John Ellerman Foundation

The Foundation was established in 1971 as a generalist grant-making Trust following the death of Sir John Ellerman.

The Foundation aims to advance the well-being of people, society and the natural world. Support is available for charitable work in the arts, environment and social action. The Foundation is keenly aware of the connections between these areas and their effects on each other and on people’s health and happiness.

The Foundation funds organisations whose work has reach and significance across the UK and supports charities that have a national footprint.

The Foundation supports people, society and the natural world by focusing on the arts, environment and social action as these areas can make an important contribution to wellbeing.

The minimum grant available is £10,000. There is no maximum limit. Most grants are for two or three years. The Foundation normally supports core funding, but grants for projects are also available. Please note that demand for funds is high.

Who Can Apply

Funding is available to registered, excepted or exempt charities that are doing work that has a national footprint or a wide reach, such as working in more than one country, region or county.

For Arts funding applications, the Foundation prioritises requests for initiatives outside of the capital but may consider those based in London if the proposal would bring significant benefits elsewhere.

Organisations should have an income of between £100,000 and £10 million and be able to demonstrate:

• Effectiveness and impact: this could mean a good understanding of the needs being met and how best to tackle them; awareness of how the project adds value and relates to/complements the work of others; effective systems to monitor and review progress; a culture of learning, reflection and improvement; and being alert to opportunities to widen impact.
• Strong governance and management: a diverse and representative organisation with a well-qualified and engaged board and strong and inspiring leadership; a thorough understanding and oversight of finances across the Board and leadership team; and awareness of the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Collaborative: this could mean organisations that are well connected, understand how they fit within their world, and work well with others relevant to the work being done.
  

Preference is given to smaller niche national charities which shine a light on a particular concern or area of interest.

Applicants can now request new funding after submission of the Final Report. Previously, grantees had to wait for one year after their grant had ended before submitting a new application.

Support is available for core funding, projects and programmes, such as staff salaries, training and expenses, running costs, monitoring/evaluation, communications and digital innovation. The Foundation funds three categories and aims to allocate it in the following way:

Arts

Funding is available in the following areas:

• Regional museums and galleries - funding is available to strengthen these institutions, with a focus on using curatorial skills to enhance collections for public benefit.
• Performing arts, mainly theatre, music and dance. Support may be available for other performing art forms if the organisation and its work are exceptional.

In the performing arts, organisations should demonstrate some of the following:

• Organisations with new or original work.
• Track record of producing excellent work.
• Exciting, fresh and imaginative ideas and models of working.
• Integration of emerging talent and artist development into the artistic programme of work (i.e. developing an individual is not the organisation’s main or sole focus).
• An understanding of actual and potential audiences and how the artistic plans relate to them.
• Regional work that is valued and recognised nationally and internationally.

Environment

Funding is available in the following two areas:

• The Ocean: protection, restoration and sustainable use of the ocean through effectively and equitably managed protected areas; ocean recovery; engaging coastal communities; reducing overfishing and addressing other harmful effects of human activity on, and in the ocean, such as pollution.
• Land and fresh waters: building healthier ecosystems in urban or rural environments, through effective and sustainable management including implementing evidence-based interventions conservation and restoration; connecting fragmented habitats; and landscape-scale work to protect and restore places of special significance. Work to reduce or prevent the damaging impacts of human activities, particularly climate change, and air, land and water pollution from chemicals and other pollutants are also funded.

Priority will be given to work in UK waters but consideration will be given to Overseas Territories (on land and sea) from UK-based NGOs with local partners.

Organisations should demonstrate some of the following:

• Strive to understand the natural environment.
• Understand both the significance of habitats for human wellbeing, as well as the impact of people on nature.
• Look for sustainable solutions by ensuring that the livelihoods and economic needs of local communities are integrated into their thinking and strategy.
• Work collaboratively.
• Tackle causes as well as symptoms.
• Undertake an evidence-based approach.

Social Action

Funding is available in the following areas:

• Improve systems and institutions through policy, advocacy and campaigning:
  • Building bridges between people and the establishment by creating opportunities for contact and dialogue.
  • Enabling those with experience to have a voice.
  • Ensuring professionals/organisations listen and respond.
  • Campaigning for improving policies, practices and systems.
• Actively involve those with personal experience of the issue tackled:
  • Bringing together those with direct personal experience of a problem and those who have expertise and insight from working alongside them.
  • Finding new ways to draw on experiences and skills, engaging them in identifying and working on change.
  • Priority will be given to proposals that tackle the greatest barriers created by disadvantage, divisions and inequality.

Priority is given to charities that:

• Are rooted in practical experience, rather than working exclusively on policy.
• Understand the need to build people’s confidence and skills so they are ready to engage with others.
• Value, promote and learn from the experience of those they support.
• Engage with the unpopular or difficult cause.
• Seek to tackle causes as well as symptoms.

Applications may be submitted at any time. Decisions are made regularly throughout the year.

Applicants should first refer to the guidelines, the eligibility checklist, and the frequently asked questions before starting the application process.

The Foundation operates a two-stage application process. Applicants must create an online account and apply via the portal on the website.

The first-stage application should include:

• A description of what the organisation is seeking funding for, on no more than two sides of A4, including:
  • A summary of the organisation and relevant track record.
  • How the proposal meets the requirements that the work is of national significance.
  • What the organisation would like funding for and why it is well placed to do this work.
  • How the proposal fits the Foundation's guidelines.
• A copy of the organisation's most recent annual accounts. If the accounts show a significant surplus or deficit, high or low reserves, these should be explained briefly. If the year-end date of the accounts is more than 10 months old, applicants should include the latest management accounts.

If the proposal is recommended to the second stage, a more detailed application will be required.