Mercers' Charitable Foundation
Overview
Their grants programmes place people at their heart.
Each year they aim to distribute £15 million to charitable causes. Their giving is focused on Young People & Education, Older People & Housing and Church & Communities. This allows them to create positive change across generations, giving those they help the chance to live a fulfilling life now and in the future.
They expect to support 180 individual charities annually. And also provide high quality accommodation to 215 residents in their six almshouses, work closely with associated schools which educate 18,000 children, and appoint 88 charity trustees and school governors.
Within these three programmes they will work with interesting organisations that will make a real difference in peoples's lives that:
- Demonstrate clarity of purpose
- Provide a clear link between outcomes and activities
- Work in ways that might be scaleable or replicable
- Involve local people in planning, delivery and evaluation
- Aspire to create lasting and measurable change
Most of their grants will be for project or core costs but they may support capital costs where they represent a modest proportion of the total.
1) Young People & Education
Their work supports children up to the age of 18 in London to:
- Get a good start in life;
- Feel supported through challenging transitions in their lives; and
- Work towards good mental health.
2) Older people & housing
Their Older People and Housing Programme aims to enable older people to adjust to the challenges of ageing by developing strong connections with family, friends and networks of support in their communities, and to recognise the value of learning new skills and meeting new people.
The Older People and Housing Committee will consider applications from not-for-profit organisations in:
- London (within one or more of the 32 Boroughs)
- Norfolk
They may also share the learning from London for use into other parts of the country and work with some organisations or on initiatives with national significance.
3) Church & Communities
They want to support churches, as well as other faith and secular community based organisations, to enable adults and families to lead fulfilling lives.
They want to fund proposals that will strengthen communities and families; building positive inclusive relationships between people, increasing a sense of belonging and reducing isolation.
The Church and Communities Committee will consider applications for funding in the areas where the Company has links through its patronage of Church Livings and other historic associations.
These areas are:
- London (within one or more of the 32 Boroughs)
- North East (County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and Tees Valley)
- Norfolk
- Lincolnshire
On occasions they may choose to work with selected partners outside of these geographical areas, where there is the potential for the proposal to have national significance.
They prefer to support organisations that are locally rooted and focused.