The Turner-kirk Trust

Charity Number: 1195585

Annual Expenditure: £0.4M
Geographic Focus: Throughout England And Wales, Malawi

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £358,486 (FY 2024 expenditure)
  • Total Distributed Since 2007: Over £7 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: £15,000 - £500,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK and developing world (particularly Africa, with focus on Malawi)

Contact Details

Address: Stonecross, Trumpington High Street, Cambridge, CB2 9SU

Email: contact@turner-kirk.org

Phone: 07885488479

Website: https://turner-kirk.org/

Overview

The Turner Kirk Trust is a strategic, evidence-led family foundation established in 2007 by Dr. Ewan Kirk and Dr. Patricia Turner. Since its founding, the Trust has disbursed over £7 million in funding and is one of the largest private funders of fundamental mathematics research in the UK. The Trust operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered with the Charity Commission in 2021. With two trustees and no paid staff, the Trust maintains a lean operational structure focused on strategic grant making. Their distinctive approach emphasizes “permission to fail” philanthropy, supporting high-risk, high-reward projects that are typically underfunded. The Trust focuses on three core areas: STEM (particularly mathematics and engineering), conservation and biodiversity, and early childhood development, with the aim of funding breakthrough solutions that can catalyze systemic change rather than solving entire problems.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Turner-Kirk Trust operates through strategic partnerships with established academic institutions and international organizations rather than open grant rounds. Key funding mechanisms include:

  • Fellowship Programmes: £250,000 - £500,000 (multi-year endowments for visiting fellowships at institutions like Isaac Newton Institute, Oxford, Cambridge)
  • Research Challenges: £20,000 - £100,000 (sprint challenges and student competitions at Imperial College London and Cambridge)
  • Conservation Projects: £250,000 - £500,000 (multi-year partnerships through Cambridge Conservation Initiative)
  • Early Childhood Development: £250,000 - £480,000 (via UBS Optimus Foundation partnerships)
  • Pilot Projects: £15,000 - £90,000 (experimental projects with potential to scale)

Funding is provided on a discretionary basis by trustees, often through multi-year partnerships with select institutions.

Priority Areas

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)

  • Fundamental mathematics research (particularly underfunded areas)
  • Engineering solutions for developing economies
  • Cross-disciplinary research combining mathematics with conservation
  • Support for women mathematicians
  • Spatial reasoning and mathematics education for children

Conservation & Biodiversity

  • Research-driven conservation solutions
  • Mathematical approaches to conservation challenges
  • Projects in Africa and South-East Asia
  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration between conservation scientists and mathematicians
  • Policy-influencing conservation research

Early Childhood Development

  • Childhood nutrition programmes
  • Postnatal care initiatives
  • Deinstitutionalization of childcare (supporting family-based care)
  • Results-based funding and development impact bonds
  • Projects with evidence of scalability

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the Trust's focus suggests they do not fund:

  • Projects without potential for scalability
  • Low-risk, conventional approaches
  • Non-research-driven initiatives
  • Projects outside their three core focus areas
  • Work without collaboration or partnership elements
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (both appointed 20 August 2021):

Dr. Patricia Turner (Co-Chair) - Academic, philanthropy practitioner, and co-founder. Patricia leads on the Trust's conservation, biodiversity, and early childhood development programmes. She is a firm believer that charitable giving should be underpinned by robust academic research and has been involved in philanthropy since 2007.

Quote: “To be effective as a philanthropist and to make a significant impact, I believe you need to understand as fully as possible the areas in which you work, to take risks and to be prepared to fail, in order to develop the best way forward. My aim is to improve the impact of giving by being strategic about where it is focused and to act as a catalyst for innovative solutions to specific challenges.”

On conservation: “I believe that conserving biodiversity is not a luxury but a survival imperative.”

Dr. Ewan Kirk (Co-Chair) - Technology entrepreneur, founder of Cantab Capital Partners, and Non-executive Director of BAE Systems. Ewan leads on all the Trust's science, mathematics, engineering, and technology initiatives.

Quote: “We try and fund things that, if they work, can be a catalyst for a much larger change.”

On their distinctive approach: "Philanthropy should be high risk. It shouldn't be low risk... We almost encouraged the charities to experiment... we don't care if all [experiments] fail."

“My philosophy has always been to look for the general area and allow the recipient to tell you the best thing to do within that broad space.”

Neither trustee receives any remuneration from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Turner-Kirk Trust does not have a public application process. The Trust operates through strategic partnerships with established academic institutions and international organizations, with funding decisions made at the discretion of the two trustees.

Grants are typically made through:

  • Direct partnerships with universities (Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, Glasgow)
  • Partnerships with established intermediary organizations (UBS Optimus Foundation, Cambridge Conservation Initiative)
  • Invitation-only funding for specific projects aligned with trustee interests

Organizations interested in funding may contact the Trust at contact@turner-kirk.org, but unsolicited applications are unlikely to be successful without a pre-existing relationship or institutional connection.

Getting on Their Radar

The Turner-Kirk Trust identifies potential beneficiaries through:

  • University partnerships: The Trust has established ongoing relationships with University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Glasgow, and University of Southampton. Research groups at these institutions have received multiple rounds of funding.
  • Intermediary organizations: The Trust channels early childhood development funding through the UBS Optimus Foundation, which evaluates projects and presents opportunities to the Trust.
  • Cambridge Conservation Initiative: For conservation projects, the Trust works through CCI, which acts as a hub for identifying and supporting conservation research.
  • Personal networks and expertise: The trustees' backgrounds in technology, mathematics, and academia inform their funding decisions. Ewan Kirk's connections in the mathematical sciences community and Patricia Turner's conservation expertise guide their strategic partnerships.
  • Proven track record: Many grants go to organizations that have already demonstrated success with pilot projects. For example, SolarAid received initial funding of £75,000 for a trial, which led to additional match funding of £240,000 after proving the concept.
  • Public recognition: SolarAid won the UK's Charity Award for International Aid & Development, demonstrating that the Trust's funded projects achieve notable success and recognition.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available and likely vary significantly depending on the nature of the partnership. The Trust operates with just two trustees, suggesting decisions may be made relatively quickly for projects that align with their strategic interests.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. Given the Trust's focus on strategic partnerships with established institutions rather than open grant rounds, traditional success rate metrics do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the partnership-based funding model.

Application Success Factors

While the Turner-Kirk Trust does not accept public applications, organizations that have successfully secured funding share these characteristics:

Embrace High-Risk, High-Reward Approaches

The Trust's distinctive “permission to fail” philosophy is central to their funding decisions. Ewan Kirk explicitly states: "We almost encouraged the charities to experiment... we don't care if all [experiments] fail." Projects should be willing to test innovative approaches with uncertain outcomes.

Demonstrate Catalytic Potential

The Trust looks for projects that “if they work, can be a catalyst for a much larger change.” Successful projects include:

  • The Sprint Challenge at Imperial College London, designed to explore “high-potential research ideas quickly and without fear of failure”
  • SolarAid's Light a Village project in Malawi, which scaled from 500 homes to 2,500 homes after proving the concept
  • Fellowship programmes that influence entire fields, such as the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowship supporting women mathematicians

Provide Evidence-Based, Research-Driven Solutions

Patricia Turner emphasizes that charitable giving should be “underpinned by robust academic research.” The Trust prioritizes:

  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration (particularly mathematics applied to conservation or development challenges)
  • Rigorous impact evaluation
  • Partnerships with world-leading universities and research institutions

Enable Scalability and Systemic Change

The Trust seeks projects with potential to:

  • Influence policy and practice at scale
  • Convince governments to adopt successful approaches
  • Create sustainable, self-perpetuating models
  • Move “the whole distribution to the right a bit” rather than achieving perfection

Allow Flexibility in Implementation

Ewan Kirk's philosophy: “Allow the recipient to tell you the best thing to do within that broad space.” Patricia Turner specifically emphasizes “unrestricted funding” that allows organizations “to determine how best to use the donation so that the funds have the greatest impact.”

Align with Underfunded Areas

The Trust focuses on “specific, targeted areas that are typically underfunded, including fundamental mathematics research and engineering programmes.” Successful projects often address gaps that mainstream funders avoid due to perceived risk.

Build Strategic Partnerships

Multi-year relationships with institutions like Cambridge Conservation Initiative (£250,000 in 2020) and Isaac Newton Institute (multiple gifts totaling over £750,000) demonstrate the Trust's preference for sustained partnerships over one-off grants.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not a funder for public applications: The Trust operates exclusively through strategic partnerships with established institutions and intermediary organizations. Direct applications from individual charities are unlikely to succeed.
  • Risk-taking is valued over safe bets: The Trust explicitly seeks “very high risk” projects and provides “permission to fail.” Conventional, low-risk approaches are not of interest.
  • Think catalytic, not comprehensive: Frame projects in terms of their potential to trigger larger systemic changes, influence policy, or demonstrate approaches that can be scaled by governments or other funders.
  • Research and evidence are essential: All funding is “research-driven” with “robust impact evaluation.” Projects must have strong academic underpinnings and credible methods for measuring impact.
  • Intermediary partnerships are key routes to funding: For early childhood development, the UBS Optimus Foundation relationship is crucial. For conservation, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative serves this role.
  • Mathematics and cross-disciplinary approaches stand out: The Trust is one of the UK's largest private funders of fundamental mathematics research. Projects that apply mathematical approaches to conservation or development challenges are particularly aligned with trustee interests.
  • Multi-year partnerships are preferred: The Trust makes substantial, sustained investments (£250,000-£500,000 over multiple years) rather than small one-off grants, indicating a preference for deep engagement over broad distribution.

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References

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Turner-kirk Trust fund?

Grant Programs The Turner-Kirk Trust operates through strategic partnerships with established academic institutions and international organizations rather than open grant rounds. Key funding mechanisms include: Fellowship Programmes: £250,000 - £500,000 (multi-year endowments for visiting fellowships at institutions like Isaac Newton Institute, Oxford, Cambridge) Research Challenges: £20,000 - £100,000 (sprint challenges and student competitions at Imperial College London and Cambridge) Conservation Projects: £250,000 - £500,000 (multi-year partnerships through Cambridge Conservation Initiative) Early Childhood Development: £250,000 - £480,000 (via UBS Optimus Foundation partnerships) Pilot Projects: £15,000 - £90,000 (experimental projects with potential to scale) Funding is provided on a discretionary basis by trustees, often through multi-year partnerships with select institutions.

How much funding does The Turner-kirk Trust provide?

The Turner-kirk Trust provides grants ranging from £15,000 - £500,000, with total annual giving of approximately £358,486 (FY 2024 expenditure).

How do I contact The Turner-kirk Trust?

Address: Stonecross, Trumpington High Street, Cambridge, CB2 9SU Email: contact@turner-kirk. org Phone: 07885488479 Website: https://turner-kirk.

Is The Turner-kirk Trust a registered charity?

Yes, The Turner-kirk Trust is a registered charity with the Charity Commission (charity number 1195585). They primarily serve organisations in Throughout England And Wales, Malawi.

How do I apply to The Turner-kirk Trust?

The Turner-kirk Trust operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited applications. They typically identify and approach charities they wish to support directly.

Where is The Turner-kirk Trust based?

The Turner-kirk Trust is based in Cambridge. They fund organisations in Throughout England And Wales, Malawi.