The Rayne Foundation

Charity Number: 1179912

Annual Expenditure: £2.9M
Throughout England And Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

Contact Info

Website: https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/

Phone: 020 7487 9656

Email: info@raynefoundation.org.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2,000,000+ (approximately 50 grants per year)
  • Success Rate: ~8% (650+ applications, 50 grants awarded annually)
  • Decision Time: 3-4 months typical, allow up to 6 months
  • Grant Range: £10,000 - £30,000 per year (typically)
  • Grant Duration: Up to 3 years
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/

Email: info@raynefoundation.org.uk

Phone: 020 7487 9656

The Foundation encourages contact if applicants are unsure whether their work fits or need to discuss accessibility requirements.

Overview

Founded in 1962 by Lord Max Rayne (1918-2003), The Rayne Foundation is a UK-wide charitable trust with over 60 years of history supporting positive social change. The Foundation makes approximately 50 grants annually totaling just over £2 million. Their mission centers on “bridge building to connect people and communities by bringing them together for the good of society, and ultimately to help create a more comprehending and cohesive world.” Since 2022, the Foundation has been led by Director Crispin Truman OBE, who brings 25 years of charity leadership experience. The Foundation is committed to transparency, publishing all grant data through the 360Giving open data standard. Over the past five years, they have allocated over £3.2 million towards 72 projects focused on children and young people's mental health alone, demonstrating sustained commitment to their priority areas.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Standard Grant Programme (Rolling basis)

  • £10,000 - £30,000 per year for up to 3 years
  • Funds project and salary costs
  • Match funding required (Foundation unlikely to fund projects in full)
  • Core costs considered for organizations with established relationship (grant should not exceed 10% of annual income)
  • Two-stage application process (Expression of Interest, then full application)

Better Careers for Better Care (Thematic programme)

  • Specific initiatives addressing adult social care workforce
  • Grant sizes vary by programme

Where People Meet Grant Programme

  • Supporting development of new, holistic community centres in disadvantaged areas
  • Grant sizes vary

Priority Areas

The Foundation focuses on three main priority areas:

1. Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing

  • Support for care-experienced children and young people
  • Children on the edge of care or leaving care
  • Interventions prioritizing improved mental health and wellbeing
  • Mental health support in challenging circumstances
  • Over £3.2 million invested in 72 projects over five years

2. Refugees and Asylum Seekers

  • Opportunities that raise aspirations and add to positive narratives
  • Employability and entrepreneurial endeavors
  • Personal development opportunities
  • Specialized mental health needs for torture survivors
  • Support for young unaccompanied asylum seekers

3. People in Later Life and Their Carers

  • Reimagining community provision for people drawing on care
  • Quality of life improvements for older people
  • Support services for carers
  • Innovation in later-life care delivery

Cross-cutting criteria:

  • Innovation: doing things differently to improve outcomes
  • Wider application: potential to influence beyond the funded organization
  • Collaboration: outward-facing, networked organizations
  • Learning and best practice sharing

What They Don't Fund

Ineligible applicants:

  • Individuals
  • Organizations working or based outside the UK (except separate Israel programme)

Excluded activities:

  • Business-as-usual services and activities
  • Day-to-day service delivery
  • One-off events (performances, festivals, conferences, holidays, respite breaks, trips)
  • Work with only local impact that isn't set up to share learning
  • Projects without transformative potential

Additional requirements:

  • Statutory organizations must demonstrate how funding enables transformation beyond statutory obligations
  • For-profit organizations must justify why charitable funding is necessary for transformative change
  • Organizations must be outward-facing, networked, and actively collaborative

Governance and Leadership

Patron: Lady Jane Rayne

Board of Trustees:

  • Jeremy Sandelson - Trustee Chair
  • Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger - Trustee
  • Sir Emyr Jones Parry - Trustee
  • The Hon Tamara Wood - Trustee
  • Nick Viner - Trustee
  • The Hon Natasha Rayne - Trustee
  • Miriam Rich - Trustee
  • The Hon Nicholas Rayne - Trustee
  • The Hon Alexander Rayne - Trustee

Senior Staff:

  • Crispin Truman OBE - Director (since October 2022)
  • Susan O'Sullivan - Head of Grants
  • Holly Baine - Programme Development Lead
  • Ragini Majithia - Finance Manager
  • Selina Smith - Office Manager, PA to the Director
  • Nasima Galiara - Grants and IT Administrator

Director's perspective: Crispin Truman stated upon his appointment: "I am hugely honoured and delighted to be offered this opportunity to lead one of the UK's great philanthropic foundations. I am inspired by the dedication of The Rayne Foundation to helping the most needy in our society and by their history of achievement and founding principle of building bridges to strengthen communities."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Step 1: Eligibility Check

  • Complete online eligibility quiz on website
  • Confirm your work aligns with one of three priority areas
  • Ensure you meet essential criteria

Step 2: Expression of Interest (EOI)

  • Submit short, focused EOI online
  • Explain what is most exciting and innovative about your work
  • Describe how Rayne Foundation support would enable and enhance your work
  • Applications accepted on rolling basis

Step 3: Full Application (if invited)

  • Complete detailed application form
  • Provide comprehensive project information

Step 4: Organizational Visit (possible)

  • Foundation may conduct site visits
  • Opportunity to demonstrate work in practice

Step 5: Board Review

  • Trustees review applications
  • Final funding decisions made

Decision Timeline

  • Typical timeframe: 3-4 months from submission to decision
  • Recommended planning: Allow up to 6 months for decision
  • Rolling applications: Can apply at any time
  • Notification: Applicants receive written decision

Success Rates

  • Applications received: 650+ annually
  • Grants awarded: Approximately 50 per year
  • Estimated success rate: ~8%
  • The Foundation states they receive “far more applications than they can fund”

Reapplication Policy

  • Waiting period: 12 months after unsuccessful application before reapplying
  • Active grant holders: Cannot apply for new funding until current grant period has ended
  • No applications accepted from organizations holding active grants

Application Success Factors

Direct Guidance from the Foundation

On innovation: “We look for organisations that think differently and enable innovation.” The Foundation defines innovation as “doing things differently to improve outcomes.” Applicants should ask: "How does your approach differ from established approaches and how will this improve outcomes for the people you're supporting?"

On wider application: The Foundation values “work that has potential for wider application beyond the funded proposal and that develops best practice and captures learnings to share with others.”

On collaboration: "It's important that the organisations we fund are outward-facing, networked, and actively seeking to collaborate, as we believe this maximizes the potential for learning to be shared."

On application quality: "With the EOI, we're looking for a short, focused and clear explanation. This is your chance to share what is most exciting and innovative about what you do."

Examples of Funded Projects

Children and Young People's Mental Health:

  • Articulate Cultural Trust: £93,765 over 3 years (2024) - Supporting children with care-experience and caring responsibilities
  • The Reader Organisation: Reading Heroes project providing shared reading for care-experienced children
  • REUK (Refugees in Education UK): Educational Wellbeing project addressing challenges forcing refugee young people out of education

People in Later Life:

  • National Museums Liverpool: Tailored in-person museum experiences for people living with dementia in Merseyside
  • Upswing: Homemade Circus project promoting active participation in care homes
  • Good Gym: Intergenerational befriending programme

Refugees and Asylum Seekers:

  • The Bike Project: Core costs grant enabling expansion to more cities across England

Community Centres:

  • Nudge Community Builders: £250,000 for holistic community centre development in Stonehouse, Plymouth

Strategic Positioning

Language that resonates:

  • “Transformative change”
  • “Positive social change”
  • “Bridge building”
  • “Innovative approaches”
  • “Wider application and learning”
  • “Collaboration and partnerships”

What makes applications stand out:

  • Clear demonstration of how your approach differs from established practice
  • Evidence of potential for wider sector influence
  • Strong collaborative partnerships
  • Plans for sharing learning and best practice
  • Match funding secured or in progress
  • Direct delivery experience informing the approach

Process tips:

  • Keep EOI short, focused, and clear
  • Contact the Foundation if unsure about fit
  • Discuss if standard grant size/duration doesn't work
  • Highlight innovation and learning potential
  • Demonstrate collaborative approach
  • Be prepared to show match funding

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Innovation is essential: You must demonstrate how your approach differs from established methods and improves outcomes - business-as-usual will not be funded
  1. Think beyond your organization: Show how your work will influence the wider sector through shared learning, best practice development, and collaboration
  1. Competition is significant: With ~8% success rate (650+ applications for 50 grants), applications must be exceptionally strong and well-aligned
  1. Relationships matter: Core costs funding typically requires established relationship through previous project grants - consider starting with project funding
  1. Match funding is expected: Demonstrate co-funding sources - the Foundation rarely funds projects in full
  1. Collaboration is valued: Being outward-facing, networked, and collaborative maximizes chances - isolation is a red flag
  1. Allow sufficient time: Plan for 4-6 months decision timeline and note the 12-month reapplication waiting period if unsuccessful

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

References

  1. The Rayne Foundation official website - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/-01-08)
  2. The Rayne Foundation Application Guidance - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/application-guidance/-01-08)
  3. The Rayne Foundation Overview - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/overview/-01-08)
  4. The Rayne Foundation History - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/about-us/history/-01-08)
  5. The Rayne Foundation Team - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/about-us/team/-01-08)
  6. UK Charity Commission Register - https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5123717-01-08)
  7. 360Giving GrantNav - The Rayne Foundation - https://grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/org/GB-CHC-1179912-01-08)
  8. Funding Scotland - The Rayne Foundation - https://funding.scot/funds/a0Rb0000000Ng9OEAS/the-rayne-foundation-01-08)
  9. CPRE Press Release: “Crispin Truman OBE to be the new Director of The Rayne Foundation” - https://www.cpre.org.uk/crispin-truman-obe-new-director-of-the-rayne-foundation/-01-08)
  10. The Rayne Foundation Projects - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/projects/-01-08)
  11. The Rayne Foundation Children and Young People's Mental Health - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing/-01-08)
  12. The Rayne Foundation Refugees and Asylum Seekers - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/refugees-and-asylum-seekers/-01-08)
  13. The Rayne Foundation Older People and Carers - https://www.raynefoundation.org.uk/apply-for-funding/older-people-and-their-carers/-01-08)