About us
Columba 1400
Founded in 1961, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the UK’s largest independent funders.
In 2020, we provided £53.5m in grant funding (this includes our emergency response to COVID and Funding Plus) towards work in support of our three main aims: to improve Our Natural World, secure A Fairer Future and nurture Creative, Confident Communities. We also have a £45m allocation to social investments. Our funds are generated by our investment portfolio.
-
Our values
Our organisational values act as a guide for staff and trustees about how we work at Esmée.
Read more -
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our commitments on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as an organisation and through our work.
Read more -
Climate Change
Read about our commitment to addressing the causes and impacts of climate change.
Read more -
Our portfolio
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.
Read more -
-
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.
Read more -
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.
Read more -
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).
Read more -
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.
Read more
Our Annual Report
Read our latest Annual Report
Our History
In 1961 Ian Fairbairn, a leading City figure, decided to endow a charitable foundation with the bulk of his holdings in the company he had joined some 30 years before, M&G.
M&G was a pioneer of the unit trust industry in the UK. It grew out of Ian Fairbairn’s determination that investments in equities, previously the preserve of the affluent, should be available to all – giving everyone the potential to own a stake in the nation’s economy.
His purpose in establishing the Foundation was two-fold. In the interests of wider prosperity, he aimed to promote a greater understanding of economic and financial issues through education. He also wanted to establish a memorial to his wife, Esmée, who had played a prominent role in developing the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service and the Citizens Advice Bureau. She was killed in an air raid during the Second World War.
Esmée Fairbairn’s sons, Paul and Oliver Stobart, also contributed generously to the Foundation established in their mother’s memory.
In 1999 the Foundation sold its holding in M&G as part of the company’s takeover by Prudential Corporation PLC. As a result of this sale, the Foundation’s endowment grew significantly in value. So did the size and scope of the grants it was able to make.
Today, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-making organisations in the UK.
You might be interested in
-
25 May 2022Supporting a widespread transition to nature friendly farming
Laurence Scott, a Funding Manager in Esmée's Our Natural World team, writes about our support for nature friendly farming and how it can be part of a better food system that is positive for nature and communities.
Read more -
Review on children's social care in England published
The Independent Review of Children's Social Care led by Josh McAllister shared its final report this week. Read a summary of the proposals from our learning partner for our Young People Leaving Care funding, alongside a summary of responses from organisations we fund, and the Government's response.
Read more -
Our Annual Report and Accounts for 2021
Read our 2021 Annual Report, which gives an overview of our operations, funding and investments during 2021.
Read more -
Working towards a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment sector
We know that we cannot address the climate and nature crises without also addressing injustice and inequity in the environment sector. In a new blog, we share what we’ve been doing to support a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment sector.
Read more