Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Grants
Funding
From £30,000
Location
England
Applications
Rolling (always open)
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funds organisations working towards long-term, systemic change. Grants cover core costs like staff salaries and overheads, as well as project costs and unrestricted funding. Awards start at £30,000 with no upper limit and typically run for three to five years. You must be a constituted organisation with a turnover of at least £100,000. Your work must directly benefit people in the UK. The foundation prioritises work that centres lived experience, promotes justice and equity, and has potential for wider influence.
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Must be a constituted organisation
- Annual turnover of at least £100,000
- Work must have direct benefit in the UK
- Must align with one of the foundation's 13 funding priorities
This grant is for constituted organisations, including charities and non-charities doing charitable work, based in or benefiting England. You must have an annual turnover of at least £100,000. It is not for individuals, informal groups, or organisations whose work does not directly benefit people in the UK.
Regions
Awards published
1,778
Typical award
£31,500
Most awards
£10,000 to £180,000
Most funded region
London
350 awards in 2025, level with 366 the year before.
Recent awards include The Borders Forest Trust (£100,000, 2026), National Opera Studio (NOS) (£10,000, 2026) and GRANDFRIENDS (£15,000, 2026).
This funder has made 1,778 awards with a typical award of £31,500. Would you qualify?
See if you'd qualifyContains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.
Full details from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation offers grants to constituted organisations, including charities and non-charities doing charitable work, to support core or project costs including staff salaries and overheads. Grants focus on work that creates systemic change, centres lived experience, justice and equity, and has potential for wider influence or spread. The foundation makes around 200 grants a year across 13 funding priorities, with the majority of grants lasting three to five years. Unrestricted funding is also available for charities.
Applications are rolling, so there is no fixed deadline. Check the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation website for their current application process and funding priorities. They fund across 13 priority areas, so review these carefully before applying.
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Create free accountLast updated: 30 August 2026