Kate and her parents established The Symondson Foundation in 2021, shifting their charitable giving to strategic philanthropy.
Kate’s background is in academia, earning her PhD in English Literature at King’s College London, where she also taught undergraduates. She has a sprawling career as a writer of academic, educational and cultural pieces, as well as working as a freelance communications consultant for socially and community-minded organisations. She also ran cultural courses for adults, exploring the complex histories of cultural phenomena through literature.
Kate is a firm believer in the power of narrative for effecting change. She is passionate about research and understanding the funding mindsets and behaviours that get in the way of radically reimagining the status quo; she hopes to disrupt the role that funders have played in creating and perpetuating these. Kate is on the Board of Directors of Forward Global, an organisation that shares the belief that maximising positive impact ought to be the heartbeat of funding.
When she’s not immersing herself in a swimming pool or a book, Kate loves finding connection in nature.
