The Symondson Foundation is driven by the potential for maximising impact with who it is we are and what it is we have. We aim to fund at moments and in ways that are transformative, offering unrestricted multiyear funding, and a partnership approach that – we hope – brings value beyond a financial commitment.
We are committed to granting practices intended to create candid and supportive relationships with grantees. We take on the onus of research ourselves, preferring to get to know organisations through conversation, bearing witness, and consulting information that is readily available. For organisations under serious consideration, we have an application process that is completed in-house and in light-touch consultation with potential grantee, ensuring you are not misrepresented but don’t have to give much time.
Putting time into understanding the landscape of need, and who and what is underfunded.
Honouring our commitment to being outwardly light-touch yet internally rigorous by taking on the lion’s share of research, application and reporting.
Holding ourselves accountable; asking ‘how can we play a part in facilitating transformation’; and ‘what is our impact as funders’.
With limited resources, we don’t have an open application process. If you would like to get in touch, please use our ‘Tell Us About You’ form, which we regularly consult as a part of our desire to remove barriers to being seen and to find those doing brilliant work in complex spaces.
We are open to giving philanthropically to community interest groups and organisations not registered with the Charity Commission.
UK-wide, with especial focus on areas of high deprivation and high need, and a mindfulness of not perpetuating the north/ south divide. Communities and localities close to committee and wider members are also considered part of our strategic .
The bulk of our portfolio is allocated to grassroots, small and medium-sized charities (£ < 500k - £2m).
We support some large charities (£2m – £10m) and only allocate multiyear giving to c. 2 charities at a time.
We give unrestrictedly unless a charity is significantly large. Where a charity is large to huge, we tend to opt for the important projects that struggle – more than others – to attract funding.
We grant on a multiyear basis with a minimum of 3 years. Where an award is not going to be renewed after a 3 year cycle, we tend to offer a year’s parachute payment at the level of the last grant paid. We help to make introductions that may lead to new relationships in our stead.
We give relative to organisation size operating on a sliding-scale, granting proportionately larger to the smaller charities i.e. for an organisation with a budget of £500,000 we typically give between 8 - 10%; and one with £3m, 3-5%.
We appreciate receiving your annual impact report and updates along the way. We will endeavour to attend events, learning opportunities, and (where appropriate) witness service delivery/ speaking with members of your community (no more than annually).
If you would like to get in touch, please use our ‘Tell Us About You’ form, which we regularly consult as a part of our desire to remove barriers to being seen and to find those doing brilliant work in complex spaces.
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