The Orr Mackintosh Foundation Limited

Charity Number: 1052686

Annual Expenditure: £4.3M
Throughout England And Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland

Contact Info

Website: www.sharegift.org

Phone: 020 7930 3737

Email: help@sharegift.org

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £62,574,000 (total since 1996)
  • Success Rate: N/A (does not accept applications)
  • Decision Time: Ongoing/rolling basis
  • Grant Range: £500 - £900,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK registered charities
  • Total Grants: 2,633+ grants made
  • Charities Supported: 4,065+ since 1996

Contact Details

Address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London, EC2Y 5AU

Phone: 020 7930 3737

Email: help@sharegift.org

Website: www.sharegift.org

Registered Charity Number: 1052686

Contact for Charities: gabbi.stopp@sharegift.org

Overview

The Orr Mackintosh Foundation Limited, operating as ShareGift, was founded in 1996 by Claire Mackintosh after 16 years' experience in the City of London. The foundation provides a unique charitable solution by accepting donations of small or unwanted shareholdings, aggregating them into saleable quantities, and distributing the proceeds to UK registered charities. Since its inception, ShareGift has donated over £62.5 million to more than 4,065 charities, making donations to new charities almost every month. The foundation operates on a cause-neutral basis, distributing grants based on donor suggestions rather than a traditional application process. ShareGift publishes all grant data through the 360Giving Data Standard, demonstrating strong commitment to transparency in charitable giving.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

ShareGift operates a rolling donor-driven distribution model with no formal grant programs or fixed deadlines. Grants are made on an ongoing basis throughout the year based on:

  • Value of shares received from donors
  • Number of donor suggestions for specific charities
  • Corporate partner recommendations
  • Independent research conducted by trustees

Grant Range: £500 - £900,000 (average grant £15,418 based on total giving)

Distribution Policy: From January 2023 onwards, ShareGift publishes data on all grants made. Prior to this, only grants of £10,000 and above were publicly reported.

Priority Areas

ShareGift is cause-neutral and can support any UK registered charity across all charitable sectors, including:

  • Medical research and healthcare (Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Sightsavers)
  • Environmental conservation (Woodland Trust, RSPB)
  • International development (UNICEF)
  • Social welfare (Crisis UK)
  • Arts and culture
  • Education
  • Animal welfare
  • All other charitable purposes

Special Program: ShareGift supports a rotating “basket of Irish charities” representing different charitable sectors, including Barnardo's Ireland, Barretstown, Focus Ireland, and Irish Cancer Society.

What They Don't Fund

  • Non-UK registered organizations (except special Ireland program)
  • Organizations that fail due diligence checks with the Charity Commission
  • Organizations with restrictions that conflict with ShareGift's operational requirements

Governance and Leadership

The Orr Mackintosh Foundation Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 24 January 1996. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees with extensive experience in finance, law, and corporate governance.

Key Leadership (as of 2024):

  • Gillian: Experienced commercial and charity lawyer with substantial experience in governance, legal, and risk in the not-for-profit sector. Previously head of governance, legal and compliance for Teach First.
  • Julian: Company Secretary and Corporate Lawyer who leads the National Grid Secretariat team, with extensive Board and C-suite experience in large FTSE100 organisations.
  • Lee: Experienced Company Secretary specializing in shareholder governance for over 20 years, currently leading the shareholder governance team at HSBC.
  • Michael: Worked on launching CREST in 1996, spent over 10 years at Capita Registrars (now Link Group) where he was COO.

Governance Note: No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. One or more trustees are also directors of subsidiaries.

Founder: Claire Mackintosh created ShareGift in 1996 and served as Chief Executive until 2014. Susan served as Chair of ShareGift for 9 years before stepping down in May 2023.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: ShareGift does not accept direct grant applications from charities.

Instead, charities can be considered for funding through:

  1. Donor Suggestions: Encourage your supporters who own shares to donate them to ShareGift and mention your charity's name as a suggested beneficiary
  2. Corporate Partner Recommendations: Partnerships with corporate supporters who work with ShareGift
  3. Trustee Research: ShareGift's own research identifying potential beneficiary charities

Decision Timeline

  • Process Type: Rolling/ongoing throughout the year
  • Formal Timeline: N/A - distributions are made based on accumulation of shares and donor suggestions
  • Frequency: ShareGift makes grants almost every month to new and existing beneficiary charities

Success Rates

Success rates are not applicable as ShareGift does not accept applications. Funding depends on:

  • Number of donor suggestions received for your charity
  • Value of shares donated with your charity suggested
  • Outcome of due diligence checks

Reapplication Policy

N/A - charities cannot apply or reapply directly. Funding is entirely dependent on continued donor suggestions and share donations mentioning the charity's name.

Application Success Factors

Since ShareGift does not accept applications, the key to receiving funding is maximizing donor suggestions:

Strategies to Encourage ShareGift Donations:

  1. Promote Share Giving: Actively encourage supporters who own shares to consider donating unwanted shareholdings to ShareGift with your charity as the suggested beneficiary
  1. Website Promotion: Request template wording from ShareGift (contact gabbi.stopp@sharegift.org) to add to your website and fundraising materials
  1. Supporter Communications: Include information about share giving in newsletters, annual reports, and donor communications
  • Ensure your Charity Commission registration is up-to-date
  • Prepare bank details for efficient payment processing
  • Clarify any ethical restrictions on share acceptance
  1. Unrestricted Funding: Be prepared to receive unrestricted funding - ShareGift grants come without specific project designations

Why Donors Choose ShareGift:

“ShareGift solves problems for both companies and their shareholders and without its work, neither this substantial source of charitable funds, nor the associated corporate savings, would exist.”

Recent Grant Examples:

  • £5,000 to St Peter's Hospice (Bristol) - December 2024
  • £2,000 to Friends of the Earth Trust - October 2024
  • Multiple grants to organizations including Cancer Research UK, UNICEF, RSPB, Woodland Trust, Crisis UK, Sightsavers

Best Practice:

Download the “Share Giving A Guide for Charities” pack from ShareGift's website for comprehensive information about maximizing share giving opportunities.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Traditional Applications: You cannot apply directly to ShareGift - focus instead on encouraging your supporters to donate shares and suggest your charity's name
  • Donor-Driven Model: Funding is entirely based on donor suggestions, so supporter engagement and communication are critical strategies
  • Cause-Neutral Approach: ShareGift does not prioritize any particular cause area - all UK registered charities are eligible regardless of focus
  • Transparency Champion: ShareGift publishes all grants through 360Giving Data Standard, demonstrating commitment to openness and accountability
  • Rolling Distributions: Grants are made monthly on an ongoing basis as shares are aggregated and sold - no fixed deadlines or funding rounds
  • Unrestricted Funding: Grants come without project restrictions, providing valuable flexible funding for general charitable purposes
  • Promote Share Giving: The most effective strategy is to educate your donors about share giving and make it easy for them to donate through ShareGift with your charity suggested
  • Long-Term Relationship Building: Since you cannot directly apply, building awareness among potential share donors and maintaining Charity Commission compliance are ongoing priorities

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

  • The Chalk Cliff Trust
  • The Mackintosh Foundation
  • The Joron Charitable Trust
  • Frank Brake Charitable Trust
  • The Lidbury Family Trust
  • The Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust
  • David Lister Charitable Trust
  • The Lister Charitable Trust
  • Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust
  • Edith Murphy Foundation

References