The Lynn Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £311,711 (expenditure 2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation only)
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Up to £50,000 per annum
• Geographic Focus: Sussex, England and Wales

Contact Details

Registered Office:

The Granary, Calceto Lane, Lyminster, BN17 7QL

Phone: 07874 892152

Email: Not publicly available

Charity Number: 326944

Note: No public website or email contact is available. The foundation operates primarily through invitation-only grants.

Overview

The Lynn Foundation was established in 1985 with a trust deed dated 8 August 1985. The foundation is a private grant-making charity with broad charitable purposes, operating with discretionary powers to support charities and charitable purposes as trustees determine. With an annual expenditure of £311,711 in 2024 (against an income of £216,921), the foundation is actively distributing its assets to support charitable causes across Sussex and, more broadly, England and Wales. The foundation operates with four trustees and maintains an up-to-date reporting status with the Charity Commission. Its strategic approach focuses on making unrestricted, multi-year grants that aim to create significant impact for recipient organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Lynn Foundation operates through two primary channels:

• Applications are by invitation only
• No public application process available

• Applications made through Sussex Community Foundation's main grants program
• Foundation trustees or Sussex Community Foundation staff match suitable projects to available funds

Priority Areas

The Lynn Foundation supports a broad range of charitable purposes including:

• Education and training
• Health and saving lives
• Disability support
• Prevention or relief of poverty
• Arts, culture, heritage, and science
• Animal welfare
• General charitable purposes

Beneficiary Groups

The foundation helps:

• Children and young people
• Elderly and old people
• People with disabilities
• Other charities and voluntary bodies

What They Don't Fund

Not publicly specified, given the broad charitable purposes outlined in the trust deed.

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Governance and Leadership

The Lynn Foundation is governed by four trustees who serve without remuneration or benefits. The charity has no paid staff and no employees earning over £60,000. Trustee names are not publicly listed on the Charity Commission register.

The foundation's trust deed grants trustees “absolute discretion” in determining which charities or charitable purposes to support and in what manner, allowing for flexible and responsive grant-making aligned with current community needs.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Important: The Lynn Foundation does not have a public application process. Direct grants are made by invitation only.

Two possible routes to funding:

1. Invitation-Only Direct Grants: The foundation's trustees identify and invite organizations to apply for their unrestricted, multi-year grants of up to £50,000 per annum. There is no process for unsolicited applications to this stream.

• Sussex Community Foundation contact: 01273 409440
• Website: sussexcommunityfoundation.org
• Applications typically require an initial Expression of Interest (EOI)

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed, as the foundation operates on an invitation-only basis for direct grants. For grants through Sussex Community Foundation, timelines follow that organization's grant-making schedule.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. The foundation reportedly makes approximately 500 grants per year to individuals and organizations, though this figure may include both direct grants and those distributed through Sussex Community Foundation.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. Given the invitation-only nature of direct grants, reapplication policies would be communicated directly to invited organizations.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature of The Lynn Foundation's direct grants, the following factors are inferred from the foundation's structure and stated purposes:

For Direct Grants (Invitation Only):

• Organizations must be on the trustees' radar through existing relationships, networks, or demonstrated impact in Sussex
• The foundation seeks to make “significant difference” through its grants, suggesting preference for transformational rather than incremental support
• Multi-year, unrestricted funding suggests the foundation values organizational sustainability and trusts recipient organizations to deploy funds strategically
• The broad charitable purposes allow for flexibility, but Sussex geographic focus is clear

For Sussex Community Foundation Applications:

• Clearly demonstrate work within Sussex
• Articulate how funding will create significant, measurable impact
• Align with one or more of the foundation's priority areas (education, health, disability, poverty, arts/culture, animals)
• Demonstrate organizational capacity to manage and deploy multi-year funding effectively

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: You cannot directly apply to The Lynn Foundation unless invited by trustees
• Sussex Community Foundation route: The most accessible path is through Sussex Community Foundation's main grants program
• Substantial grants: With grants up to £50,000 per annum and multi-year commitments, this is a significant funder for the right organizations
• Unrestricted funding: The foundation offers unrestricted grants, meaning greater flexibility for recipient organizations
• Relationship-based: The invitation-only model suggests trustees identify opportunities through their networks and knowledge of the sector
• Broad purposes: While Sussex-focused, the foundation's charitable purposes are deliberately broad, allowing support across multiple cause areas
• Active grant-maker: With annual expenditure exceeding £300,000, the foundation is actively distributing funds

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Kathleen Smith Foundation
• The Patrick Rowland Foundation
• C A Redfern Charitable Foundation
• THE RIX-THOMPSON-ROTHENBERG FOUNDATION
• THE IAN ASKEW CHARITABLE TRUST
• The Graham Kirkham Foundation
• The Woosnam Foundation
• The Macfarlane Family Foundation
• Edwin Fox Foundation
• The Greenslade Family Foundation

References

• Charity Commission Register of Charities: The Lynn Foundation - 326944. Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?subid=0&regid=326944

• Charity Commission: What, who, how, where - The Lynn Foundation. Available at: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/326944/what-who-how-where

• Find that Charity: GB-CHC-326944 | The Lynn Foundation. Available at: https://findthatcharity.uk/orgid/GB-CHC-326944

• Charity Choice: The Lynn Foundation - 130576. Available at: https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/the-lynn-foundation-130576

• Sussex Community Foundation: How to Apply. Available at: https://sussexcommunityfoundation.org/grants/how-to-apply/