We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK.
Turner Contemporary
Our Natural World
We want to ensure that our natural world is restored and protected and that people benefit from that recovery. Working with others, we will contribute to three key impact goals: preserved and improved species health and habitats, clean and healthy freshwater, and sustainable and ethical food.
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A Fairer Future
We want to contribute to a just and anti-racist society, where those most likely to have their rights denied have those rights protected, as well as the opportunity to speak and be heard, and the freedom to express their creativity. We want to shine new light on areas of need and challenge the cultures, systems and behaviours that stand in the way of change.
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Creative, Confident Communities
We want to strengthen the bonds in communities, helping local people to build vibrant, confident places where they can fulfil their creative, human and economic potential. Places where the local economy works better for the people who live there, where there is equality of access to arts and culture, and where communities are at the heart of change.
Find out moreOur impact
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£825.5m
Total grants made since 1961
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£53.5m
Grant funding spend in 2020
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£45m
Allocation to social investment
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65%
Grants for core or unrestricted costs
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About Esmée
Learn about our people, our governance and history as well as our approach to investment and see our annual reports.
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Our aims
Learn more about our impact goals and priorities for the next five years. We also share insights and learning as well as information about what we fund.
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Our support
Working in collaboration with others, we use all our tools to achieve our shared goals and to effect broader change. Learn more about our range of tools and support.
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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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Involving young people
We want to do better at listening to and involving young people more directly with our work so we're working with the Involving Young People Collective to help us design and test ways in which we can do this.
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You might be interested in
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04 January 2022Temporary closure to applications in A Fairer Future
As we develop our strategy for A Fairer Future, we will close to new applications - in funding priorities for A Fairer Future only - from January to May 2022. We remain open to applications in Our Natural World and Creative, Confident Communities.
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Environmental Finance and Learning Fund
Together with the Environmental Funders Network (EFN), we have launched a collaborative Environmental Finance and Learning Fund to help unlock significant new funding for nature recovery.
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Young People Leaving Care funding: Insights from our Learning Programme
As part of our support for organisations we fund through our Young People Leaving Care funding, we commissioned a Learning Programme to facilitate learning, collaboration and alliances between the funded organisations, and with Esmée ourselves. This Insights report outlines our approach and what we've learned so far.
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Supporting capacity and capability of organisations working to improve freshwater environments
To help us make progress towards our impact goal of ‘clean and healthy freshwater’, we commissioned the Cardiff University Water Research Institute to undertake a review of organisations working to restore the freshwater environment across the UK.
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