The Old Dart Foundation

Charity Number: 1153568

Annual Expenditure: £12.5M

Geographic Focus: Chile, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines

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Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £15,274,959 (2023 expenditure)
Total Income: £3,359,761 (2023)
Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
Decision Time: Quarterly board meetings (applications due 4 weeks prior)
Grant Range: £2,500 - £3,500,000 (£1 million grant example documented)
Geographic Focus: International - Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, and the Philippines only
Spend-Down Timeline: Closing by 2030

Contact Details

Address: RAWLINSON & HUNTER, 6 New Street Square, London EC4A 3AQ

Website: http://olddartfoundation.org

Email: info@olddartfoundation.org

Phone: 020 7842 2000

Pre-Application Contact: All new applicants are required to contact the foundation prior to submitting a full proposal. Interested applicants should use the query form on their website.

Overview

The Old Dart Foundation is a private UK-based grant-making charity (Charity Number 1153568) established in 2013. As a spend-down foundation, it is working to fully distribute its assets and close by 2030. In 2023, the foundation had total expenditure of £15,274,959 against income of £3,359,761, totalling £12.5 million in grants. The foundation supports initiatives to improve health, education, and employment outcomes amongst impoverished women, children, and young people in four countries: Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, and the Philippines. The foundation focuses on poverty relief through four key themes: gender-based violence, climate change, rural health, and education. The board comprises five trustees who meet quarterly and receive no remuneration, with the foundation employing five staff members.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates country-specific funding streams with tailored priorities:

Peru Programme

Improve rural education
Reduce gender-based violence
Support communities addressing climate change impacts

Papua New Guinea Programme

Strengthen rural health systems
Tackle gender and family violence
Support climate change adaptation

Chile Programme

Construction and operational costs for poverty-relief organizations
Educational initiatives

Philippines Programme

Operational funding for extreme poverty alleviation within local communities

Grant Range: £2,500 - £3,500,000

Application Method: Rolling basis through direct contact with country teams. Applications must be received at least 4 weeks before quarterly board meetings (March, June, September, November).

Eligibility: UK and locally registered organizations only

Priority Areas

The foundation actively funds projects that:

Alleviate poverty, particularly for women, children, and young people
Improve health, literacy, and education outcomes
Address gender-based violence and family violence
Support climate change adaptation and resilience
Strengthen rural health and education systems
Promote comprehensive sexual education
Improve access to work and employment for young people
Enhance household food security

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has strict geographic limitations:

Does not fund projects outside Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, and the Philippines
Does not fund projects in Bolivia or Brazil (despite being mentioned in charitable objects, current strategy focuses on four countries only)
Limited to organizations registered either in the UK or locally in the four focus countries

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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees (5 members, all unpaid)

Charles Patrick Lutyens - Chair (appointed 1 August 2013)

Brings expertise in charity governance, finance, philanthropy, and international development

Dr Katherine Mary O'Reilly - Trustee (appointed 6 December 2013)

Archibald Geoffrey Loudon - Trustee (appointed 1 August 2013)

Dr Marie Elizabeth Rabbett - Trustee (appointed 19 September 2018)

Luis Baertl - Trustee (appointed 18 July 2024)

The board brings together knowledge and experience from across private, public, and philanthropic sectors. Trustees are actively involved in reviewing applications, visiting projects in focus countries, and engaging with grantees. No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Staffing

The foundation employs 5 staff members, including one senior employee earning between £80,000-£90,000 annually.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Eligibility Check: Ensure your organization is registered either in the UK or locally in one of the four focus countries
Geographic Fit: Only projects in Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, or the Philippines are considered

Decision Timeline

Board Meetings: Quarterly in March, June, September, and November
Application Deadline: At least 4 weeks before each board meeting
Decision Time: Approximately 1-3 months from submission to decision (quarterly cycle)
Closing Date: 31 December 2027 (final application deadline before 2030 closure)

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. However, with total annual grant-making of approximately £12.5 million and a spend-down strategy until 2030, the foundation appears to make substantial investments in selected organizations rather than numerous small grants.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly available. Applicants should contact the foundation directly to inquire about reapplication procedures if unsuccessful.

Application Success Factors

Foundation-Stated Priorities

The foundation emphasizes:

Geographic Specificity: Must operate in Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, or the Philippines
Target Beneficiaries: Focus on impoverished women, children, and young people
Thematic Alignment: Projects addressing gender-based violence, climate change, rural health, or education
Long-term Partnerships: The foundation has supported organizations like ICM (since 2017) and CANDES (since 2015), suggesting preference for sustained relationships

Successful Project Examples

Longitudinal research on young people's outcomes
Focus areas: work access, education, mental health, violence exposure, household food security
Research-to-policy approach
COVID-19 impact studies
Multi-year commitment (through 2025)

Extreme poverty alleviation within local communities

CANDES, Chile - construction and operational costs since 2015

Sin Tabúes, Peru - comprehensive sexual education

Language and Terminology

The foundation uses specific language that applicants should mirror:

“Poverty alleviation” and “poverty relief”
“Health, literacy, and education”
“Impoverished women, children, and young people”
“Rural health systems” and “rural education”
“Gender-based violence” and “family violence”
“Climate change adaptation”
“Research-to-policy”

Standing Out

Multi-year impact: The Young Lives grant demonstrates appreciation for long-term, evidence-based interventions
Operational funding: The foundation provides operational costs, not just project funding (see ICM and CANDES examples)
Construction funding: Willing to fund capital costs (CANDES example)
Research-based approaches: Support for research that informs policy and practice
COVID-19 responsiveness: Demonstrated flexibility in adapting existing grants to address pandemic impacts
Pre-application engagement: Mandatory initial contact allows for relationship-building before formal application

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Geographic restriction is absolute: Only apply if working in Peru, Papua New Guinea, Chile, or the Philippines. No exceptions documented.

Make initial contact mandatory: Do not submit a cold application. Use the pre-application inquiry process to build relationship and confirm fit.

Think long-term partnerships: Examples show multi-year funding relationships (2015, 2017 onwards), suggesting the foundation values sustained engagement over one-off projects.

Spend-down creates urgency and opportunity: With closure by 2030 and £12.5 million in annual giving, the foundation is actively deploying capital. Applications accepted through December 2027.

Operational and capital funding available: Unlike many funders, the foundation explicitly funds operational costs and construction, not just programmatic work.

Large grants are possible: Documented grants up to £1 million, with maximum stated as £3.5 million. This is a significant funder for the right projects.

Plan around quarterly cycle: Submit at least 4 weeks before March, June, September, or November board meetings. Missing a deadline means waiting 3 months for the next opportunity.