Additional Q&A

Work needs to show a clear fit to one of our funding outcomes - you can read more about what we are looking for in our guidance for A Fairer Future.

We have previously funded work which creates open source resources which can support communities beyond the lifetime of the grant. In general, when assessing applications, we consider a range of factors - for instance, will the work contribute to our long-term outcomes? And what impact is it hoping to have? See our page on how we make decisions for more information, and the guidance for the relevant funding priority.

If an organisation has identified that internships are important to delivering their core work or a project, we would consider supporting it as part of their wider 'ask' to Esmée. We would want to learn more about the work that is being delivered and why the approach is effective. In general, we would expect the internships to be openly advertised (unless there is a good reason not to) and that any interns are paid the living wage. Hope that answers your question - we weren't sure we understood it correctly, so do follow up if not.

This is a good question. From what you've said, we don't think the work you're describing would be a strong enough fit. We are looking for work that is focused primarily on narrative shifts i.e. that is it's core aim. You've mentioned your work is direct delivery in employability, and narrative change is an element included in that work. We are also ideally looking at work that is considering a range of lenses and issues in the public narrative.

Thanks for the question - best to have a look at the Creative, Confident Communities guidance and the long term outcomes for each one as we assess applications on the basis of match to the long term outcomes for the priorities, and in light of the six principles (bullet points at the start of the Creative Confident Communities guidance). The case studies give some examples of what this looks like in practice.

You can read more about what we are looking for in our Children and Young People's Rights funding in our guidance. Requests need to show a strong fit with at least one of the long-term outcomes within this priority. The panel also talked through some features we look for in all applications - particularly how we look for work that can display a wider impact beyond the immediate beneficiaries, for example by changing policy, practice or the behaviour of others.

We can, but we'd be more likely to be proactive on what we'd fund through re-granting. Do check for alignment on our support for Our Natural World and Creative, Confident Communities - we would look at the intersection of our priorities in these two areas.

It's important that applicants under Communities Working Together for Change can show in some way how local people have an influence in decision making - this can take various forms but we generally see examples where local people with experience issues the organisation is working on and direct knowledge of the local community are actively involved in influencing how that work happens.

Most of our funding is for unrestricted or core costs, so would cover a range of elements of an organisations work. We can fund project costs if that is preferable, but would generally advise that it is clearer if this is for a singular project.

We fund work across the whole of the UK including Wales as long as it meets our funding criteria

Yes, we will consider it as part of the request. See how we make decisions and about how we consider diversity, equity and inclusion. Organisations we fund are also able to apply for Funding Plus support for capacity building.

We receive a large number of applications and make around 200 grants annually across all of our funding priorities. Applications that progress beyond Expression of Interest stage will need to be able to outline a vision for change and the relationships and routes to work towards this - in line with the long term outcomes for our funding priorities. We are unfortunately not a suitable funder on-going local delivery work.

If an organisation is considering applying, they should be able to demonstrate how the work they are applying for will be a strong match to the Foundation's long-term outcomes. The work will often be informed by an organisation's previous work and learning. There is no time restriction on re-application for organisations that have had unsuccessful applications but a new application would need to be substantially different to a previously declined one.

22 (10%) grants awarded in 2024 were for work specifically in Scotland and 5 grants were for work in Northern Ireland. About 40% of grants are working across the whole of the UK or more than one UK country. See info on who our funding is reaching.

We do not have specific targets for each country.

We can provide core and project costs funding for CICs. We can only provide unrestricted funding to registered charities.

Under our Space for Nature priority we are prioritising work that restores nature across large areas of land (including urban), freshwater, or sea. We will consider species-focused projects only where it delivers against a broader set of environmental outcomes and brings together a wide range of stakeholders. I'd refer to the website for further clarification.

We fund a range of constituted organisations, this can be for work they are leading or where they are the lead applicant for a partnership. We will want to know why the applicant is the appropriate organisation to lead / host the work. For example, under Creative Confident Communities, showing that the applicant organisation genuinely represents local communities and has the capacity and the right relationships to work effectively towards change. Local Infrastructure organisations would be eligible to apply.

No, we do not have a requirement for co-funding or a particular percentage contribution that we are looking for.

Yes, we could consider it and if we felt there was a strong enough match to take forward, it would be good to explore the expected timelines of decisions. We understand that it is often necessary to apply to multiple funders at the same time and this would be part of the assessment conversations.

There are a few differences. The main one is that social investment is repayable. The process is similar to grant funding, so please do take a look at our social investment guidance. We also recommend taking a look at Good Finance, a website to help organisations navigate social investment, including information about the types of social investment available as well as a directory of social investors.

Not specifically, we assess applications based on how strong it fits to our long-term outcomes for the relevant funding priorities.

Climate change is not one of our primary funding areas but is cross-cutting across everything we fund so the project will have to be a strong fit to one of our priorities but climate change can be a strong element of the work.

This type of work could be a fit to current strategy, so please do look at our funding guidance. Do also take a look at how we make decisions. We will take into account our existing portfolio, and whether the request could complement work we're already funding.

Our primary focus is how work requested fits with our funding outcomes so we do not have a specific view on umbrella organisations - if an umbrella organisation made a request that was a strong fit with our strategy, we would fund it.

Another round of Youth Led Creativity will open in 2026 but we are not currently able to confirm a more specific timeline. If you sign up to our newsletter (if not already signed up) we will share more information here when available.

No, it is fine to just meet one of the funding outcomes. Please note, however, that we are closed to applications for work towards the outcome on youth-led creativity. See the previous question.

If the broad span of your work is a good fit with the Arts and Creativity Making Change funding outcome then you could consider a core costs request. If only a small part of your work or a specific programme is a match, then you might be better placed applying for project funds.

This particular outcome is focused on legal support so it is likely not. Here are the additional points from our funding guidance about what we are looking for from the outcome 'Children's rights are better met, with specialist legal support and better protection for marginalised groups'. We want to support work that:

• Is driven and shaped by young people with experience of injustice.
• Improves and protects the rights of marginalised children and young people through influencing and strategic litigation.
• Builds understanding of children’s legal rights amongst organisations working with children and young people, as well as their confidence to identify issues earlier and better use the law.

It is unlikely that we would fund individual landscape recovery projects as a substitute for Defra funding. There are many landscape recovery projects across England in a similar position all doing exciting work, we therefore have to be careful about equity and precedent.

Our unrestricted/core funding allows organisations to decide how funds are used which could include work on specific projects.

Yes, we recognise organisations often need core funding from various funders so are happy to fund alongside others.

We support a diverse range of work involving communities and creativity. Any application will need to show how the work will enable long term change in relation to one (or more) of our funding priorities. Our priority on community-led creativity may be the most relevant.

This would be case by case. Understanding how the organisation is assessing its own impact is very helpful but sometimes external evaluation of impact can add an extra layer of evidence that is useful.

No we wouldn't require organisations to have accreditation in this way, although the match with our wider priorities would be worth considering and particularly the section on our website which talks about what we look for. The key things here are What we look for:

• Their work is ambitious and/or doing something new to create systemic change
• There is potential for wider influence or spread
• Their work centres lived experience, justice and equity
• They take a collaborative approach
• Our support could make a significant difference

We fund work across the whole of the UK which can either be national or working in specific areas.

This could be a fit to our Creative, Confident Communities strategy if the approach was strongly meeting the principles in our guidance. We are looking to support work which is responding to the needs of a specific place and is community-led. We do have some examples of community-led research in our portfolio and in these cases we have funded the community organisation leading the work.

We are only able to fund organisations registered in the UK directly, so if you are registered outside the UK you would need to partner with another organisation in the UK as a conduit.

Yes, we can fund faith based organisations, provided the work we are being asked to fund is non-proselytising.

We don't have restrictions on stage for social investment, but would look for alignment and evidence of the work.

Yes we are able to fund companies limited by guarantee as long as the work is charitable and the organisation has guards against 'personal benefit'. You can find out more about that in our FAQ on how we assess governance.

We don't have an exclusion for National Park Authorities and have funded them as an accountable body for work, such as peat restoration. We would not fund any of their statutory functions and have to make a clear case against our funding criteria for value add.

Unfortunately, we don't fund very small organisations (with a turnover of less than £100,000) through our open application process.

We are able to fund universities but we would need to see a strong match with funding priorities and it would be worth looking at the part of our website which tells you how we make decisions. Do also see our FAQ on how we assess governance.

Law Centres are eligible to apply. The request would need to meet one of our funding outcomes. More details can be found in the Guidance for Support about what we are looking for in A Fairer Future under each funding priority and outcome.

No, we cannot fund any work providing healthcare.

In theory, yes, but the work itself would need to be a strong match to priorities and have potential to have significant wider impact.

It would be best to refer to Our Natural World guidance for this to see how strongly your work fits the relevant long-term outcomes we're focusing our support on.

We do not fund work that takes place or is delivered by fee-paying schools, and work that is primarily the responsibility of statutory authorities.

We can only fund work that takes place in and benefits the UK, so if the work extends outside the UK then we would likely only part fund the work.

Think about what change you are focused on achieving, its potential for wider influence and your approach to achieving the change.

Yes we would consider the size of turnover in relation to how much is being applied for but there is no set rule on this and it will be considered alongside a wide range of other assessment factors.

Yes, you can. But if you were declined for a specific piece of work, we recommend not re-submitting an application for it if nothing has changed.

If you apply and we feel that the work does not fit under the priority that you have applied under but could form a match under another priority, we would normally consider it against those priorities as well. You are welcome to apply again but we do caution against applying for the same work again as it may not be a good use of your time.

We think it’s great if your work fits more than one so don’t worry too much if it does. Our application process will ask you to choose an aim and priority that is the best match for your work. You will also have the chance to select which other priorities are also a match for what you do.

Yes - just choose the primary priority that best fits your project and indicate any other relevant areas as secondary priorities.

I'm not sure I'm fully understanding the question re a 'ringed' opportunity so please follow up with another question if this doesn't address what you were looking for - but if you submit an EOI under one priority that we feel is a strong fit with another, we will assess it under that other priority instead.

I'm sorry but we are not able to have conversations with applicants before they submit an Expression of Interest due to capacity. If we feel there is a potential match with priorities from the EOI, we would then ask to have a call at that point.

Most of our funding goes directly to charities, but either would be eligible, so you should base the decision on who is most suitable to lead the work and be the accountable body for the funding. Please note that the 'lead' organisation will need to meet our eligibility criteria.

Yes, but we would want to ensure that any funding offered is restricted to the relevant work.

As the Expression of Interest is quite short, it can be valuable to understand your work better from your website and this gives more detail and a sense of your approach. It is something we routinely look at when considering Expressions of Interest. The primary part of the assessment will be on the answers to the 300 word EOI. Looking at your website helps us learn more about the organisation and impact so far.

If it is not a detriment to your timescales in doing the work then it could be beneficial to wait until your website has been redeveloped, but wouldn't be essential if that is considerable time away.

Yes, we understand the need for organisations to remove this information to protect trustees and staff and are happy to receive separately. Sorry that you are in this position, and hope all of your team are keeping safe and well.

If you are a current grantee, we can have a conversation about further funding before the end of the grant (although continuation funding is not guaranteed). There is no need for a gap between grants and we know that often it goes towards a salary so direct continuation is important. You can reach out to your Funding Manager to discuss further funding.

If you're seeking funding for new work, they may ask you to submit an EOI through our website.

Yes, you would still need to apply an EOI.

Funding Plus is for current grantees, so you would need to put in an EOI for core costs first. If your application is a strong fit for our strategy, we will discuss the type of support that is appropriate for the work as part of the assessment.

Yes, unless specified, we accept applications on a rolling basis.

Our average turn around time from expression on interest to grant award is 6-7 months including time to review expression of interest, submit proposal and decision making. It could be shorter for smaller grants.

We have no requirements for match funding.

When we assess DEI we want to know what this looks like in the context of the work, eg, for work happening in particular area and involving local people, how the work is representative of the diversity of people there. When we assess expressions of interest and proposals, we also ask about the organisation's overall approach to DEI. The information collected on DEI data at expression of interest stage can include Welsh Language.

This is a big question, and the answer will depend on the context and scale of the work. It might include: bringing to light the challenges and injustice in systems; holding those in power to account, and influencing them to change the systems; changes to legislation, policy; changing the drivers within a system to ensure that people or nature benefit over profit; creating new investment approaches or markets for social or environmental impact; introducing or spreading more effective approaches in statutory services; rebalancing a local economy in favour of residents or those most in need; reducing harm caused to groups of people within a system; ensuring that voices of people most affected by a system have a voice and agency within it.

You may also want to look at our page on reporting for more general information about our approach to reporting for grants.

In 2024, 7% of Expressions of Interest that came in through the website with no previous contact, were invited to submit a full proposal. Of these organisations, 84% received a grant. This share is high, because we focused on inviting only those applications which were a really strong fit to our strategy. For EOIs we invite, success rates are much higher. It's a similar pattern with previous years.

Yes, we publish all our data on 360Giving so you can search on GrantNav for all our previous funding recipients.

We don't at this point in time.

We consider geography across our strategy and have certain place-focused programmes and projects.

We do have some support on our website for other sources of funding help.

There isn't a formal process for this. The conversations we have with current grantees about who they work with and who they feel are also creating strong impact are very useful and these could happen throughout the grant.