Waterloo Foundation grants
Waterloo Foundation funds work on poverty, the environment and children's development, with most Environment programme grants totalling £100,000 to £150,000 spread over several years.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Waterloo Foundation's Environment programme runs to fixed annual deadlines, and it says the majority of its grants in that programme will be for a total of £100,000 to £150,000 spread over multiple years. Its Tropical Rainforests deadlines fall on 1 November and 1 June every year, and its Marine deadlines on 1 March and 1 September; confirm them before you rely on them. Its Trustees Fund is a different matter - grants there are generally by invitation only, awarded upon internal review, and unsolicited proposals are rarely considered. Within that fund it is especially interested in the prevention of violence against women and girls, housing and homelessness, and criminal and social justice. Its objects cover relieving poverty anywhere in the world, sustainable development and the protection of the environment, and the physical and mental development of children and the mental health of adults.
What they fund
The Charity Commission register records the broad areas this charity works in. For the Waterloo Foundation these are general charitable purposes, the prevention or relief of poverty, environment, conservation and heritage, disability, and overseas aid and famine relief.
Who and where
The register also records who it works with and where. It lists people with disabilities, children and young people, and the general public, throughout England and Wales.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Waterloo Foundation 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
“Determined by a specific range of areas of interest for our Trustees, we have the ability to support impactful projects and purposes both locally and globally. We are especially interested in: – The prevention of Violence against Women & Girls – Housing and Homelessness – Criminal and Social Justice”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — Trustees Fund - The Waterloo Foundation →
What they say they won't fund
“The Foundation is unlikely to fund applications from individuals or for the benefit of an individual.”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — General Guidelines - The Waterloo Foundation →
“We will not consider applications for grants in the following areas: the promotion of religious or political causes general appeals or circulars.”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — General Guidelines - The Waterloo Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“The majority of our grants in this programme will be for a total of £100,000 – £150,000 spread over multiple years.”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — Environment Applications - The Waterloo Foundation →
Deadlines they mention
“The 2 deadlines for applications to our Tropical Rainforests programme fall on the following dates every year: 1st November 1st June”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — Environment Applications - The Waterloo Foundation →
“The 2 deadlines for applications to our Marine programme fall on the following dates every year: 1st March 1st September”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — Environment Applications - The Waterloo Foundation →
How they say to apply
“Grants made under our Trustees fund are generally by invitation only. Grants are awarded upon internal review; unsolicited proposals are rarely considered.”
Source: waterloofoundation.org.uk — Trustees Fund - The Waterloo Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To relieve poverty and distress for the benefit of the public in any part of the world, particularly in developing countries;(b) to promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public in any part of the world by promoting the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the prudent use of…
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 the Waterloo Foundation typically give?
For its Environment programme it says 'The majority of our grants in this programme will be for a total of £100,000 – £150,000 spread over multiple years.' It does not publish a typical (median) grant figure across all its programmes. In its most recent published accounts it made £12,640,579 in grants to organisations.
What does the Waterloo Foundation fund?
Its objects cover relieving poverty anywhere in the world, promoting sustainable development and the protection of the environment, and the physical and mental development of children and the mental health of adults. Within its Trustees Fund it says it is especially interested in the prevention of violence against women and girls, housing and homelessness, and criminal and social justice.
Who can apply?
It says 'The Foundation is unlikely to fund applications from individuals or for the benefit of an individual.' For its Trustees Fund it says 'Grants made under our Trustees fund are generally by invitation only. Grants are awarded upon internal review; unsolicited proposals are rarely considered.'
What won't the Waterloo Foundation fund?
It says: 'We will not consider applications for grants in the following areas: the promotion of religious or political causes[,] general appeals or circulars.'
How do I apply?
Its Environment programme has fixed annual deadlines. It says the two deadlines for its Tropical Rainforests programme 'fall on the following dates every year: 1st November[,] 1st June', and the two deadlines for its Marine programme fall on '1st March[,] 1st September'. Check the funder's own website (www.waterloofoundation.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1117535) for current guidance, as processes can change.
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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 Waterloo Foundation.