Unlocking change
Effervescent
We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK
We do this by contributing all that we can to unlock change by people and organisations with brilliant ideas who share our goals.
You can explore our impact goals and priorities for the first five years for each aim below.
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Our Natural World
We want to ensure that our natural world is restored and protected and that people benefit from that recovery. Through our work, we want to make a significant difference on climate change.
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A Fairer Future
We want to contribute to a just and anti-racist society, where those who need it most have their rights protected, the opportunity to speak and be heard, and the freedom to express their creativity.
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Creative, Confident Communities
We want to strengthen the bonds in communities, helping local people to build vibrant, confident places where they can fulfil their creative, human and economic potential.
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Using all our tools
Working in collaboration with others, we use all our tools to achieve our goals. So, in addition to funding brilliant organisations through grants and social investment, we are taking a more active role ourselves: brokering alliances, using our influence and removing barriers.
Our support
In partnership
Using our experience and expertise, we work in partnership with other funders and organisations to co-design solutions and influence larger initiatives so that we can effect broader change. This includes exploring new approaches to funding to increase our reach and share learning. Examples include our funding partnerships such as the Act for Change Fund, Local Motion and Arts and Culture Impact Fund.
Funding partnershipsLearn more about our work
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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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Insights and learning
We share insights from our work along with research and evaluation we've commissioned, and key publications from work we fund.
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You might be interested in
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30 September 2026Pre-application Q&A webinar: 28 September 2026
Watch a pre-application Q&A webinar we held on 28 September for organisations interested in applying to Esmée for support who have questions about our application process or guidance.
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What do people think about Esmée Fairbairn Foundation 2026
Read the key findings from a 2026 survey of successful and unsuccessful applicants on their experiences of working with Esmée, alongside what we plan to do in response.
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People can’t build for the future while they're fighting fires
In Gina Crane’s final project for Esmée, she has been working with Oliver French to pull together six years of learning about Esmée’s strategy for Trustees. In this blog, Gina shares the challenges organisations we fund are facing and shares three things she'd like funders to do.
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Annual Report and Accounts 2025
Our 2025 Annual Report and Accounts gives an overview of our funding, investments and operations during the year.
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