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Annual Report: 2024 at Esmée
We're pleased to report that 2024 was one of our highest ever spending years, which includes providing £45.1m in main grants to 236 organisations and initiatives across the UK, £9.1m approved in new social investments, and £2m approved in new impact investments. You can find more reflections and information about our funding, investments, and operations in our Annual Report and Accounts.
Below, you can find more updates from us and news from the sector you may have missed. As always, we'd love to hear from you! If you have any feedback or questions about our work, send us an email to communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk.
Pre-application Q&A webinar on 17 September: Join us to learn more about the application process, what we're looking for, and what we consider when making decisions. You can also put your questions to the team.
Freshwater mid-strategy review: A new report reviews our freshwater support, the progress made and what the blockers are, as well as giving recommendations for Esmée and other funders. Simon Wightman, Esmée’s Funding Manager Lead for Our Natural World also reflects on the findings.
Youth power: In a new blog, Gemma Moore, one of our young consultants reflects on her three years on Esmée's Involving Young People Collective, what attracted her to the role, what she's learned about youth power and lived experience, and what she's gained from the experience.
We're recruiting a Funding Manager post in our A Fairer Future team: We're looking for someone who is committed to social justice, and is ambitious to help create change using Esmée’s full range of tools and approaches. The closing date for applications is 27 August.
Civil Society Covenant
The UK Government published a new Covenant setting out how civil society and public bodies will work together at both national and local level, based around four principles. A Joint Civil Society Covenant Council will oversee how the Covenant is implemented. There will also be a Local Partnerships Programme, designed to support better working relationships between local authorities, public bodies and civil society; and a VCSE-HM Treasury forum to provide a regular space for engagement on economic and financial issues affecting the sector.
They have shared tools and resources to help put the Covenant into practice including case studies from civil society and government partnerships. NCVO is gathering thoughts on the Covenant from the sector. Share your views here by 5pm on Friday 1 August.
In case you missed it
Henry Smith Foundation: Two new funding programmes launch this month. Shout! supports non-statutory advocacy services for young people with a focus on organisations working with care-experienced young people, LGBT+ people and young people with learning disabilities and/or who are neurodivergent. Together We Begin supports organisations who provide early years parenting support and promote children’s development through sustained, face-to-face work in the home.
- LGBT+ youth funding: LGBT+ Consortium and Henry Smith Foundation have launched a Youth Advocacy Fund for groups and organisations supporting LGBT+ young people. Applications close on 27 August.
- Wild Summit UK: Taking place in Bristol on 11 September, this one-day event is for sharing knowledge, forging partnerships, and inspiring action to celebrate and restore nature in the UK. With over 100 speakers and 30 sessions, the inaugural Wild Summit features keynote presentations, partner events, panel discussions and practical workshops on everything from nature friendly farming to freshwater, and planning policy to natural capital. Learn more and book your Wild Summit ticket.
- State of UK Climate report: Published this month, the report gives a summary of the state of the UK's climate in 2024, including climate trends, variations and extremes based on up to date observations showing what's already happened to our climate. Read The Wildlife Trusts' response calling for ambitious action to tackle the dual nature and climate crisis.
Churchill Fellowship: Three brand new Fellowship programmes will open to applications alongside their existing programmes. Each offers an opportunity to explore global ideas and bring fresh thinking to the UK on some of the biggest issues of today. The new programme themes are: building a society that cares, building prosperous and resilient economies, and making space for the arts. Applications for all their programmes open on 2 September. You can also find out more about the 2025 Fellows and their plans.
- Fund Manager Incubator: Pathway Fund has launched the Fund Manager Incubator 2.0, a programme designed to find, fund, and support the next generation of capital allocators from a Black and/or Ethnic Minority background. The programme includes a £50K grant to build capacity and an intensive six-month training programme and mentorship. Applications close on 15 August 2025.
- Better Futures Fund: The Government announced a new £500m Fund to break down barriers to opportunity for up to 200,000 children and young people through 'Social Outcomes Partnerships'. Also referred to as Social Impact Bonds, they are outcome-based contracts that use private funding from social investors to cover the upfront capital required for a provider to set up and deliver a service. Pioneers Post has shared responses from the sector about the news.
- Anti-racism in the curriculum: The Black Curriculum is hosting a conference in London on 13 September for educators committed to shaping an inclusive, anti-racist future for our classrooms. Learn more and register for the conference here.
Votes at 16: Following a youth-led campaign by organisations including My Life My Say, National Youth Agency, National Union of Students, and the Electoral Reform Society, the Government announced that 16 and 17 year olds will have the right to vote across the UK. Shuab Gamote, a young consultant with Esmée's Involving Young People Collective wrote for the Observer on how politicians need to engage with young people, based on conversations with over 700 students across England.
- English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: We're Right Here has shared a blog reflecting on what the new Bill will deliver for local communities, and what's missing including a Community Right to Shape Public Services and Community Right to Control Investment.
- Building connected communities: Belong in Plymouth was a three-year initiative and collaborative network dedicated to tackling social isolation and building a more connected city. They've shared a wealth of learning and resources in a legacy website - from how the network managed finances openly and transparently to how they ran a participatory co-design process, and using AI to capture and share their learning and experiences.
Migration: Migration Exchange's Shaping the Future Fund announced 22 new grants to individuals, organisations and partnerships across the UK. All are leading innovative, community-based and sustainable work on migration. Learn more about them and their plans.
Social media's role in fuelling hate: The Center for Countering Digital Hate has shared new research, Fuelling Hate, looking at how X (Twitter) continues to be a breeding ground for violent anti-Muslim and anti-Migrant hate.
- Racism at work: Spark and Sistren Legal Collective have published a report on sharing the insights and experiences of people who have experienced racism at work. They will be following it up with a legal rights toolkit for people experiencing racism to help them navigate bias, discrimination and racism in the workplace.
- Black maternity experiences: Five X More has shared a report capturing the lived experiences of Black women across the UK who have been pregnant or given birth in the last four years. It explores the quality of care, communication with professionals, discrimination, and what still needs to change.
- Kinship Care: Families in Harmony Co-Director, Sharon McPherson has published a report as part of her Churchill Fellowship exploring the cultural and family dynamics context of kinship care from Jamaica to the UK.
- Ending violence against women: The Drive Project, led by a partnership between Respect, SafeLives, and Social Finance, will be expanded to up to 15 new areas following a £53m investment from the Government as part of its Plan for Change. Separately, the End Violence Against Women Coalition has published a report setting out the evidence base for how best to engage men and boys in ending violence against women and girls. They also make 10 key recommendations to Government.
Women in the criminal justice system: One Small Thing's latest podcast series centres the voices of women as they share their experiences at Holloway Prison and reflect on what works well and what could be done differently. They've also released Holloway, a documentary following six women as they return to the now abandoned Holloway Prison in Central London. Learn more including where you can see a film screening.
Digital Skills and AI: The annual Charity Digital Skills Report has been published giving a barometer of digital and AI adoption, skills, attitudes, and funding and support needs across the sector. CAST has also shared findings from their AI survey alongside what support is available.
Finally, Sunday 27 July is International Bog Day 🌱 so we’ll be celebrating the incredible work being done across the UK and beyond to conserve bogs, fens, marshes and swamps. Peatlands are not only beautiful landscapes – they are powerful solutions to the climate and nature crises. Watch "Peatlands are..." below, a short film that shares a global reflection on what peatlands mean to people.
