THE JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION

Grants of between £30,000 and £150,000 over several years are available to UK registered (including excepted or exempt charities) who are carrying out work that has a significant geographic impact across more than one county, region or country in the areas of the arts, the environment and social action.
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o Application deadline: none – applications may be made at any time. The Foundation has a 2-stage application process.
o Funder: The John Ellerman Foundation (founded 1971. Charity number 263207. Total charitable expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2024: £6,471,000 (2023 £6,388,000; 2022: £7,358,000)).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities (including excepted and exempt charities) with an annual income of between £100,000 and £10 million.
o Key words: Arts, Environment, Social Action, Overseas, United Kingdom.
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The John Ellerman Foundation provides grants to UK registered (including excepted or exempt charities) who are carrying out work that has a significant geographic impact across more than one county, region or country in the areas of:

o The Arts.
o The Environment, and
o Social Action.

During the year ended 31st March 2024, the Foundation’s grants in the Arts, Environment and Social Action categories ranged from £30,000 to £150,000, with an average grant size of £106,000. For an idea of the types of grant the Foundation makes, please visit the Grants List on its website. Funding is available for:

1. THE ARTS – arts funding is available under two separate headings:

(i) Creators in the performing arts – the Foundation’s focus is on the creation of the highest quality, nationally significant work, by funding organisations which collaborate with, commission or otherwise support artists to create new or reimagined work. It prioritises applicants from outside the capital, but will consider those based in London where the proposal would bring significant benefits elsewhere. (Organisations can apply at any time under this heading.)
(ii) Curators in museums and galleries – the Foundation aims to strengthen those institutions that focus on making use of curatorial skills to attract a wider public. (This is an annual programme with its own funding guidelines and decision-making process. Please see the dedicated webpage for the latest information.)

Under its Arts programme, the Foundation is looking to support registered charities that do one or more of the following:

o Have new or original work at their heart.
o A track record of producing excellent work.
o Have exciting, fresh and imaginative ideas and models of working
o Regional work that is valued and recognised nationally (foremost) and internationally.
o Integration of emerging talent and artist development into the artistic programme of work (i.e. developing an individual is not the organisation’s main or sole focus), and/or
o An understanding of actual and potential audiences and how the artistic plans relate to them.

2. THE ENVIRONMENT – the Foundation’s Environment funding is focused under two main headings:

(i) The Ocean – protection, restoration and sustainable use of the ocean, through more and effectively and equitably managed protected areas; ocean recovery; engaging coastal communities; reducing overfishing and addressing other harmful effects of human activity on, and in the ocean, such as pollution, and
(ii) Land and fresh waters – building healthier ecosystems in urban or rural environments, through effective and sustainable management including implementing evidence-based interventions conservation and restoration; connecting fragmented habitats; and landscape-scale work to protect and restore places of special significance. The Foundation will also support work to reduce or prevent the damaging impacts of human activities, particularly climate change, and air, land and water pollution from chemicals and other pollutants.

While the Foundation’s focus is on the UK and UK waters, it is also keen to support land and marine-based work in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). For work in the UKOTs, applications from UK-charities working in partnership with local Territory-based NGOs and from charities based in the UKOTs are welcomed. UKOTs-based charities can apply either directly or through a charity conduit in the UK. For more details on this please see the FAQs, specifically the question: ‘Do you make grants overseas?’.

Within its Environment programme, the Foundation aims to fund charities that can demonstrate one or more of the following:

o Seek to improve the natural environment.
o Understand both the significance of habitats for human wellbeing, as well as the impact of people on nature.
o Look for sustainable solutions by ensuring that the livelihoods and economic needs of local communities are integrated into their thinking and strategy.
o Work collaboratively.
o Seek to take an evidence-based approach, and
o Tackle underlying causes as well as symptoms.

3. SOCIAL ACTION CHAMPIONING CHANGE – the Foundation wants to support those with ambition to achieve positive change at scale while also creating benefits for those involved. It concentrates its funding in pursuit of a thriving society on work which does both of the following:

(i) Actively involves those with personal experience of the issue tackled – reflecting the Foundation’s belief that those with direct personal experience of the issue/s understand them best and should have the agency and support to use their expertise, understanding and insights to drive forward the organisation’s work. The Foundation wants them to be able to do this in a supportive environment that is committed to their success. It does not expect disclosures of an individual’s personal experience in applications, if this information is not already publicly known or available. It also values the importance of the expertise and insight of those that work alongside individuals and communities with personal experience, and
(ii) Improves systems through policy, advocacy and campaigning by influencing change and progress on the issues that an organisation is seeking to tackle and securing the rights that are due to the individuals it supports. This could include, for example:
o Collecting and using evidence.
o Connecting people and the establishment.
o Creating opportunities for contact, dialogue and meaningful engagement, or
o Designing and imagining effective strategies and tactics for influencing, and using these approaches to advocate or campaign for improving policies, practices and systems.

The Foundation expects a variety of individuals and communities experiencing a range of inequities and discrimination to benefit from its funding. Given this broad canvas, it will prioritise work which tackles the greatest barriers created by divisions and inequity, and look to fund work that is explicitly focused on the widest possible benefit across different systems, rather than service delivery.

The Foundation has a 2-stage application system. Please note that all applicants are required to create an online account and apply via the portal at the website.

1. Stage 1 (Outline Application) – applications should consist of a description of what the organisation is seeking funding for, on no more than two sides of A4, including:
o A brief summary of the organisation and relevant track record.
o How the proposal meets requirements that the work is of a national significance.
o What the organisation would like funding for and why it is well placed to do this work.
o How the proposal fits the Foundation’s guidelines.
o A copy of the organisation’s most recent annual accounts. If the accounts show a significant surplus or deficit, high or low reserves, these should be explained briefly. If the year-end date of the accounts is more than 10 months old, applicants should include the latest management accounts.

2. Stage 2 (Full Application) – for those invited to proceed to a Stage 2 Full Application, a more detailed account of the areas listed in the Stage 1 Outline Application will be requested.

Applicants can normally expect to hear the outcome of their Stage 2 application at around 12 weeks after submitting their application.

Registration and Stage 1 applications may be made at any time. Further information, guidance, an Eligibility Quiz and details about how to register is available on the Foundation’s website.