Purposeful Ventures grants
Purposeful Ventures chooses its own partners rather than accepting applications, funding work to improve education and wellbeing for young people, particularly in the early years.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Purposeful Ventures chooses its own partners and does not run an open application process. It partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to improve the education and wellbeing of young people from their earliest years, focusing on early years provision, mental health and wellbeing, and vulnerable children and families. Its Children & Families portfolio aims for every child to have the best possible start in life by strengthening early years provision and supporting children's wellbeing. It also runs specific programmes, such as its Maths Teacher Deployment Pilot, which tests innovative approaches to teacher deployment. It makes grants to organisations rather than individuals, and in its most recent accounts gave around £5.76 million in grants to organisations.
What they fund
Purposeful Ventures' funding spans general charitable purposes, arts, culture, heritage and science, and education and training.
Who and where
It supports children and young people, and other charities, across England, Wales, Ireland and the United States.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Purposeful Ventures says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“Purposeful Ventures is launching the Maths Teacher Deployment Pilot - a grant-based programme designed to improve student outcomes by testing innovative approaches to teacher deployment.”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
“Our Children & Families portfolio aims for every child to have the best possible start to life by strengthening early years' provision and supporting children's wellbeing.”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
“Our areas of focus Early years Mental health and wellbeing Vulnerable children & families”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
Who they say they'll fund
“Purposeful Ventures partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to improve the education and well-being of young people from their earliest years.”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
How they say to apply
“For these change makers, we offer fully individualised support, access to funding and a 'high-challenge, high-support' home, to turn great ideas into sustainable and successful ventures.”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
“We believe great impact starts with great people. As such, we deliberately partner with individuals and organisations with strong theories of change, who mirror our ambitions.”
Source: purposefulventures.org — Purposeful Ventures →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The objects of the CIO are, for the public benefit:1) to advance education; and2) to relieve those in need by reason of youth, financial hardship or other disadvantage,in such manner as the charity trustees may from time to time determine, including through providing support and activities which develop skills…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Purposeful Ventures give?
In its most recent accounts, it gave around £5.76 million in grants to organisations. It does not publish a typical (median) grant size.
What does it fund?
It funds work to improve education and wellbeing for young people, focused on early years, mental health and wellbeing, and vulnerable children and families.
Who can apply?
It partners with social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and organisations and individuals with strong theories of change that mirror its own ambitions, rather than accepting general applications.
How do I apply?
It offers individualised support and access to funding to the partners it selects, rather than running an open application process. Check the organisation's own website (purposefulventures.org) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1204622) for current guidance.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Purposeful Ventures.