The Ellis Campbell Foundation

Building Youth Power and Leadership

Discover More

Our Grants

Supporting SEED 2030

One idea could change your world

Discover more

Proud signatories of the Power of Youth Charter

and fully aligned with its objectives

Discover More

Welcome

The Ellis Campbell Foundation

Building Youth Power and Leadership

From inception up until 2020, the Foundation’s grant giving focussed on Hampshire, Perthshire and London with grants totalling £3.7m.

Over the latter part of that time, the objective was to support initiatives looking to bridge the gap between education and employment for disadvantaged young people and you will see examples of this on the Historic Grants page. Since 2020 the Foundation’s objective has been to build youth power and leadership systemically, through youth led opportunities for marginalised young people outside Greater London.

Our 2020 Strategic Review

At the start of 2020, we embarked upon a transformational eight-month strategic review programme led by Ten Years’ Time. We were determined to ensure we were having the greatest impact with our grants, so we committed to a process of listening and learning from over 80 experts, including many extraordinary young changemakers.

We focussed on Youth Power and Leadership and were privileged to gain a much better understanding of the experience of young people in education, housing, youth services, criminal justice, mental health and the care system.

Importantly, we heard from so many inspirational young activists whose drive, insight and impact made it easy for us to pivot our funding towards innovative and genuinely youth-led work, safe in the knowledge that this will inspire so many more young people to be changemakers.

Alongside this, we must engage with power leaders to ensure they know how to listen and engage with young people effectively. Please take a deeper dive into all our findings and read our Emergent Enquiry or, for a shorter read, our Key Conclusions.

Emergent Enquiry Key Conclusions

An image of a group of young people participating in the LEAP Confronting Conflict Management Training Course, a charity supported by the Ellis Campbell Foundation, helping disadvantaged young people in Hampshire, London and Perthshire

Causes

Youth Led Partnerships

We are extremely excited to illustrate our youth led work below.

Advocacy Academy

Youth Community Organisations

Funding to support the formation of a new, national network of youth community organisations across the UK.

Unloc

Seed 2030 Northern Ireland

Funding to launch this groundbreaking programme to the young people of Northern Ireland in partnership with One Young World.

Bluecoat

Out of the Blue

Supporting a new iteration of the Out of the Blue project, handing curatorial power and creative agency over to young people at the Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool.

Fumble

Digital Content and Community Officer

Supporting Fumble’s Digital Content and Community Officer to co-create content with young people to ensure they can access safe guidance and support about sex education.

Foyer

Youth Leadership and Activities

Multi-year funding for a youth leadership program to ensure young people are represented in positions of power across the organisation.

OUR GRANTS

”An investment of £10,000 from The Ellis Campbell Foundation has allowed us to respond to the wellbeing crisis unfolding in our schools as a result of Covid-19 in a meaningful way and has the potential to impact thousands of children across the country.

”I was delighted to receive your generous donation which will provide 10 places on our Biomedical Engineering course for disadvantaged female students. On behalf of the Trustees, and the team at Smallpeice Trust, I would like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for your kindness which will allow us to encourage a passion for engineering and science in young people living in Hampshire.
Becky ClintonTrusts and Foundations Officer
The Smallpeice Trust

”All of us here at Straight Talking would like to thank the trustees of Ellis Campbell Charitable Foundation for supporting young parents. We are delighted that you see the importance of our work, despite the unpopularity of our cause. Your support will help teenage parents on their journey for employment with Straight Talking through to their financial independence and simultaneously their work in preventing pupils from going town the sam e route.
Aisha LysejkoProject Co-ordinator
Straight Talking Peer Education

”I write to thank the Trustees for their generous grant which will help young students to access vital courses, books and course materials which would otherwise be unavailable to them. This grant is important to PET not only for the financial support it represents, but because is also demonstrates the faith the Trustees have in our work and the learners we support.
Hannah RcihardsTrusts Fundraising Manager
Prisoners' Education Trust

”I would like to thank you and your fellow trustees for your kind donation to continue supporting young people who are struggling with the negative effects of conflict.
Thomas LawsonChief Executive
Leap Confronting Conflict

”Thank you on behalf of Punchdrunk for your generous donation towards the pilot of our new primary schools project. We are incredibly grateful to receive the Foundation's support .
Charlotte ChristesenHead of Development
Punchdrunk