Investing in A Fairer Future

RefuAid

To secure A Fairer Future, we offer social investment to organisations who are working to address systemic injustice and inequity.

Across our funding, we commit to investing into organisations led by communities experiencing racial inequity, as well as building community wealth. We are particularly interested in supporting work that also contributes to our other priorities in Creative, Confident Communities and Our Natural World.

Children and young people's rights

We want to support

Organisations and work delivering impact in line with our Children and young people's rights priority.

Areas of interest

There are also specific opportunities we are proactively exploring:

  • The expansion of impact-focused models that address market failure in early years education and children’s care.
  • Mission-locked organisations who are improving outcomes for young people at risk of school exclusion or in contact with the care or youth justice system, along with earlier support for disabled young people and those with special educational needs.
  • The provision of high-quality, person-centred, housing for children and young people or leaving care, and those in contact with or leaving the youth justice system.

Gender justice, Racial justice and Migrant justice

We want to support

Organisations and work delivering impact in line with our priorities:

Areas of interest

There are also specific opportunities we are proactively exploring:

  • The provision of high-quality, safe, affordable housing to reduce gender-based violence, improve outcomes for migrants, or those in contact with or leaving the youth justice system.
  • Equity for mission-locked ventures and enterprises led by and supporting people with experience of racial inequity; women; transgender and non-binary people; and migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Arts and creativity making change

We want to support

Organisations and work delivering impact in line with our Arts and creativity making change priority.

Areas of interest

There are also specific opportunities we are proactively exploring:

  • The transfer of theatre productions from the (under-resourced) subsidised arts sector to the commercial sector.

We also support arts, culture and heritage organisations through the Arts and Culture Impact Fund.

Repowering London-community solar panel.png

Apply for social investment

Learn more about what we do and don't support, along with information about the application process.

Find out more
Unlocking change

Stories

Latest

You might be interested in

  • 16

    Applying for Youth-Led Creativity funding

    See the guidance for applying to the Youth-Led Creativity Fund. Co-designed with Esmée's Involving Young People Collective, we expect to make 12 to 16 grants, totalling £2m, over 2026 and 2027, and will be focusing our support on organisations based in and working in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

    Read more
  • Caroline.png

    Dame Caroline Mason to step down as Chief Executive of Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

    After 13 years leading the Foundation as our Chief Executive, Dame Caroline Mason will be stepping down from her role in early 2027. Caroline has developed and strengthened the Foundation’s work in lasting ways and her influence has spread far beyond Esmée.

    Read more
  • youth-led creativity panel

    Youth-Led Creativity funding Q&A: 16 July 2026

    Watch our Q&A webinar about our Youth-Led Creativity funding, which will open to applications in July 2026.

    Read more