The Olwyn Foundation

Charity Number: 1179306

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Income: £200,002 (FY ending December 2024)
  • Annual Expenditure: £94,000 (FY ending December 2024)
  • Total Funding Distributed: £1.2 million (since 2018)
  • Projects Funded: 20
  • Geographic Focus: UK and international (12 countries)
  • Number of Trustees: 3
  • Founded: 2018

Contact Details

  • Website: www.olwynfoundation.org
  • Email: antonia@olwynfoundation.org
  • Phone: 07778 792 750
  • Address: 7a Ladbroke Mews, London W11 4JT
  • Social Media: Instagram @olwynfoundation, X/Twitter @FoundationOlwyn

Overview

The Olwyn Foundation was established in 2018 by Samantha Rowe-Beddoe, who has long championed gender equality. Registered as charity 1179306, the foundation operates as a feminist-focused funding platform with one simple mission: to find and support the most effective grassroots campaigns and organisations to empower, educate and protect women and girls in the UK and around the world. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed £1.2 million to 20 projects across 12 countries. The foundation describes itself as “a bridge for turning our collective feeling of helplessness and heartbreak into concrete action.” No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity, ensuring all funds are directed toward their mission.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

The Olwyn Foundation focuses on supporting organisations working in three core areas:

  • Empowerment of women and girls
  • Education for women and girls
  • Protection of women and girls

They specifically invest in:

  • Small grassroots organisations
  • Female-founded groups
  • Organisations that are leaders in their field
  • Groups with proven results
  • Short-term, one-off, and longer-term campaigns
  • Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) initiatives
  • Anti-FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) activism
  • Women's justice and anti-criminalisation work
  • Healthy relationships education
  • Support for vulnerable women and girls including refugees and migrant domestic workers

Recent Partner Organizations

Organizations supported by the Olwyn Foundation include:

  • Centre for Women's Justice (Stop Criminalising Survivors campaign)
  • Global Media Campaign (GMC) - anti-FGM activism in Sierra Leone
  • Fumble - youth mental health and relationships charity
  • Frontline Ending FGM
  • Tender - healthy relationships programme
  • Solace Women's Aid - VAWG Housing First Project
  • Refugee Action - supporting vulnerable women and children refugees
  • Child's i Foundation
  • Kalayaan - support for migrant domestic workers (partnership announced 2024)
  • Bramber Bakehouse - supporting female survivors of abuse, exploitation and displacement (partnership announced 2024)
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Governance and Leadership

Founder: Samantha Rowe-Beddoe established the foundation with a commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls globally.

Trustees: The foundation has 3 trustees, none of whom receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity.

Organisational Structure: The Olwyn Foundation operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is registered with both the Charity Commission (1179306) and Companies House (CE014715).

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Olwyn Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation actively identifies and approaches organizations rather than accepting open applications. They describe their work as finding “the most effective grassroots campaigns and organisations” - suggesting a proactive selection model.

Organizations interested in funding should contact the foundation directly at antonia@olwynfoundation.org or call 07778 792 750 to inquire about potential partnership opportunities.

Getting on Their Radar

While the foundation does not have a public application process, they have demonstrated partnerships with organizations across several key areas. Based on their funding patterns, organizations can increase their visibility by:

  • Being active and vocal in the women and girls sector, particularly in empowerment, education, and protection
  • Being female-founded and grassroots-focused
  • Demonstrating proven results and leadership in your field
  • Working in areas the foundation has previously supported (VAWG, FGM prevention, women's justice, healthy relationships)
  • Operating in the UK or internationally with UK connections

Direct contact via email (antonia@olwynfoundation.org) appears to be the primary method for expressing interest in partnership.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated priorities and funding patterns:

What They Look For:

  • Small and grassroots: The foundation explicitly states they “work with small organisations who are the leaders in their field”
  • Female-founded: They invest specifically in “female-founded groups”
  • Proven results: Organizations must demonstrate they are “achieving proven results”
  • Effective impact: The foundation seeks “the most effective grassroots campaigns and organisations”
  • Alignment with mission: Organizations must clearly work to “empower, educate and protect women and girls”

Their Philosophy:

The foundation describes itself as “a bridge for turning our collective feeling of helplessness and heartbreak into concrete action” - suggesting they value organizations that translate urgency into practical, measurable outcomes.

Funding Approach:

They support “short-term, one-off, and longer-term campaigns,” indicating flexibility in funding duration based on project needs.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: This is an invitation-only funder. Building relationships and visibility in the women and girls sector is essential.
  • Female-founded priority: Being a female-founded organization appears to be a key criterion.
  • Small is strategic: The foundation explicitly focuses on small grassroots organizations, so don't be discouraged by limited size or budget.
  • Proven track record matters: Demonstrate concrete results and leadership in your specific field within the women and girls sector.
  • International and UK focus: The foundation funds both UK-based and international work across 12 countries.
  • Mission alignment is critical: Organizations must clearly fit within empowerment, education, and/or protection of women and girls.
  • Direct contact recommended: Reach out to antonia@olwynfoundation.org to explore partnership opportunities rather than waiting for an open call.

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