The Indigo Trust

Charity Number: 1075920

Annual Expenditure: £3.7M
Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi ... [1 more]

Contact Info

Website: www.indigotrust.org.uk

Phone: 020 7410 0330

Email: info@sfct.org.uk

Be the first to know about new funding opportunities

Get notified when we add new funders to the directory

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £3,691,333 (2023-24)
  • Success Rate: N/A (invitation-only applications)
  • Decision Time: Rolling basis throughout the year
  • Grant Range: £222 - £1,000,000 (typical grants £10,000-£30,000)
  • Geographic Focus: UK and Sub-Saharan Africa

Contact Details

Website: www.indigotrust.org.uk

Email: info@sfct.org.uk

Phone: 020 7410 0330

Address: Operated through The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts office

Overview

The Indigo Trust is a UK-based grant-making foundation established in 1999 by Fran Perrin OBE. As one of 16 independent trusts established by three generations of the Sainsbury family, the Trust has distributed over £28 million through 618 grants since its inception. The Trust supports early-stage organisations through flexible grant-making, commissioning research, and building partnerships to address systemic injustices. In 2022-23, 70% of funding was unrestricted, demonstrating their commitment to flexible, trust-based philanthropy. Fran Perrin received an OBE in the 2020 Queen's Honours List for services to charity during the Covid pandemic and the 2021 Global Philanthropic Lifetime Contribution to Philanthropy award. The Trust was also the first organisation to publish its grants data to the 360Giving standard, pioneering transparency in UK grant-making.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Invitation-Only Funding - Rolling basis (typical range £10,000 - £270,000)

  • Submission of proposals is currently by invitation only
  • The Trust identifies relevant organisations through diverse networks, proactive research, and recommendations from grantee-partners and peer funders
  • 70% of funding is unrestricted, with remainder for specific projects or research
  • Grant decisions made on a rolling basis throughout the year between formal trustee meetings

Plus One Grants Programme (£20,000)

  • Unrestricted funding to smaller organisations
  • Recent recipients include Carlisle Foodbank and National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)

Priority Areas

Access to Justice (Global and UK)

  • Support for legal information institutes making case law freely accessible
  • Funding for law centres providing free legal advice
  • Recent grantees: Laws.Africa (£270,000), African Legal Information Institute, Cumbria Law Centre, Ealing Law Centre, Southwark Law Centre, Justice Together Fund, Child Poverty Action Group

Racial Justice

  • Support for organisations addressing structural inequities
  • Recent grantees: Black Equity Organisation

Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

  • Recent grantees: Lucy Faithfull Foundation (£140,000), Panorama Global (£59,000 for participation in November 2024 Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children)

Visual Impairment

  • Support for organisations serving visually impaired communities

Better Grant-making

  • Core unrestricted funding to 360Giving
  • Investment in improving transparency and effectiveness across the philanthropy sector
  • The Sainsbury Archive (£30,000 for annual running costs)

Sub-Saharan Africa Work

  • Focus on organisations using digital technologies to improve transparency and accountability
  • Strong preference for organisations based in Sub-Saharan Africa (not just working there)
  • Priority for projects with low operating costs, sustainable business models, and appropriate, widely-adopted local technology
  • Countries supported: Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda

The Trust prioritises funding work that is less well supported by other donors, either because it is perceived as risky or unpopular or is a less understood issue.

What They Don't Fund

  • Work outside their five focus areas
  • Individuals
  • Events

Governance and Leadership

Founder and Director: Fran Perrin OBE

Former advisor at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in the UK Cabinet Office. Co-founder and Patron of 360Giving. Awarded OBE in 2020 for services to charity during Covid pandemic. Received Global Philanthropic Lifetime Contribution to Philanthropy award in 2021.

Trustees:

  • William Perrin OBE - Co-runs the Trust with Fran Perrin
  • Sonia Sodha - Chief leader writer at The Observer and Guardian/Observer columnist. Previously senior policy adviser to Ed Miliband as Labour party leader and worked at think tanks IPPR and Demos
  • Sameer Padania - Independent researcher and consultant on public interest journalism and information ecosystems globally. Trustee of the Orwell Foundation and Reset.Tech
  • Dominic Flynn - Partner in BDB Pitmans' private wealth team, advising on philanthropy and trusts

Staff Team:

  • Thrisha Haldar - Lead Executive
  • Louise Vickers - Assistant Trust Executive
  • Rumina Miah - Trust Assistant

Diversity Statistics:

  • Staff Team: 100% female, 40% from racially/ethnically minoritised groups
  • Trustees: 60% male, 40% from racially/ethnically minoritised groups

All Indigo trustees are decision makers on all grants; the Trust does not operate any sub-committees.

Key Quote from Fran Perrin: “What is this money for if not for an emergency like this? Philanthropy and charity are for the public good. An emergency changes brutally how one defines that. Philanthropists and foundations have to respond. A dynamic change to different methodologies is what is needed now by all of us.”

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Invitation-only system

  • The Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals
  • Organisations are identified through diverse networks, proactive research, and recommendations from grantee-partners and peer funders
  • Direct contact may not lead to immediate funding opportunity

Decision Timeline

  • Grant decisions made on a rolling basis throughout the year
  • Majority of decisions made between formal trustee meetings (minimum twice per year)
  • All trustees involved in decision-making on all grants

Reporting Requirements

  • Kept as “simple and light touch as possible”
  • Reporting requirements tailored to each grant
  • Written reports or meetings/calls accepted
  • Reports prepared for other donors are acceptable

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given invitation-only approach. The Trust does not accept open applications as this process has proven burdensome for both sides and has rarely resulted in new grants being awarded.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only model, the following factors characterise successful grantees:

Alignment with Priority Areas

  • Work must fall within one of the five focus areas
  • Particularly interested in work that is “less well supported by other donors, either because it is perceived as risky or unpopular or is a less understood issue”

Organisational Characteristics

  • Early-stage organisations welcome
  • For Sub-Saharan Africa work: strong preference for organisations based in the region rather than simply working there
  • Organisations using appropriate, widely-adopted local technology
  • Sustainable business models or low operating costs

Type of Work

  • Projects addressing systemic injustices
  • Innovative approaches to complex social challenges
  • Work that creates meaningful social impact
  • Transparent, accountable organisations

Flexibility and Trust

  • The Trust demonstrates flexibility in funding approaches (70% unrestricted)
  • They tailor reporting and grant structures to grantee needs
  • Example: During COVID-19, rapidly deployed £2.5 million in 48 hours including £1 million to National Emergencies Trust, £1 million to Trussell Trust foodbanks, and £500,000 to Oxfordshire Community Foundation

Recent Funding Examples:

  • Laws.Africa: £270,000 core funding over 2 years (2024)
  • Lucy Faithfull Foundation: £140,000 unrestricted for child sexual abuse prevention (2024)
  • Panorama Global: £59,000 for conference participation (2024)
  • Law centres: various grants for free legal advice provision
  • Plus One Programme: £20,000 grants to smaller organisations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only approach: You cannot submit unsolicited applications. Focus on building relationships with current grantees and peer funders who might recommend your organisation
  • Unrestricted funding preference: 70% of grants are unrestricted, showing the Trust values organisational autonomy and flexibility
  • Risk-tolerant funder: Actively seeks to fund “risky or unpopular” work that other donors avoid; early-stage organisations are welcome
  • Low bureaucracy: Reporting requirements are intentionally light; the Trust accepts reports prepared for other funders
  • Long-term relationships: Many grantees receive multiple grants over time (e.g., Laws.Africa, African Legal Information Institute)
  • Systemic change focus: Look for organisations addressing root causes and structural inequities, not just symptoms
  • Transparency valued: The Trust pioneered 360Giving data publication and supports better grant-making practices across the sector
  • Diversity commitment: The Trust values diverse teams and experiences, reflected in their own governance and staff composition

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

  • The Access To Justice Foundation
  • Bbc Children In Need
  • Engineers In Business Fellowship
  • Sainsbury Centre Endowment Fund
  • Bill Brown'S Charitable Settlement Of 1989
  • Egerton Will Trust
  • The Ajs Charitable Trust
  • The Goyal Foundation
  • The Katherine Martin Charitable Trust
  • Justice Collaborations

References