed Sheeran's connection to the region
  • Practical musical development: The foundation explicitly mentions grants can be used for buying instruments, funding music studies, or paying for rehearsal space - practical needs that directly support musical development
  • Youth focus: Exclusive focus on under-18s suggests the foundation wants to support young people at formative stages of their musical education

Recent examples of the foundation's funding include the donation of £170,000 to Thomas Mills School over two years, which purchased MacBooks, cameras, a photography darkroom, and £30,000 for music department equipment. These examples demonstrate the foundation's interest in providing tangible resources that enable creative and musical activities.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic restriction is absolute: Only young people living in Suffolk are eligible for individual grants
  • Age limit is strict: Must be under 18 at time of application
  • Application windows are periodic: Sign up for the newsletter to be notified when applications open
  • Grants are described as “small but useful”: Don't expect large amounts, but practical support for specific needs
  • Practical purposes favored: Buying instruments, funding lessons, and paying for rehearsal space are explicitly mentioned as appropriate uses
  • Primary focus is Thomas Mills School: The majority of the foundation's grant-making goes to Ed Sheeran's former school, with individual youth grants being a secondary program
  • Simple application process: When open, applications are through an online form where you explain what you want to do

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References

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