The Mohn Westlake Foundation

Charity Number: 1170045

Annual Expenditure: £11.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £100+ million pledged since 2016 (approx. £11-12 million annually)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (highly competitive - only limited new grantees added annually)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: £2,500 - £10,000,000+ (varies significantly by program type)
  • Geographic Focus: UK national
  • Current Grantees: 23 live grantees, 44 total funded since 2016

Contact Details

Website: www.themohnwestlakefoundation.co.uk

Email: charitabletrusts@ludlowtrust.com (general enquiries) / chris.thurlow@ludlowtrust.com (applications)

Phone: 020 4534 2750

Postal Address: Chris Thurlow, Ludlow Trust Company, 5th Floor, 390 Strand, London WC2R 0LT

Application Contact: Applications from registered charities should be sent to chris.thurlow@ludlowtrust.com clearly marked “The Mohn Westlake Foundation”

Overview

The Mohn Westlake Foundation is a family foundation established in 2016 by Marit Mohn and Stian Westlake following the sale of their share in Frank Mohn AS of Norway. Now funded entirely by Marstia Invest AS (owned by Marit and Stian), the foundation has pledged over £100 million to UK charitable causes since inception. In 2023, co-founder Marit Mohn was awarded a Damehood for services to philanthropy in the King's New Year Honours list. The foundation takes a strategic, relationship-based approach to philanthropy, providing flexible, multi-year grants to a carefully selected portfolio of 23 live grantees. They emphasize long-term partnerships with organizations they consider “experts in their chosen fields,” supporting them through multiple grant cycles. The foundation splits its funding between two core mission areas: enhancing children and young people's lives, and promoting data transparency for public good.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Large Strategic Grants: £1,000,000 - £10,000,000+

  • Multi-year partnerships with major institutions
  • Example: National Theatre Speak Up programme (£10 million over 5 years, 2025-2029)
  • Example: Kingston University Centre for Graduate Success (£1.7 million)
  • Applications: Primarily through solicited proposals and strategic partnerships

Medium-Sized Institutional Grants: £100,000 - £1,000,000

  • Multi-year support for established charities
  • Rolling basis for unsolicited applications (limited capacity)

Small Grants (via Community Foundation Partnerships): £2,500 - £10,000

  • Arts Engagement Fund (distributed through Leeds Community Foundation and others)
  • Available for 1-3 years (maximum £30,000 total)
  • Specific application windows through partner foundations

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses on two main mission areas:

1. Children and Young People

The foundation's 2024 funding breakdown shows:

  • Arts (Theatre, Screen, Opera, Dance) - significant proportion including National Theatre partnership
  • Horticulture (23.1%)
  • Mental Health (21.8%) - including early support for Mental Health Innovations' Shout crisis text line
  • Convening (15.5%)
  • Attainment (15.2%)
  • STEM (8.7%)
  • Mentoring (4.4%)
  • Access to University (2.6%)
  • Domestic Violence (2.4%)
  • Employability (2.2%)
  • Numeracy (2.2%)
  • Early Years (1.9%)

Specific focus areas include:

  • Access to education, performing arts, and enrichment activities
  • Creative opportunities for young people in disadvantaged areas
  • Supporting young people to develop leadership and communication skills
  • Projects that provide opportunities young people may not otherwise have

2. Data for Good and Data Transparency

  • Organizations promoting data transparency
  • Supporting access to free and impartial information
  • Advancing collection and analysis of useful data for public benefit
  • Examples: Full Fact (fighting misinformation), Centre for Public Data, Connected by Data

What They Don't Fund

Explicit Exclusions:

  • Individuals (only UK registered charities eligible)
  • Projects outside the UK
  • Animal welfare charities
  • Faith/places of worship charities
  • Campaigning and lobbying work
  • For-profit organisations
  • Statutory organisations/activity (e.g., schools, hospitals as direct recipients)
  • Activity targeted at particular groups (ethnic, gender, religious) without good justification
  • Activity promoting particular political or religious points of view

Additional Restrictions for Small Grants:

  • Organisations with income over £500,000 (for Arts Engagement Fund programs)
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Marit Mohn (Chair, appointed 2016) - Co-founder with degrees in chemical engineering and law. Made a Dame in 2023 for services to philanthropy. Also serves as a trustee of the National Theatre.
  • Stian Westlake (appointed 2016) - Co-founder and Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council. Co-author of books on innovation economics.
  • Diana Judith Gerald (appointed 2016)
  • Robert Westlake (appointed 2016)
  • Oyvind Bjornsen (appointed 2023)

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

Foundation Administrator: Ludlow Trust (registered charity no. 1170045)

Key Quote from Leadership:

“The hope and intention of our trustees is for future generations of the family to take the Foundation forward, so it can continue to empower and support essential charity work, long into the future.”

The foundation emphasizes: “We believe multi-year, flexible funding is the most effective way to advance the work of our grantees.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Unsolicited Applications:

  • Email applications to chris.thurlow@ludlowtrust.com clearly marked “The Mohn Westlake Foundation”
  • Postal applications to: Chris Thurlow, Ludlow Trust Company, 5th Floor, 390 Strand, London WC2R 0LT
  • Only UK registered charities are eligible
  • Foundation accepts unsolicited applications but can only add a limited number of new grantees annually

Solicited Applications:

  • Most funding is allocated through specific call-outs and strategic partnerships
  • Foundation proactively identifies and invites applications from organizations

Pre-Application Advice:

  • Review funding approach and eligibility criteria on website before applying
  • Ensure alignment with one of the two core mission areas
  • Foundation takes “great care” in selecting grantees

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation emphasizes relationship-building and careful selection processes, suggesting thorough due diligence rather than rapid turnaround.

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed. However, key indicators suggest highly competitive:

  • Only 23 live grantees currently supported
  • 44 total grantees funded since 2016 (averaging 5-6 new grantees per year)
  • Foundation explicitly states they “can only add a limited number of grantees to their portfolio each year”
  • Most funding goes through solicited proposals rather than unsolicited applications

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly disclosed. Information about unsuccessful applicants reapplying is not available on the foundation's website or public materials.

Application Success Factors

Foundation's Stated Values

Trust and Expertise: “We take great care in selecting our grantees, and consider those we select as experts in their chosen fields.”

Long-Term Relationships: The foundation builds “strong relationships” with grantees and supports organizations over multiple grant cycles. They demonstrated this during COVID-19 by offering additional support during challenging times.

Strategic Impact: The foundation views arts and creativity as "vital to young people's well-being, self-expression, career aspirations and ultimately, their contribution to society."

Examples of Funded Projects

Major Strategic Partnerships:

  • National Theatre - £10 million over 5 years (2025-2029) for Speak Up programme providing nationwide creative opportunities for young people
  • Oak National Academy - Lead private funder supporting online classroom development during pandemic
  • Kingston University - £1.7 million for Centre for Graduate Success ensuring equal opportunity for all students
  • Mental Health Innovations - Early grant enabling launch of Shout crisis text line (now 2+ million conversations with 675,000 users)

Data Transparency:

  • Full Fact - Longstanding support for fighting misinformation
  • Centre for Public Data - Supporting new organization improving UK's public data
  • Connected by Data - Public sector data and AI governance projects

Community-Level Arts:

  • Leeds Community Foundation - £105,000 across 5 organizations for arts engagement (spring 2022)
  • Trees for Cities - Transforming urban school playgrounds
  • Football Beyond Borders - Supporting disadvantaged young people
  • Doorstep Library - Helping children discover love of reading

What Makes Applications Stand Out

  1. Clear alignment with mission: Strong connection to either children/young people OR data transparency
  2. Expert credibility: Demonstrable expertise and track record in your field
  3. Long-term thinking: Multi-year strategic plans rather than one-off projects
  4. Focus on opportunity: Projects providing opportunities young people wouldn't otherwise have
  5. Empowerment approach: Enabling young people to express themselves and effect positive change
  6. Flexibility and trust: Willingness to work in partnership rather than requiring rigid outcomes

Strategic Considerations

  • Relationship over transaction: Foundation seeks long-term partnerships, not one-time grants
  • Quality over quantity: With only 5-6 new grantees annually, they seek exceptional organizations
  • Strategic alignment: Strong preference for organizations that align with trustees' personal interests (e.g., Marit Mohn's role as National Theatre trustee)
  • Scale and impact: Recent large grants suggest interest in supporting significant national programs
  • Community foundation model: For smaller organizations, consider applying through their partner community foundations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Highly competitive: With only 23 live grantees and 44 total since 2016, this is an exceptionally selective funder. Most successful applications come through solicited proposals rather than unsolicited approaches.
  1. Mission alignment is critical: Your work must clearly align with either (a) enhancing children and young people's lives through education, arts, or enrichment OR (b) promoting data transparency. Straddling both areas or being tangential to either reduces chances significantly.
  1. Think multi-year partnerships, not one-off grants: The foundation explicitly values flexible, multi-year funding relationships. Frame proposals as partnership opportunities rather than transaction requests.
  1. Demonstrate expertise and track record: The foundation selects grantees they consider “experts in their chosen fields.” Strong organizational reputation and proven impact are essential.
  1. Consider the community foundation route for smaller grants: If seeking £2,500-£30,000, you may have better success applying through partner community foundations (Leeds, London, Quartet, Surrey) rather than direct application.
  1. Strategic relationship building: Given the foundation's selective approach, building awareness of your organization through networks, sector events, and mutual connections may be more effective than cold applications.
  1. No explicit exclusions around organizational size: Unlike many funders, they fund both very small community organizations (through partnerships) and major national institutions, suggesting they're outcome-focused rather than size-focused. However, for direct applications, established organizations with strong governance likely have advantage.

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