The Holroyd Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £25,000 - £247,000 (variable based on recent years)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, Manchester City

Contact Details

• Address: Abbots Moss Hall, Tarporley Road, Oakmere, Northwich, CW8 2ES
• Phone: 01606 301499
• Email: admin@abbotsmoss.com
• Website: None publicly available

Overview

The Holroyd Foundation was established in 2014 by Charles William Holroyd CBE DL (known as Bill Holroyd), a British investor and philanthropist. The foundation is a family charitable trust that seeks to promote health, welfare, education and opportunity with particular emphasis on young people. The foundation makes grants to charities associated with young people, cancer-associated charities, and many local charities in Cheshire.

Bill Holroyd built his wealth through founding Holroyd Meek, a foodservice distribution company that by 1994 had a turnover of £190 million serving over 7,000 restaurants across the UK. He was awarded a CBE in 2013 for his charitable works and received a Beacon Fellowship for Philanthropy in 2015. The foundation operates as the charitable arm of the Holroyd family's philanthropic activities, with close ties to Cheshire Community Foundation, described as “a long-standing supporter of CCF.”

The foundation operates primarily through grant-making to organisations rather than direct service provision. Recent financial data shows volatile income, with expenditure of £247,408 in 2024, though this has varied significantly (from over £3 million in 2023 to £25,582 in 2025).

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not publicise specific grant programs or amounts. Based on available information, grants are made at the trustees' discretion.

Priority Areas

• Young people: Projects and charities supporting children and young people
• Health and welfare: Including cancer-related charities
• Education and opportunity: Initiatives promoting educational advancement
• Local Cheshire charities: Community organisations across Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, and Manchester City

What They Don't Fund

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation's charitable objects allow the trustees absolute discretion in determining grant recipients: “Such purposes as shall be exclusively charitable as the trustees in their absolute discretion from time to time think fit.”

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

• Charles William Holroyd CBE DL (Chair) - Appointed March 2014. Founder of OnSide Youth Zones, former Chairman of Bolton Lads & Girls Club, and prominent investor/philanthropist. Bill stated about his work with young people: “Every town should have one of these amazing facilities.” He founded OnSide Youth Zones in 2008, which now operates 14 Youth Zones with over 30,000 young people as regular users.

• Julie Rae Holroyd - Appointed March 2014. Bill Holroyd's wife.

• John Charles Roberts - Appointed March 2014. Also a trustee of The Jolly Foundation.

• Jake Ashley Ankers - Appointed November 2019. Managing Director of Abbots Moss Ventures, the family investment company. Also Vice Chair of Cheshire Community Foundation. The family describes philanthropy as “a core value to the company and the family.”

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The foundation operates with absolute trustee discretion and does not advertise grant opportunities or accept applications through a formal process. Grants appear to be made proactively by the trustees to organisations and causes they identify and wish to support.

The foundation's charitable objects explicitly state that funding decisions are made by “the trustees in their absolute discretion from time to time.”

Getting on Their Radar

The Holroyd Foundation has an established relationship with Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF), described as “a long-standing supporter of CCF.” Organisations seeking to connect with the foundation may benefit from:

• Working with Cheshire Community Foundation: Jake Ankers serves as Vice Chair of CCF, creating a direct link between the two foundations
• OnSide Youth Zones connection: Bill Holroyd founded and continues to serve on the board of OnSide Youth Zones - organisations aligned with youth provision may have natural synergies
• Cheshire-based work: The foundation has a strong geographic focus on Cheshire and surrounding areas

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no formal application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's trustee-discretion model, key alignment factors include:

• Youth focus: The foundation explicitly emphasises young people in its mission. Bill Holroyd's founding of OnSide Youth Zones demonstrates deep personal commitment to youth provision
• Cancer and health causes: Explicitly mentioned as a priority area alongside youth charities
• Cheshire connection: Strong preference for local Cheshire charities, particularly in Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, and Manchester City
• Quality and impact: Bill Holroyd's work with OnSide emphasises “state-of-the-art facilities” and transformational impact - the foundation likely values demonstrable outcomes
• Existing relationships: The foundation's close ties with Cheshire Community Foundation suggest relationship-based giving

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - this is a trustee-discretion family foundation
• Build relationships through Cheshire Community Foundation - the shared trusteeship with Jake Ankers creates a potential pathway
• Align with the founder's passions - Bill Holroyd's lifelong commitment to youth provision (OnSide Youth Zones) and cancer charities indicates genuine priority areas
• Focus on Cheshire - the geographic focus is explicit and strong
• The foundation's giving is variable - recent expenditure has ranged from £25,000 to over £3 million, suggesting grants may be made when significant projects align with trustee interests
• Family values matter - philanthropy is described as “a core value to the company and the family”

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• Brian Wilson Charitable Trust
• MW (RH) Foundation
• Broome Family Charitable Trust
• Lord Leverhulme's Charitable Trust
• THE ZOCHONIS CHARITABLE TRUST
• Bathgate Charitable Trust
• The Manchester Guardian Society Charitable Trust
• The Ursula Keyes Trust
• Philip Barker Charity
• Cheshire Community Foundation Limited

References

• Charity Commission Register - The Holroyd Foundation -
• The Holroyd Foundation Full Print - Charity Commission -
• Giving is Great - The Holroyd Foundation Factsheet -
• Charity Choice - The Holroyd Foundation -
• Cheshire Community Foundation - Trustees -
• OnSide Youth Zones - Bill Holroyd CBE DL -
• OnSide Youth Zones - About -