Tompkins Foundation
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- Applications
- Not accepted
- Decisions
- Once per year
Works for Registered charities, CIOs, CICs and community groups.
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register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.ukAbout Tompkins Foundation
The Tompkins Foundation is a grant-making trust established in 1980 by Mrs Elizabeth Nancy Tompkins. It works to advance education, promote religious understanding, and provide recreation facilities for public benefit. The Foundation values independence and careful stewardship; the patron personally covers staff and overhead costs, and trustees receive no remuneration. Its mission emphasizes broad, generalist support for public benefit through discretionary grants to established charities and voluntary bodies, guided by cautious financial governance and efficient operations. The Foundation maintains a personalised structure with trustee appointments under patron authority and professional investment oversight, fostering quiet, committed funding without thematic silos.
What Tompkins Foundation funds
The Foundation supports general charitable activities aligned with its objects, including education‑linked programmes (such as a scholarship via the Foundation of Nursing Studies), religious initiatives, recreational wellbeing, and both project funding and core costs for organisations delivering wider impact. It funds established UK charities and voluntary bodies based in England and Wales, with a UK‑wide focus and no regional limits, preferring medium‑to‑larger entities that have proven delivery capacity. The Foundation embodies values of education, faith, or recreation and provides flexible support for well‑run, aligned organisations.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants are UK‑registered charities and voluntary bodies based in England and Wales. The Foundation favours established medium‑to‑larger organisations with proven delivery capacity; no strict income thresholds apply, though smaller or unproven groups are less likely to be supported. It does not support individuals or direct service delivery. Unsolicited applications are not accepted; grants are awarded solely at trustees’ discretion.
What Tompkins Foundation doesn't fund
The Foundation does not support individuals or direct service delivery. It does not accept unsolicited applications; grants are awarded at trustees’ discretion alone. Smaller or unproven groups are less favoured, and the Foundation does not fund organisations that lack established delivery capacity.
How they like to fund
The Foundation awards discretionary grants to established charities and voluntary bodies at trustees’ discretion. It offers both project funding and core costs, and favours a quiet, committed approach without thematic silos. The patron personally covers staff and overhead costs, and trustees receive no remuneration. Professional investment oversight ensures careful stewardship. Unsolicited applications are not accepted.
How much does Tompkins Foundation give?
Published grant sizes vary. A free fit check matches Tompkins Foundation’s current criteria to your charity — so you know if it’s worth applying.
When to apply, and how long their decisions take.
Income, location, legal structure and exactly who they fund — matched to your charity.
Good to know
How to apply to Tompkins Foundation
Tompkins Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Funding is by invitation.
- A fit check still tells you whether your work aligns with their published remit.
- If you cannot apply directly, shortlist open funders with a similar focus instead of writing into a closed door.
- Decisions are typically once per year.
What you can do here
- 1Check fit. See if your project aligns with Tompkins Foundation.
- 2Find open funders. Shortlist similar funders you can approach.
- 3Save the notes. Keep the fit check if you are later invited to apply.
See if Tompkins Foundation could be a fit — then find open funders like them.
Frequently asked questions
How much funding does Tompkins Foundation provide?
Grant amounts vary. Contact Tompkins Foundation directly for current funding levels.
Where does Tompkins Foundation fund charities?
Tompkins Foundation funds charities operating in the UK.
Does Tompkins Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Tompkins Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.
How do I apply for funding from Tompkins Foundation?
Tompkins Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Funding is by invitation. A fit check still tells you whether your work aligns with their published remit.
Similar funders
Other UK funders with overlapping focus — not a claim they fund the same charities.
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