It’s February 2025, and if your news feed is anything like mine, it can feel like the causes we most care about are constantly under attack. So, I wanted to share a message of support for the organisations we fund and work alongside.
At Esmée we are proud to give money for work that makes life better for people, communities and nature in the UK. We are committed to a fairer future where people have their rights protected, the opportunity to speak and be heard, and the freedom to express their creativity. We remain focused on restoring and protecting our natural world, for people and for nature. We continue to address diversity, equity and inclusion, along with the causes and impacts of climate change, across all our work. And when it comes to the places we live in, we are proud to back people who are making their local communities more vibrant, confident, and economically resilient.
We publish all our grants, social and impact investments as open data on 360Giving. You can also find links below to information about our work in 2024, including an overview of our grant funding and a report on who our funding is reaching based on diversity data gathered from applicants.
Esmée is also proud to be an independent funder. We give away £50m in grants every year to charitable work in the UK, using money from our investments. But we know that, to make a difference on issues as big as nature recovery or community regeneration, it will take much more than our money – we need to work together with organisations across the public, private and charity sectors. That’s why we match funded grants from Defra and the Environment Agency to four innovative environmental projects in 2019, which contributed to shaping the Environment Agency’s Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. It’s why we are working with local authorities on investing in housing provision for children and young people in and leaving care. And it’s why we are working with four fellow funders to support communities to make life better in Carmarthen, Enfield, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Oldham and Torbay through LocalMotion.
After a difficult start to the year, we are all looking for some hope. Working together will be key if we’re going to make life better for people, communities and nature in the UK. Let’s stay motivated by our shared goals, connected by our common values, and inspired by the people who are out there making it happen.
