The Syncona Foundation

Charity Number: 1149202

Annual Expenditure: £4.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £4.4 million (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (trustee selection)
  • Grant Range: Unrestricted - varies by charity partner
  • Geographic Focus: United Kingdom
  • Number of Partners: 26 charitable organizations

Contact Details

Website: https://www.synconaltd.com/charities/

Email: TH@BACIT.CO

Phone: 0207 387 4264

Charity Number: 1149202

Overview

The Syncona Foundation was established in 2012 as the charitable arm of Syncona Limited, a life sciences investment company. The Foundation receives an annual donation from Syncona Limited equal to 0.35% of the company's Net Asset Value (approximately £4.4 million in 2024). The Foundation's charitable objects focus on “the prevention, treatment, cure and ultimately eradication of cancer and other diseases,” though in practice it supports a diverse portfolio of 26 charitable organizations across healthcare, medical research, mental health, education, and social support sectors. The Foundation operates with five trustees and two volunteers, with no employees or trustee remuneration. The Foundation typically provides unrestricted funding to its charitable partners, allowing maximum flexibility in how organizations deploy the funds where they believe they can have the most impact.

Funding Priorities

Charitable Objects

The Foundation's formal charitable objects include:

  • Supporting the prevention, treatment, cure and ultimately eradication of cancer and allied diseases
  • Promoting and assisting study and research into cancer and allied diseases
  • Supporting development of preventive, curative, management and palliative treatments
  • Education and training in cancer-related subjects
  • Cooperating with and assisting the Institute of Cancer Research

Current Charitable Partners (26 Organizations)

Medical Research & Cancer:

  • Alzheimer's Research UK
  • Alzheimer's Society
  • Breast Cancer Now
  • Institute of Cancer Research
  • Marie Curie
  • Fight for Sight
  • Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust

Mental Health:

  • James' Place (men's mental health and suicide prevention)
  • The Listening Place (suicide prevention)
  • Place2Be (children's mental health)

Education & Social Support:

  • Generating Genius (STEM education and university scholarships)
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital

Veterans Support:

  • SSAFA
  • Supporting Wounded Veterans

Other Partners:

  • The Egmont Trust

(Additional partners exist but were not individually named in available sources)

Funding Approach

The Foundation provides unrestricted funding to most partners, which means charities have complete flexibility to use funds where they believe they can achieve the most impact. This distinguishes the Foundation from many grant makers who restrict funding to specific projects.

Notable Partnership Examples

  • Fight for Sight: The Foundation has become their “most valuable annual supporter,” funding research into inherited eye diseases and glaucoma
  • Generating Genius: £301,500 over three years (£100,000 annually) funding full university scholarships for five students, covering fees and living expenses
  • Institute of Cancer Research: Funded the “Syncona Biology Unit,” a laboratory space for identifying cancer cell targets for drug development
  • The Egmont Trust: Unrestricted funding helps cover core costs and maintain their “100% Funding Promise” to direct public donations to African projects
  • James' Place: Support has enabled treatment of over 1,500 suicidal men since 2018, delivering over 7,500 therapy sessions
  • Place2Be: Funding supported over 5,600 children in 12 schools, delivering 1,750 one-to-one counselling sessions
  • Alzheimer's Research UK: Ongoing support has funded key initiatives including the Drug Discovery Alliance and Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases initiative
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The Foundation is governed by five trustees:

  • Thomas Alexander Gavin Henderson (Chair)
  • Lucie Annabel Kitchener
  • James Maltin
  • Nigel Keen
  • Rupert Christian Rigbye Adams

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The Foundation operates with two volunteers and no paid employees.

Decision-Making Structure

The Foundation grants funds to charities "selected by its Trustees in furtherance of the Foundation's charitable objects." Historically, the proportions allocated to different charities were determined annually by shareholders of Syncona Limited, representing a unique governance approach that involves both trustee selection and shareholder input.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Syncona Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, with charities selected by trustees rather than through open applications. The Foundation works with a defined portfolio of 26 charitable partners chosen by the trustees.

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion rather than competitive application rounds. Organizations cannot apply unsolicited for funding from the Foundation.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the Foundation selects its charitable partners through trustee decision-making rather than processing applications with defined timelines.

Success Rates

Not applicable - there is no public application process to measure success rates.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - charities do not apply or reapply; trustees select and maintain partnerships with chosen organizations.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Foundation Priorities

Since there is no public application process, organizations that become partners typically demonstrate:

Strong alignment with healthcare and life sciences: The Foundation's charitable partners predominantly operate in healthcare, medical research, mental health, and STEM education - reflecting Syncona Limited's core business focus on life sciences.

Potential for transformational impact: The Foundation states it has "ambitions aligned to Syncona's vision to deliver transformational treatments for patients and contribute to the wider healthcare ecosystem."

Capacity to use unrestricted funding effectively: Partners explicitly value the Foundation's approach. As Fight for Sight stated: "The unrestricted support we receive allows the Foundation's funds to be directed towards our most impactful research that is resulting in better treatments and outcomes for patients."

Core cost coverage needs: The Egmont Trust noted that "Syncona's funding to us is unrestricted, helping us to cover our core costs and keep our '100% Funding Promise.'"

Partnership Approach

The Foundation maintains ongoing relationships with 26 charitable partners rather than making one-off project grants. This suggests they value:

  • Long-term strategic partnerships
  • Organizations with established track records
  • Charities that can absorb and deploy unrestricted funding effectively
  • Alignment with both the formal charitable objects (cancer and allied diseases) and broader healthcare ecosystem goals

Personal Connection

The David Twumasi Syncona Foundation Scholarship (for Generating Genius) was named after a Syncona employee who brought the charity to the Foundation's attention, suggesting that personal connections and recommendations from within the Syncona organization may play a role in charity selection.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - The Syncona Foundation selects charitable partners through trustee discretion rather than accepting applications
  • Focus on healthcare and life sciences - Despite broad charitable objects, the Foundation's portfolio strongly reflects Syncona Limited's core business in life sciences, healthcare, medical research, and related fields
  • Unrestricted funding philosophy - The Foundation typically provides unrestricted grants, allowing partners complete flexibility to deploy funds where most needed
  • Long-term partnerships over project grants - The Foundation maintains ongoing relationships with 26 partners rather than making short-term project-specific grants
  • Substantial annual giving - With approximately £4.4 million distributed annually among 26 partners, individual partnerships can represent significant multi-year funding
  • Strategic alignment matters - Partners align with "Syncona's vision to deliver transformational treatments for patients and contribute to the wider healthcare ecosystem"
  • Future funding changes - From October 2025, Syncona Limited plans to reduce donations from 0.35% to 0.25% of NAV for three years, which will likely reduce annual giving to approximately £3.1 million

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