About us

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Founded in 1961, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the UK’s largest independent funders.

In 2024, we provided £48.8m in funding towards a wide range of work in support of our aims: to improve Our Natural World, secure A Fairer Future and nurture Creative, Confident Communities. We also have a £60m allocation to social investments and a £10m allocation to impact investments. Our funds are generated by our investment portfolio.

Learn more about our strategy

Celebrating 60 years of Esmée

In 2021, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation turned 60. We wanted to take some time to reflect over the last 60 years, and to celebrate the breadth of our work and all that we have achieved working with so many brilliant people and partners.

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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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    HR policies

    Information on HR policies for people working at Esmée. As well as providing guidance on employment issues including the range of benefits available to staff, they ensure that we adhere to the law with consistency and consideration.

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Latest

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    25 July 2025

    Freshwater: Mid-strategy review

    We’re pleased to share a new report exploring changes since our strategy launched, progress made, challenges faced, and recommendations for Esmée and other funders. Simon Wightman, our Funding Manager Lead for Our Natural World, reflects on the findings, what’s next, and the potential impact of the Independent Water Commission’s Final Report.

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    Pre-application Q&A Webinar: 17 September 2025

    We're hosting a pre-application Q&A webinar on 17 September 2025 for organisations interested in applying to Esmée for support who have questions about our application process or guidance.

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  • Annual report 2024

    Annual Report and Accounts 2024

    Our 2024 Annual Report and Accounts gives an overview of our funding, investments and operations during the year.

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    Invitation to Tender: Impact Investment deep dive on social and affordable housing in the UK

    We're looking for a provider to develop a practical resource for impact investors, assessing the investment opportunity both through funds and direct investments, which align with the theme of social and affordable housing in the UK.

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