The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation

Charity Number: 281943

Annual Expenditure: £1.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1 million
  • Total Raised to Date: £38 million
  • Decision Time: Partnership-based (no public application process)
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £10,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: England and Wales
  • Application Method: Invitation only - selected charity partnerships

Contact Details

Address: The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, Second Avenue, Deeside Industrial Park, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2NW

Email: ifcf@iceland.co.uk

Phone: 01244 842885

Website: https://ifcf.org.uk/

Overview

The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) was established in 1973 but took on its current public-facing structure in 2013. The foundation operates under the simple mission “to make life better for everyone,” working collaboratively with Iceland Foods, The Food Warehouse, and their network of over 30,000 colleagues and customers to raise funds for charitable causes. To date, IFCF has raised an impressive £38 million, with approximately £1 million raised annually. The foundation is a registered charity with its own board of trustees, chaired by Richard Walker (Executive Chairman of Iceland Foods). Rather than operating an open grant application process, IFCF strategically selects charity partners for multi-year partnerships, allowing them to concentrate resources and maximize impact in their four core focus areas: Dementia, Environment, Wellbeing, and Children.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through strategic charity partnerships rather than discrete grant programs. Major funding commitments have included:

  • Dementia Research: £10 million to UCL Dementia Research Institute, £5 million+ to Alzheimer's Research UK, £1.5 million to Alzheimer's Society, £1.1 million to National Brain Appeal for the world's first Rare Dementia Support Centre
  • Mental Health/Wellbeing: £1.4 million+ to Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), £1 million to Prostate Cancer UK
  • Children's Charities: £580,000+ to Action for Children (lead partner of Secret Santa campaign), over £3 million to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, support for 6,448 families and 16,174 vulnerable children through the Winter Crisis Fund
  • Environment: Lead partner of Surfers Against Sewage's Million Mile Clean program, co-founded SAS Plastic Free Awards
  • Health Awareness: Partnership with UK Sepsis Trust for 'Schools against Sepsis' and 'Sepsis Savvy' campaigns
  • Emergency Relief: £50,000 to The Sun's Earthquake Appeal for British Red Cross relief in Turkey and Syria (2023)

Individual grants typically range from £50,000 for emergency appeals to multi-million pound commitments for major research initiatives.

Priority Areas

The foundation concentrates on four core areas:

  1. Dementia - "Let's beat it" - £18 million raised specifically for dementia research and support, representing the foundation's largest funding commitment
  2. Environment - Sustainability initiatives, particularly focused on plastic pollution and conservation
  3. Wellbeing - Mental health awareness, life-saving health campaigns, suicide prevention
  4. Children - Addressing poverty, improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people

The foundation prioritizes causes that resonate with their colleague and customer base across 1,000+ stores, allowing for community-driven fundraising and awareness campaigns.

What They Don't Fund

  • Individual applications from organizations not selected as charity partners
  • Organizations outside England and Wales
  • General grant applications (funding is fully committed annually through selected partnerships)
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Richard Walker - Chair of Trustees, Executive Chairman of Iceland Foods
  • Sir Malcolm Walker CBE - Founder of Iceland Foods
  • Tarsem Dhaliwal OBE - CEO of Iceland Foods
  • Paul Dhaliwal - Chief Commercial Officer

The trustee board demonstrates active involvement in fundraising activities. In 2023, Richard Walker and Paul Dhaliwal, along with 40 Deeside Head Office colleagues, participated in a unique 'Boycott Your Bed' fundraising event at ZipWorld in Wales, spending the night sleeping on zipwire hammocks and trampolines in a giant underground cave. During the 2022-23 financial year, trustees personally donated £200,000 to the foundation.

Leadership Approach

Richard Walker has emphasized the foundation's community-driven approach, noting their network includes “over 30,000 passionate fundraisers, campaigners and activists.” The foundation states they “listen closely to our colleagues and customers to ensure our giving has impact where it is needed.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation does not have a public application process. Their website clearly states: “Funding for the current financial year is already fully committed. We receive a huge volume of requests from the areas around our 1,000 stores and by focusing on our chosen partner charities we hope to make the best impact in those communities. We regret that we are therefore unable to consider requests for support from other good causes.”

The foundation operates through a trustee-led selection process, choosing charity partners for multi-year partnerships rather than responding to individual grant applications. Funding decisions are made by the board of trustees, who select causes that align with their four core areas and resonate with their colleague and customer network.

Organizations may contact the foundation at ifcf@iceland.co.uk, though the foundation makes clear that they cannot consider most requests due to their committed funding strategy.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - partnerships are selected through trustee discretion rather than application rounds.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no open application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation selects its charity partners rather than responding to applications.

Application Success Factors

While there is no application process, understanding how IFCF selects and works with charity partners provides insight into their decision-making:

Partnership Characteristics

Successful charity partnerships with IFCF typically demonstrate:

  1. Alignment with Core Focus Areas - All major partnerships clearly fall within Dementia, Environment, Wellbeing, or Children priorities. The foundation has raised £18 million specifically for dementia research, demonstrating this as their strongest focus area.
  1. Scale and Impact Potential - IFCF prioritizes partnerships where concentrated support can make significant impact. Richard Walker noted the goal with CALM was to “help create 5 million life-saving conversations, one for every customer that walks through our store doors each week.”
  1. Multi-Year Commitment Opportunities - Partnerships typically extend over multiple years (e.g., two-year partnership with CALM, three-year partnership with Natasha Allergy Research Foundation), allowing for sustained impact and relationship building.
  1. Colleague and Customer Engagement Potential - The foundation values causes that can engage their 30,000+ colleagues across 1,000 stores. The Action for Children Secret Santa campaign made "each and every one of Iceland's 28,000 colleagues a Secret Santa" with a £280,000 donation.
  1. Innovation and Leadership Opportunity - IFCF led the formation of the UCL Dementia Research Retail Coalition, bringing together nine UK retailers to raise £20 million. They also co-founded the SAS Plastic Free Awards and became lead partner for major national campaigns.
  1. Measurable Outcomes - Partnerships clearly articulate impact, such as CALM's partnership funding "over 70,000 calls on CALM's life-saving helpline“ and Action for Children support reaching ”6,448 families and 16,174 vulnerable children."

Foundation's Own Guidance

From the foundation's website: “We receive a huge volume of requests from the areas around our 1,000 stores and by focusing on our chosen partner charities we hope to make the best impact in those communities.”

This indicates the foundation prioritizes depth over breadth, concentrating resources on selected partners rather than distributing smaller grants widely.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process - IFCF does not accept grant applications. They select charity partners through trustee discretion.
  • Strategic Partnership Model - The foundation operates through multi-year charity partnerships rather than one-off grants, focusing on sustained, high-impact relationships.
  • Four Clear Priority Areas - All funding aligns with Dementia, Environment, Wellbeing, or Children. Dementia represents their largest commitment at £18 million of their £38 million total.
  • Scale Matters - IFCF makes substantial commitments (£50,000 to £10 million), favoring partnerships where they can be a lead funder or major contributor.
  • Colleague Engagement Essential - Successful partnerships engage Iceland's 30,000+ colleagues and customers across 1,000 stores through fundraising activities and awareness campaigns.
  • Long-Term Vision - Multi-year partnerships are the norm, allowing for relationship building and sustained impact rather than short-term grants.
  • Retail Coalition Leadership - The foundation has demonstrated willingness to convene other funders (as with the UCL Dementia Research Retail Coalition), suggesting they value collaborative approaches and leadership opportunities.

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