About us
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Founded in 1961, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the UK’s largest independent funders.
In 2023, we provided £58.4m in funding towards a wide range of work in support of our three main aims: to improve Our Natural World, secure A Fairer Future and nurture Creative, Confident Communities. This includes additional funding to organisations we fund in response to the rising cost of living. We also have a £45m allocation to social investments and a £10m allocation to impact investments. Our funds are generated by our investment portfolio.
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Our values
Our organisational values act as a guide for staff and trustees about how we work at Esmée.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our commitments on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as an organisation and through our work.
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Climate Change
Read about our commitment to addressing the causes and impacts of climate change.
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Our funding data
We publish all our grants and social investments on 360Giving, an initiative that aims to help UK funders share their data in an open and standard format online.
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Our investments
Our investments ensure that we can keep working to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK for decades to come.
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Strategy
Information about our strategic plan including our impact goals and the outcomes we hope to achieve by 2030. We also outline how we will work in support of our mission.
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Governance
Esmée is governed by a Board of Trustees who meet six times each year to set and oversee the delivery of the Foundation’s strategy. We also have a number of Trustee committees, which support our work throughout the year.
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Open and trusting grant-making
Learn about our commitments to open and trusting grant-making, which is part of a campaign launched by the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR).
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Working for Esmée
Our vision is for Esmée to have a diverse team of staff and Trustees – with the skills, knowledge, experience, networks and insights required to deliver our strategic plan.
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You might be interested in
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28 March 2024
Pre-application Q&A webinar: 13 May 2024
We're hosting a pre-application Q&A webinar on 13 May 2024 for organisations interested in applying to Esmée for support who have questions about our application process or guidance.
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Webinar: Effective partnership working
Watch a webinar we hosted with Take Note exploring a series of practical tools and approaches they've developed to support more equitable and impactful partnership work.
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Proposed changes to the Sentencing Council's guidelines
The Sentencing Council has announced changes to their guidelines including new measures covering pregnancy and maternity. Earlier this year, they also launched a consultation on the Imposition of community and custodial sentences guideline. See the joint response of the Corston Independent Funders' Coalition.
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Supporting a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment sector
A new report by Hybrid Consulting and sam-culture reviews activity to address the lack of diversity in the environment sector. Commissioned by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Simon Wightman, Esmée's Funding Manager Lead for Our Natural World shares his reflections on the findings and Esmée's role.
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