Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK. We make unrestricted, core and project grants for charitable work in the UK.
Overview
Total reviews: 13
Median 10 hours
Latest Reviews
Jul 19, 2025
Other - applied in 2023
The process is straightforward it’s just that the lack of useful feedback gives you absolutely no idea what to do next. You don’t know if you were close and should try again, or if you were miles off. It just means we keep on trying…but they may not be interested in our work at all. Who knows!
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Other
What year was this experience?
2023
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Poor
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Poor
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Nov 21, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2017
My advice is to read the grant criteria in detail and to make sure you fit the criteria. Keep to advised word counts and answer the questions.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Insightful
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2017
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
They would like to be accessible - the problem is they are so busy they can't respond to emails quickly and are hard to get hold of on the phone.... but a quick conversation would to clarify key questions would save the applicant a lot ot time, and in the end would save the funder time in reading inappropriat applications
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Creative, seeking change
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Invest time in conversations with applicants - don't do everyting on-line.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Oct 17, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
Make sure you use the quiz - it really helps ensure you meet the criteria (and if you don't - look at what you need to do in order to meet them).
Talking with the team certainly helps if possible.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Risk taker
Friendly
Builds relationships
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Very thoughtful and committed team who provide good feedback
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Find more ways to have a conversation with potential applicants (I know that's difficult!)
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Oct 15, 2019
applied in 2018
The feedback gives you no idea of what was good about the project/application, what needed work, or what was just not of interest. It’s really hard to know whether you got anywhere close to stage 2 and should apply again.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Bad
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Oct 15, 2019
applied in 2019
Try to get to know the individual grant manager well enough so that you can ask questions informally. We went to meet them for a ‘this is where we are now’ kind of conversation. After that, ours was very helpful, receptive and open because they could see what we were trying to do in the context of the rest of our strategy.
Pros
Friendly
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
We haven’t spent lots of time considering this because, quite simply, it’s not our priority. It’s hard enough as a small charity to carve out the time to undertake the background research and build potential partnerships necessary to submit proposals. Plus it’s only one of a number of funders that we’re approaching. We don’t have a separate fundraiser/bid writer and would see this sort of observation as an added extra.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Helpfully open to suggestions, eg working in partnership with another funder.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Ask what can we do to help you get started? It’s a lot of work for a small charity to submit a bid, with very little guarantee return on investment of time and resources. Is there a way of funding a few more exploratory discussions that would resource the proposal development process?
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Jul 19, 2025
Other - applied in 2023
The process is straightforward it’s just that the lack of useful feedback gives you absolutely no idea what to do next. You don’t know if you were close and should try again, or if you were miles off. It just means we keep on trying…but they may not be interested in our work at all. Who knows!
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Other
What year was this experience?
2023
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Poor
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Poor
Nov 21, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2017
My advice is to read the grant criteria in detail and to make sure you fit the criteria. Keep to advised word counts and answer the questions.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Insightful
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2017
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
They would like to be accessible - the problem is they are so busy they can't respond to emails quickly and are hard to get hold of on the phone.... but a quick conversation would to clarify key questions would save the applicant a lot ot time, and in the end would save the funder time in reading inappropriat applications
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Creative, seeking change
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Invest time in conversations with applicants - don't do everyting on-line.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Oct 17, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
Make sure you use the quiz - it really helps ensure you meet the criteria (and if you don't - look at what you need to do in order to meet them).
Talking with the team certainly helps if possible.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Risk taker
Friendly
Builds relationships
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Very thoughtful and committed team who provide good feedback
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Find more ways to have a conversation with potential applicants (I know that's difficult!)
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Oct 15, 2019
applied in 2018
The feedback gives you no idea of what was good about the project/application, what needed work, or what was just not of interest. It’s really hard to know whether you got anywhere close to stage 2 and should apply again.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Bad
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
Oct 15, 2019
applied in 2019
Try to get to know the individual grant manager well enough so that you can ask questions informally. We went to meet them for a ‘this is where we are now’ kind of conversation. After that, ours was very helpful, receptive and open because they could see what we were trying to do in the context of the rest of our strategy.
Pros
Friendly
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
We haven’t spent lots of time considering this because, quite simply, it’s not our priority. It’s hard enough as a small charity to carve out the time to undertake the background research and build potential partnerships necessary to submit proposals. Plus it’s only one of a number of funders that we’re approaching. We don’t have a separate fundraiser/bid writer and would see this sort of observation as an added extra.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Helpfully open to suggestions, eg working in partnership with another funder.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Ask what can we do to help you get started? It’s a lot of work for a small charity to submit a bid, with very little guarantee return on investment of time and resources. Is there a way of funding a few more exploratory discussions that would resource the proposal development process?
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent