Meet our team
Sarah Hedley
Sarah Hedley
Sarah is part of the social investment team, managing a portfolio of investments, developing new proposals, and supporting Esmée’s broader social investment work.
Before joining the Esmée, Sarah worked at the Stone Family Foundation supporting water and sanitation enterprises in Africa and Asia, and as a senior consultant at the charity think tank and consultancy, NPC.
You might be interested in
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16 July 2025Pre-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 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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Review of diversity, equity and inclusion support
We're pleased to share a report reviewing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) support provided to organisations we fund through Funding Plus.
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Learning about youth power on the Involving Young People Collective
Gemma Moore shares reflections on her three years as a consultant on Esmée’s Involving Young People Collective, including what attracted her to her role, what she’s learned about youth power and lived experience, and what she’s gained from the experience.
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Environmental Finance and Learning Fund: increasing the supply of nature-first investment
Jenny Sansom from Environmental Funders Network and Tom Colborne from Esmée share their reflections on the Environmental Finance and Learning Fund, a three-year initiative to build confidence and skills in environmental investing, and increase the amount of funding for impactful environmental projects.
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Financing the future of UK sustainable agriculture: from policy to investment
After the Spending Review confirmed £2.7 billion a year for farming, food security and nature recovery, we asked Thomas Slattery and Hayley Mole, authors of our first investment deep dive into sustainable food and agriculture, how the policy landscape can enable the significant investment needed to transform the UK food system.
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How can we support lived experience in the workplace
Together with Peer Power Youth and Place Matters, we're pleased to share a report, Supporting Employees with Lived Experience, with learning from 24 social impact organisations as part of a peer learning exchange on lived experience. Esmée Funding Manager, Genevieve Ford-Saville, writes about how the group came about and what's next for this work.
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My experience on the Involving Young People Collective
Francesca Hutchin, a member of Esmée’s Involving Young People Collective, shares reflections on being part of the Collective, the different working relationships, and experience of assessing grants.
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Pre-application Q&A Webinar: 12 May 2025
Watch a pre-application Q&A webinar we held on 12 May 2025 for organisations interested in applying to Esmée for support who have questions about our application process or guidance.
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Supply Chains Reform in Food Systems
Following conversations with partners and a review of our strategy, we’re pleased to share a new report by Vicki Hird exploring how agricultural supply chains are limiting progress towards nature friendly farming - and where Esmée could play a stronger role in supporting change.
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Launching the Involving Young People Fund in May 2025
The Involving Young People Fund launches in May 2025 in Wakefield and Barnsley, putting young people in the lead to fund projects that tackle the issues they care about most.
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Invitation to Tender: Expanded Land Purchase Facility options
Invitation to Tender: We're looking to work with a consultant to scope and design options for an expanded and collaborative Land Purchase Facility.
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Playing to our strengths: social and impact investing
Jonny Page, Esmée's Director of Social and Impact Investment, writes about how we're working towards aligning our investments with our mission to drive social and environmental impact across key areas like social justice, conservation, and community development.
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Neurodiversity and Me (Black woman edition)
Aaliyah McLaughlin, a member of Esmée’s Involving Young People Collective, provides unique insight into her experiences as a neurodivergent person and shares advice on how others can support individuals with dyslexia and ADHD.
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Racial justice: A review of Esmée's approach
Following a listening exercise with organisations we fund who are led by communities experiencing racial inequity, we’re pleased to share a new report by Chrisann Jarrett reviewing our approach to racial justice. We’ve also shared our initial reflections and actions we plan to take in 2025.
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A message from Caroline Mason
Read a message of support from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation's Chief Executive, Caroline Mason.
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion: progress in 2024
A summary of key actions we have taken during 2024 to make progress on our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Who our funding is reaching 2024
Who our funding is reaching is our annual report based on diversity data gathered from applicants based on the DEI Data Standard. This page shares analysis from data collected in 2024. It also covers geographic areas served and the governance structure of organisations funded.
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Funder Commitment on Climate Change: 2024
Read our 2024 update on our work towards the six goals of the Funder Commitment on Climate Change.
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The RACE Report 2024: Esmée’s progress
The third annual RACE (Racial Action for the Climate Emergency) Report shares findings on the diversity of environment organisations and funders including Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. We share our initial reflections and plans to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environment sector.
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Overview of grant funding 2024
Find an overview of the grants we made in 2024, broken down by type of support, amount awarded, and by aim and funding priority. We also share success rates for applications in 2024.
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Pre-application Q&A Webinar: 3 February 2025
Watch a pre-application Q&A webinar we held on 3 February 2025 for organisations interested in applying to Esmée for support who have questions about our application process or guidance.
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Supporting marine restoration and communities to take action
In a second blog about our work for healthy seas, Esmée’s Funding Manager, Morven Robertson, highlights some of the projects we’re supporting through our space for nature priority – from large scale marine and coastal restoration and attracting the finance needed for it, to coastal communities taking action, and improving the diversity of the marine sector.
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Fishing in Tandem with Nature: Our work so far
Esmée’s Funding Manager, Morven Robertson, shares the first of two blogs exploring our work and plans to support healthy seas. She highlights some of the projects we’ve supported towards our fishing in tandem with nature priority, from reducing overfishing to protecting marine habitats, and supporting more equitable fisheries.
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The new Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
Alison Holdom, a Funding Manager Lead in Esmée’s Creative, Confident Communities team, writes about the new Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund, how it’s evolved, and our long-running partnership with the Museums Association.
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Supporting healthy seas: overview of our work so far
See an infographic with an overview of our support so far towards healthy seas, covering 2020 to 2024.
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How we’re using AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools
Learn about how we’re using AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot to support our work and what this means for people and organisations we work with. We also share our thoughts on organisations using AI in their work – including funding applications.
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New Connections funding: behind the scenes and reflections so far
Chebet Kuntai, Esmée’s Climate and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Co-ordinator, writes about the development of New Connections along with how we identified and reached out to organisations to support.
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New Connections: timeline and overview to date
See an infographic with a timeline for Esmée Fairbairn Foundation's New Connections programme, alongside an overview of the organisations funded.
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