Cayo Foundation

The Cayo Foundation is a UK-based discretionary grant-making trust established on 29 November 1999, dedicated to benefiting registered charities under English law through flexible, trustee-led funding that amplifies the impact of specialist organisations rather than leading projects itself. Chaired by Angela Elizabeth McCarville, it emphasises impartiality, due diligence, public benefit, and adaptability, regularly evolving priorities based on evidenced needs to deliver enduring societal improvements across England and Wales.

It prioritises medical research and training, military history and heritage, crime prevention, children's and young people's welfare, education, and performing arts, supporting direct service delivery, research, training, core costs, capital projects, and occasional loans. Beneficiaries include children, youth, marginalised communities, medical practitioners, and those advancing cultural preservation, with recent grants to educational initiatives, healthcare research, youth arts, and crime-fighting programmes.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and academic institutions operating in England and Wales, with no income thresholds, sub-regional restrictions, or religious barriers—welcoming organisations from small grassroots efforts to larger entities. Applications are unsolicited and accepted rolling via letter (no formal form), stating the funding purpose with supporting documents; quarterly trustee meetings review submissions, though no fixed deadlines apply.

Distinctive for its variable grants (£1,000–£125,000, typically £1,000–£25,000), post-grant reporting requirements, and avoidance of frontline operations, the Foundation stands out as a targeted generalist enabler, fostering measurable outcomes in wellbeing, safety, education, and arts without prescribing rigid categories.