The Frank Jackson Foundation

Charity Number: 1007600

Annual Expenditure: £0.8M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £800,000-£900,000
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation-only model)
  • Decision Time: Variable (trustees actively seek projects)
  • Grant Range: £5,000-£15,000/year (Suffolk programme) to major multi-year research partnerships
  • Geographic Focus: UK (bias toward Suffolk/East Anglia) and South Africa (Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town)

Contact Details

Email: frankjacksonfoundation@live.co.uk

Website: https://frankjacksonfoundation.org.uk

Charity Number: 1007600

Important: The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Trustees actively seek out causes that meet their aims. Organizations may send a short enquiry summarizing how their work meets the Foundation's criteria, but the Foundation regrets they are unable to respond to most enquiries.

Overview

The Frank Jackson Foundation was established by the late Mr Frank Jackson M.B.E. (1910-2004), a former Communist newspaperman in Moscow who founded and built a national civil engineering and construction group in Britain. He used his wealth to fund environmental research, founding the Jackson Environment Institute at University College London in 1993. The Foundation operates with an annual budget of £800,000-£900,000 and focuses the majority of funds on core, long-term charity partnerships. Approximately 40% of grant recipients are in South Africa, with the remainder in the UK, particularly Suffolk. The Foundation has sponsored an Environment Professor at Gresham College since 2014 and supports research positions at Oxford's Environmental Change Institute.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Suffolk Community Foundation Partnership Programme

  • £5,000 per year for three years (£15,000 total)
  • Core cost grants for locally-based voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations
  • Interim reporting required at end of Years 1 and 2
  • Trustee visits to funded organisations during grant period
  • Organisations funded in one cycle may apply for a second 3-year grant
  • Application method: Fixed cycles through Suffolk Community Foundation (next opening: 2027)
  • Total distributed through Suffolk partnership: £364,996 to 64 organisations

Major Environmental Research Partnerships

  • Multi-year research posts at Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
  • Gresham College Professorships of the Environment
  • Support for three research positions at Oriel College and ECI
  • Rolling basis for major strategic partnerships

Churchill Fellowships

  • Two Frank Jackson Fellows of the Environment annually
  • 4-8 week international research fellowships on environmental topics
  • Through Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

South Africa Education Programmes

  • School scholarships (4 annually: 2 boys, 2 girls from Grade 4)
  • Teacher training and development programmes
  • After-school support and vocational training initiatives

Priority Areas

Education and Learning (in its widest sense):

  • Disadvantaged young people and communities
  • Learning life skills
  • Improvement in physical, social, and mental wellbeing
  • Outdoor activities and experiential learning
  • Practical skills training
  • Teacher training and educational capacity building
  • Vocational and employability skills

Environmental Projects:

  • Practical solutions to address the environmental crisis
  • Engineering solutions to environmental problems
  • Environmental research at higher education institutions with plans for dissemination
  • Climate change research and mitigation
  • Ecosystems, forests, land, carbon, and energy research
  • Projects fostering a sustainable future

What They Don't Fund

  • Large national charities (for Suffolk programme)
  • Unsolicited applications from organizations not meeting their strategic criteria
  • Organisations outside their geographic focus areas
  • Projects without clear educational or environmental benefit to disadvantaged groups or environmental protection
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Governance and Leadership

Current Trustees:

  • David Hugh Tennant - Chair
  • Mary-Anne Gribbon - Trustee (since June 2017)
  • Mark Sargeantson - Trustee (since March 2022)
  • Isabelle Haigh - Trustee (since March 2024)
  • Esther Blackburn - Trustee (since September 2025)
  • Robert Harper - Trustee (since September 2025)

Trustees meet four times per year, mostly in the City of London during working days. They take an active role in grant-making, representing the Foundation at events, visiting grant partners, and investigating future grant-making opportunities. The Board builds relationships with existing and prospective grantees personally.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Major Grants and Partnerships:

The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Trustees actively seek out good causes which meet the Foundation's aims. Organizations may send a short enquiry to frankjacksonfoundation@live.co.uk summarizing how their work meets the Foundation's criteria, but should note that the Foundation cannot respond to most enquiries due to volume.

For Suffolk Community Foundation Programme:

  • Applications through Suffolk Community Foundation portal when open
  • Three-year grant cycle (next opening: 2027)
  • Organizations funded in previous cycles may reapply for second three-year grants

Decision Timeline

Variable depending on programme. For Suffolk Community Foundation partnership, decisions are made on a fixed three-year cycle. For major strategic partnerships, trustees identify and approach organizations directly based on strategic priorities.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The invitation-only model means traditional success rate metrics do not apply for most of the Foundation's grant-making.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations funded through the Suffolk Community Foundation programme may apply for a second consecutive 3-year grant when the application cycle reopens. The Foundation maintains long-term partnerships with organizations that meet their strategic aims.

Application Success Factors

Strategic Alignment:

The Foundation seeks organizations whose work directly aligns with their dual focus on education for the disadvantaged and environmental protection. Successful partnerships demonstrate:

  • Clear benefit to disadvantaged communities or environmental outcomes
  • Evidence-based approaches with measurable impact
  • Capacity for dissemination and wider influence
  • Long-term sustainability and strategic planning

Examples of Funded Organizations:

South Africa:

  • Cordwalles and Clifton Preparatory Schools (scholarship programmes)
  • Amathuba Foundation (mentorship for scholarship recipients)
  • Sozo Foundation (Vrygrond Township after-school and vocational training)
  • Ikamva Youth (township after-school clubs and career guidance)
  • Wordworks (early literacy development and teacher training)
  • Western Cape Primary Science Programme (teacher skills development)
  • Vula Programme (maths and science teacher training)

UK - Environmental Research:

  • Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford (Professor Yadvinder Malhi)
  • Gresham College (Professor Myles Allen, climate change researcher and IPCC Lead Author)
  • Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (environmental fellowships)

UK - Suffolk:

  • Age UK Suffolk
  • Iceni Ipswich
  • Headway Suffolk
  • Suffolk Family Carers
  • Felixstowe Youth Development Group

Key Success Factors:

  • Locally-based and locally-run organizations (for Suffolk programme)
  • Focus on core costs rather than project-specific funding
  • Demonstrated work with disadvantaged groups
  • Clear educational or environmental outcomes
  • Capacity for reporting and relationship-building with trustees
  • Alignment with Foundation's geographic priorities
  • Potential for long-term partnership (3-6 years or more)

What Makes Applications Stand Out:

The Foundation values practical solutions, evidence-based approaches, and organizations with clear plans for measuring and communicating impact. For environmental projects, engineering solutions and research with dissemination plans are particularly valued. For education projects, comprehensive support addressing multiple aspects of disadvantage (skills, wellbeing, practical training) resonates with the Foundation's holistic view of “education in its widest sense.”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Don't submit unsolicited applications: This is an invitation-only funder. The most effective approach is building relationships through sector networks, events, or through partner organizations like Suffolk Community Foundation.
  • Core funding focus: The Foundation prioritizes unrestricted, core cost grants enabling organizations to deliver their strategic mission rather than project-specific funding.
  • Long-term relationships: With 3-year grants and potential for renewal, the Foundation invests in sustained partnerships. Demonstrate your organization's stability and long-term vision.
  • Geographic specificity matters: For UK grants outside major research partnerships, there's a clear bias toward Suffolk and East Anglia. South Africa grants concentrate on Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town.
  • Dual mission alignment: Projects combining education and environment may be particularly attractive given the Foundation's dual focus areas.
  • Active trustee involvement: Expect regular engagement including site visits. The Foundation values personal relationships and direct observation of grant partners' work.
  • Think strategically about timing: Suffolk Community Foundation programme operates on 3-year cycles. Organizations funded in 2024 can next apply in 2027. Plan accordingly rather than expecting rolling applications.

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