Fidelity UK and International Foundations
The Foundations have, for many years, been supporting non-profit organisations to maximise their impact.
Fidelity UK Foundation
The Fidelity UK Foundation is an independent grant-making foundation that strengthens the capacity of UK-focused non-profit organisations to enhance impact, sustainability and/or efficiency, so charitable organisations are in a stronger position to fulfil their mission and achieve their objectives. The Foundation has three priority programme areas:
- Enabling disadvantaged children and young people to achieve their potential
- Health and wellbeing
- Arts, culture and heritage
- Environmental conservation
Established in 1988, the Fidelity UK Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that is proudly supported by Fidelity International.
The Fidelity UK Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales number 327899.
Edward C. Johnson III, Founder Chairman
What we fund
The Foundation's grant-making aims to help strengthen the long-term impact, efficiency and/or sustainability of charitable organisations. As such, the Foundation has a focus on the capacity of charities, by which we mean the capability, knowledge and resources that non-profit organisations need to be effective. The Foundation therefore supports activity that significantly enhances an organisation’s ability to achieve its mission.
We appreciate that every organisation’s capacity building needs differ and seek to understand what will have the most impact, which may include funding for organisational/strategy development, investment in leadership development, enhancing impact measurement, the application of technology, or activity to enable efficiency, support growth or enhance financial sustainability.
The Foundation focuses on supporting organisations that have annual budgets of over £1m. Most organisations funded by the Foundation have regional/national reach. The Foundation also supports carefully selected field-building organisations that offer capacity-building programmes that benefit multiple charities active in our priority programme areas.
Our approach to grant-making
The Foundation does not seek unsolicited proposals and has an invitation-only application process. The Foundation's team pro-actively identifies organisations that we would like to learn more about through research, seeking insights from funders who have shared interests, and insights from the organisations we support. Where appropriate, organisations are invited to submit a short concept note, which we aim to respond to within four weeks. If a concept note is approved, a full application is invited at which point the formal application process begins. This two-stage process is designed to help ensure the application process is efficient for everyone involved.
Grants are considered on a rolling basis throughout the year. Several factors influence the timeline for the application process. As the process is highly interactive, the Foundation's team will communicate with applicants throughout regarding anticipated timelines.
During the due diligence process, we seek to understand an organisation as a whole, including its leadership and governance, impact, strategic plans, how it engages with the communities it seeks to serve, its approach to collaboration, operations and financial management - and importantly how the project proposed will enhance capacity. Where possible, we look to make site visits to all organisations prior to a grant being made.
We ask all organisations that we support to report on progress towards their goals. We appreciate the value of learning from grants made and use this to inform our future grant-making. Where helpful, we also connect grantees to learn from each other.
The Foundation has a small dedicated team led by Lenka Setkova, Chief Executive of the Foundations, and Trustees are actively involved in grant-making decisions.
Contact information
Fidelity UK and International Foundations
Beech Gate
Millfield Lane
Lower Kingswood,
Tadworth
Surrey KT20 6RP
United Kingdom
Email: foundation@fil.com
- Image courtesy of OnSide Youth Zones
- Image courtesy of South London Gallery - Zoe Tynan-Campbell
- Image - Heather Peak and Ivan Morison, Silence - Alone in a World of Wounds, 2021, installation view at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Photo © Charles Emerson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Oak Project.