Walcot Educational Foundation

Charity Number: 312800

Annual Expenditure: £2.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2,000,000
  • Success Rate: 20% (EOI to final award)
  • Decision Time: 6 weeks (individuals); varies for organisations
  • Grant Range: £500 - £30,000 per year
  • Geographic Focus: London Borough of Lambeth only
  • Grant Duration: Up to 3 years for organisations/schools

Contact Details

  • Website: www.walcotfoundation.org.uk
  • Phone: 020 7735 1925 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)
  • Email: office@walcotfoundation.org.uk
  • Address: Grants Team, Walcot Foundation, Lambeth

Overview

Founded 350 years ago, the Walcot Educational Foundation (Charity Number 312800) operates exclusively within the London Borough of Lambeth. With approximately £2 million in annual giving, the Foundation exists for the relief of poverty amongst Lambeth residents (mainly under 30 years of age) by promoting education broadly defined. Their mission is to offer a “hand up, not a hand out” and to “tackle poverty by creating opportunity.” Over the ten years to March 2022, they made 3,547 grants totalling £20,570,159. Under the leadership of Director Marcia Asare, who joined from City and Guilds Group with 15 years' experience in grant-giving programmes, the Foundation has moved toward increasingly co-created and community-led grantmaking. They support individuals, voluntary organisations, community groups, schools, and charities working with low-income Lambeth residents facing structural, social and economic disadvantage.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

For Individuals:

  • Student Support: Grants for course fees, books, equipment, and living costs for low-income Lambeth residents aged 18+ pursuing education or training
  • Job Transition Grants: Support for costs associated with moving into work
  • Exceptional Talent Development: Funding to develop exceptional talent in low-income Lambeth residents
  • Application Method: Online application form, rolling basis for short courses; closing date September 30th for university/FE (may close earlier if high volume)

For Organisations & Schools:

  • Organisational Grants: £500 - £30,000 per year for up to 3 years
  • School-Based Projects: Up to £30,000 per year for up to 3 years (primary schools typically receive smaller amounts)
  • Educational Field Trip Grants: Available on a rolling basis
  • Application Method: Two rounds per year (spring and autumn); begins with verbal Expression of Interest (EOI), followed by written application if selected
  • Note: School-based projects only considered in January/February round, with projects starting the following academic year

Priority Areas

The Foundation focuses on four main themes for Lambeth low-income residents:

  1. Removing Barriers in Education: Empowering families under pressure to deal with problems preventing them from thriving, such as poor housing, debt, benefits issues and difficulties supporting their children's education
  1. Maximising Learning: Enabling pupils who are disengaged from education to achieve academically and/or vocationally; addressing student (re-)engagement with school, particularly in transition years and for students at risk of exclusion
  1. Building Employability: Supporting young people (under 30) into employment – priority given to projects offering routes into secure employment at London Living Wage level and/or working with young people furthest from the labour market; tackling youth unemployment and in-work poverty
  1. Developing Money Sense: Maximising access to free, independent advice from accredited sources, particularly in debt, housing and employment rights; building better mental health for children and young people through early intervention projects

Grants are typically for work targeted at specific individuals or groups meeting their criteria, rather than whole-school or whole-community projects.

What They Don't Fund

General Exclusions:

  • Anything considered the responsibility of central or local government, or of schools themselves
  • Independent schools or charities with direct links to independent schools
  • Further Education Colleges, Universities, or charities with direct links to them
  • Companies/CICs limited by shares, co-operatives or sole traders
  • Services previously run as public services and still considered statutory obligations (particularly applicable to CICs formed from former public sector services operating as mutuals)

Individual Grants Exclusions:

  • Post-graduate studies or second degrees
  • Personal development courses
  • Study at private institutions
  • Career changes
  • Course fees where it's unclear the applicant can raise the balance of funds to complete the entire course
  • Goods or services already purchased
  • Further study for applicants with significant work experience at a reasonable level of responsibility
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Governance and Leadership

Director: Marcia Asare, MSc, joined from her position of Group Lead – ESG for City and Guilds Group, bringing 15 years' experience driving grant-giving programmes using a systems change approach, including raising awareness of disadvantaged young people and underrepresented communities.

In an interview, Asare stated: “At the Walcot Foundation, we try to play our part by 1. providing funding and 2. using soft power.” She has noted that communities are experiencing “an ever growing tsunami of need in the backdrop of less and less statutory support,” particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis.

Board of Governors (Trustees): Thomas Anderson, Donatus Anyanwu, Angus Boag, Michelle Bogle, Alice Chapple, Rezina Chowdhury, Helen George, Michael Marshall, Andrien Meyers, Glencora Senior, and Simon Taylor.

The board sets the strategic direction and acts as steward of the charities' historic resources, while a small staff team handles day-to-day operations and manages the Walcot Estate.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Individuals:

  1. Complete the online application form available on the Foundation's website
  2. Submit all required supporting documents
  3. Applications accepted on a rolling basis for short courses
  4. University/FE applicants (1-year courses): deadline September 30th (may close earlier if high volume)

For Organisations & Schools:

  1. Expression of Interest (EOI) Stage: Submit a verbal expression of interest during open rounds (spring and autumn)
  2. Initial Review: Foundation reviews EOI via phone conversation to assess project fit
  3. Written Application: If selected (41% success rate at this stage), complete full online application form
  4. Decision: Governors review applications and make final decisions
  5. Next Round: Autumn 2025 for organisations/schools (except educational field trip grants, which are rolling)

Decision Timeline

For Individuals:

  • Decision typically made within 6 weeks once all supporting documents are received

For Organisations/Schools:

  • Two grant rounds per year (spring and autumn)
  • School-based projects only considered in January/February round
  • Funded projects begin at the start of the following academic year
  • Specific decision timeframes vary by round

Success Rates

For Organisations/Schools:

  • 41% of expressions of interest move to written application stage
  • 48% of full written applications are approved
  • Overall success rate: approximately 20% (41% × 48% = 19.68%)

Based on 360Giving data, the Foundation made 1,076 grants between April 2012 and March 2023, averaging approximately 98 grants per year.

Reapplication Policy

If an organisation or school completes a full written grant application that is unsuccessful, they must wait 12 months from the date of their initial expression of interest before applying again.

Application Success Factors

Pre-Application Engagement:

The Foundation values the verbal Expression of Interest process, which receives 94% positive feedback, including from people with dyslexia. Use the phone conversation to demonstrate clear alignment with priorities and impact on low-income Lambeth residents.

Demonstrating Fit:

  • Focus applications on targeted work with specific individuals or groups meeting their criteria, not whole-school or whole-community projects
  • Clearly demonstrate work is not a statutory responsibility
  • For schools, ensure the project enhances opportunities specifically for pupils from non-advantaged Lambeth households
  • Show how your project addresses one or more of their four priority themes

Evidence and Approach:

  • Demonstrate a systems change approach where applicable
  • Show routes to sustainable outcomes (e.g., London Living Wage employment for youth employment projects)
  • Highlight focus on those furthest from the labour market or facing greatest barriers
  • Include clear measures of impact for low-income Lambeth residents under 30

Recent Funded Projects (Examples):

  • BounceBack programme: 16 projects awarded £1,525,232 over two years to help low-income Lambeth residents under 30 find paid work (beginning October 2021)
  • Katakata (partner organisation)
  • Lambeth Larder - campaigns to end high-cost credit
  • Projects addressing student re-engagement with school during transition years
  • Early intervention mental health projects for target pupil groups

Language and Terminology:

The Foundation uses terms like “hand up not hand out,” “tackle poverty by creating opportunity,” “non-advantaged backgrounds,” “structural barriers,” and emphasizes community-led, co-created approaches.

Community Voice:

The Foundation has developed an increasingly community-led and co-created grantmaking approach. Applications that demonstrate community involvement and voice are likely to be viewed favorably.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Lambeth-only focus: Your project must serve low-income Lambeth residents, primarily under 30, to be eligible
  • Use the EOI process strategically: The verbal expression of interest is your first screening – prepare to clearly articulate fit with priorities and impact in a phone conversation
  • Align with all four themes: Review the four priority areas (education barriers, maximising learning, employability, money sense) and demonstrate clear alignment with at least one
  • Targeted, not universal: Applications for targeted interventions with specific groups perform better than whole-school or whole-community approaches
  • Not a statutory replacement: Clearly demonstrate your work goes beyond what schools or government should be providing
  • Multi-year funding available: Organisations can apply for up to £30,000 per year for three years – highlight sustainability and long-term impact
  • Success rates are competitive: With only 20% overall success rate for organisations (EOI to award), ensure your application is exceptionally well-aligned and evidenced before applying
  • 12-month waiting period: If unsuccessful at full application stage, you cannot reapply for 12 months, so make your application count

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