Martin Ashley Charitable Foundation

The Martin Ashley Charitable Foundation is a grant-making trust dedicated to advancing general charitable purposes for public benefit, enabling charities to create positive, lasting social change through diverse interventions. Its core values emphasize impactful philanthropy, support for proven organizations delivering demonstrable outcomes, equity in addressing human needs, and empowerment of charities to tackle root causes of disadvantage. Driven by a philosophy of broad yet purposeful funding, it believes sustainable transformation arises from backing established bodies with clear evidence of public benefit, fostering partnerships that amplify education, health, and wellbeing initiatives for vulnerable populations.

It prioritizes education and youth development, funding programs like school-home support to maximize educational opportunities for children facing barriers such as family hardship, behavioral challenges, or learning difficulties, including after-school interventions, mentoring, and skills training for young people aged 5-19 at risk of exclusion. Health and wellbeing efforts include campaigns promoting healthy lifestyles among youth to combat obesity and poor nutrition through peer education and community outreach, alongside overseas health interventions such as obstetric fistula surgery for women in Africa and Asia suffering childbirth injuries, enabling recovery, dignity, and reintegration. Supported activities encompass therapeutic health services, preventative youth programs, advocacy for basic human rights, core funding for youth initiatives addressing mental health, physical wellbeing, and social isolation, and unrestricted support for charities delivering person-centred, evidence-based solutions like counselling, training, and community-led projects that build resilience and long-term independence.

With no explicit exclusions, it distinctly favors projects benefiting young people, children in educational need, women with complex health conditions in underserved regions, and communities experiencing health disparities or rights violations. Its generalist yet impact-driven approach sets it apart, prioritizing established charities with measurable goals in youth work, education equity, preventative health, and international aid, particularly those demonstrating holistic, outcomes-focused strategies over narrow or unproven efforts, across England, Wales, and compelling global needs.