Press release: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation launches new funding strands

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is launching three exciting new approaches to its funding: a new funding strand based on Food, a pilot programme of work in Northern Ireland and a Finance Fund.

Food: Aims to promote an understanding of the role of food in enhancing quality of life.  We are interested in work that influences policy and practice across a range of food-related areas, enabling as many people in the UK as possible to access, prepare and eat nutritious, sustainable food. The budget is £3million over the next three years.

Northern Ireland Pilot:  Aims to support the development of a strong and resilient voluntary sector in Northern Ireland and, in particular, to encourage new thinking and a new generation of leaders. Year one will be a pilot programme to road-test the design of the programme with five or so organisations selected from an invited field; if successful, a longer programme will be launched.  A budget of up to £1million has been set for the pilot.  The strand is being run in conjunction with The Henry Smith Charity.

Finance Fund:  Offers financing to projects or organisations that can demonstrate the need for investment and the capacity to manage the demands of non-grant funding.  Arrangements could include loans, guarantees, equity or quasi-equity finance.  At this stage, the programme will not be open to unsolicited applications.  Up to £15million will be available for funding of this kind.

Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive, stated, “We are delighted to announce these three new areas of funding.  Our food strand broadens out from our previous work supporting sustainable food networks, whilst the Northern Ireland pilot has developed out of a series of discussions with the third sector organisations there.  We are particularly pleased to be working in partnership with The Henry Smith Charity on this strand.  Our Finance Fund is a new development for the Foundation following a successful nine month pilot to explore the opportunities for alternatives to grant finance and builds on our previous loans programme”.

-ends-

May 2008

Further information:
T. 020 7297 4700
E. info@esmeefairbairn.org.uk

www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk

Notes to editor

1. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-making foundations in the UK, giving grants in the areas of the UK's cultural life, education, the natural environment and enabling people who are disadvantaged to participate more fully in society.
   
   The majority of the Foundation’s funding is channelled through the Main Fund with a smaller number of grants made through time limited specialist funding strands.  The funding announced today is in addition to the funding strands launched in January 2008: Biodiversity, Museum and Heritage Collections and New Approaches to Learning.
   
   
2. During the last two years the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation ran a pilot to explore whether there were opportunities for the foundation to offer selected organisations investment finance.  The Foundation partnered with Venturesome during this pilot phase.