The Livingbridge Foundation
Charity Number: 1194565
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Quick Stats
- Charity Number: 1194565
- Annual Giving: £161,003 (2024)
- Annual Income: £132,036 (2024)
- Success Rate: Not publicly available
- Decision Time: Not publicly available
- Grant Range: Not publicly specified
- Geographic Focus: UK and international (including Australia)
- Application Method: No public application process
Contact Details
Address: 100 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7AN
Email: Foundation@livingbridge.com
Phone: 020 7506 5700
Website: Information available through www.livingbridge.com/story
Overview
The Livingbridge Foundation was established in 2020 and registered with the Charity Commission on 21 May 2021. The Foundation is the charitable arm of Livingbridge, a leading mid-market private equity firm. Entirely funded by Livingbridge partners and employees, the Foundation distributed £161,003 in charitable expenditure in 2024. Its mission is to support charities working directly to address issues related to diversity and reducing inequality through access to education and continuous learning. The Foundation operates with five trustees and no paid staff, maintaining a lean governance structure. The Foundation seeks to partner with charities that can leverage the skills and expertise acquired through years of successful investing at Livingbridge, offering support that goes well beyond financial contributions.
Funding Priorities
Priority Areas
The Foundation supports charitable organisations consistent with its core values:
- Equality and Diversity: Promoting diversity across sectors, with particular focus on gender diversity and racial equity
- Education and Continuous Learning: Improving access to education and learning opportunities for underrepresented groups
- Reducing Inequality: Addressing social and economic inequalities through targeted interventions
- Entrepreneurship: Supporting entrepreneurial opportunities and enterprise development
Known Charitable Partnerships
Stars Foundation (since 2022): Supporting in-school mentoring and engagement programs for approximately 2,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women across 53 schools in Australia
Outside the Foundation, Livingbridge as a firm supports:
- Level20: Not-for-profit working to increase gender diversity in private equity
- 10,000 Black Interns Initiative: Co-founded by Livingbridge Managing Partner Wol Kolade, providing 2,000 paid internships annually to young Black university students
- Black Women in Asset Management: Promoting advancement of Black women in the asset management industry
- Impetus: Youth charity transforming lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
What They Don't Fund
Specific exclusions are not publicly documented.
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Governance and Leadership
Trustees
- Christopher Dennison (Chair) - General Counsel at Livingbridge, appointed 2020
- Amy Yateman-Smith - Investment Director at Livingbridge, appointed 2021
- Andrew Berwick - Charity Executive, appointed 2022
- Christopher Hale MA LLM - appointed 2021
- Fifth trustee - Not named in public records
All trustees serve without remuneration. The Foundation has no paid employees and no trading subsidiaries.
Key Leadership Quote
Wol Kolade, Managing Partner at Livingbridge and driving force behind the Foundation, was awarded a CBE in 2021 for services to Financial Services. His work focuses on entrepreneurialism and its benefits to the wider economy, with deep interests in healthcare, education, and improving diversity in private equity.
Application Process and Timeline
How to Apply
The Livingbridge Foundation does not have a public application process. Grants appear to be awarded at the discretion of the trustees to organizations that align with the Foundation's strategic priorities.
The Foundation describes its approach as seeking “to partner with charities who can leverage the skills [Livingbridge] people have acquired over many years of successful investing,” suggesting that selected partnerships are based on strategic fit and the potential for Livingbridge to add value beyond financial support.
Getting on Their Radar
Based on available information, the Foundation appears to identify partners through:
- Connection to Livingbridge's investment professionals: The Foundation is guided by relationships with Livingbridge partners and staff who support specific causes
- Alignment with private equity industry diversity initiatives: Given Livingbridge's active participation in Level20, 10,000 Black Interns, and ILPA Diversity in Action, organizations working in these spaces may come to their attention
- Strategic sector focus: Organizations working in education access, entrepreneurship support, and diversity in business sectors appear to align with their interests
Contact via Foundation@livingbridge.com may be appropriate for organizations with strong alignment to the Foundation's core values of Equality, Diversity, Opportunity and Entrepreneurship.
Decision Timeline
Not publicly available. As a trustee-led foundation with no formal application cycles, decisions are likely made on an ongoing basis.
Success Rates
Not publicly available.
Reapplication Policy
Not publicly documented.
Application Success Factors
Given the Foundation's approach and known partnerships, organizations most likely to be considered would demonstrate:
- Strong alignment with diversity and equality missions: The Foundation's partnership with Stars Foundation (supporting First Nations girls in Australia) demonstrates commitment to addressing inequality in underrepresented communities
- Focus on education and continuous learning: All documented priorities emphasize education access as a pathway to reducing inequality
- Entrepreneurship and opportunity creation: Alignment with Livingbridge's core business focus on entrepreneurialism and economic empowerment
- Potential for skills-based support: The Foundation explicitly states that “support goes well beyond financial,” suggesting they seek organizations that can benefit from investment expertise, business mentoring, or strategic guidance from private equity professionals
- Clear social impact metrics: As a Foundation with private equity roots, demonstrable outcomes and impact measurement would likely be valued
- Connection to Livingbridge values: The firm has made public commitments to ILPA Diversity in Action and similar initiatives, suggesting organizations in these networks may have an advantage
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- No public application route: This is an invitation-only funder; unsolicited applications are unlikely to succeed through formal channels
- Skills-based partnership model: The Foundation offers expertise from private equity professionals alongside financial support
- Diversity and education focus: Strong track record of supporting organizations addressing racial equity, gender diversity, and educational access
- International scope: Despite being UK-based, the Stars Foundation partnership demonstrates willingness to support international causes
- Strategic alignment matters: Connection to private equity industry diversity initiatives or Livingbridge's network appears beneficial
- Relationship-driven: Building connections with Livingbridge personnel through industry events (particularly diversity-focused events in private equity) may be the most viable pathway
- Limited capacity: With £161,003 in annual expenditure and a small trustee-led structure, this is a boutique foundation making selective strategic partnerships
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References
- The Charity Commission Register of Charities: The Livingbridge Foundation (1194565), https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5180420/charity-overview (Accessed 2 December 2024)
- Livingbridge website, “Our Story”: https://www.livingbridge.com/story (Accessed 2 December 2024)
- Giving is Great charity factsheet: https://givingisgreat.org/charity-factsheet/?regNo=1194565 (Accessed 2 December 2024)
- Livingbridge, “Livingbridge becomes a signatory to ILPA Diversity in Action initiative”: https://www.livingbridge.com/livingbridge-becomes-a-signatory-to-ilpa-diversity-in-action-initiative/ (Accessed 2 December 2024)
- Wol Kolade profile, Level20: https://www.level20.org/team/wol-kolade/ (Accessed 2 December 2024)
- Investec, “One managing partner, one social mission”: https://www.investec.com/en_gb/focus/beyond-wealth/one-managing-partner-one-social-mission-increasing-diversity-wol-kolade.html (Accessed 2 December 2024)