When I first started working in the charity sector, I had only a vague idea of what a charitable trust or foundation was. The names were often historic – usually a person long since deceased – and they seemed to sit quietly in the background, influential but invisible. I doubt I was alone in that confusion, but I wanted to find out for certain how the average person would get on explaining what these organisations are and what they do.
What does the public know?
Our latest data from December 2024 shows just how poorly known charitable trusts and foundations are:
- Only 23% of the UK public say they have heard of charitable trusts and foundations and understand what they are
- 45% have heard of them but don’t know anything about them
- A quarter have never even heard of them
- Among the most affluent (the AB social grades), awareness and understanding are significantly higher, raising questions about access and fairness.
Put simply: despite playing a vital role in funding charities, most people couldn’t tell you what a trust or foundation does.
Invisible, yet essential
The most recent Blackbaud report on the state of fundraising ranked foundation grants as the second most important income stream for UK charities. For many organisations, especially smaller or newer ones, they are a crucial source of funding.
Yet their profile remains low. When asked to spontaneously name a charitable trust or foundation:
- 65% of the public couldn’t name a single one
- The National Trust topped the list – with just 5% mentioning it
- The Wellcome Trust, the UK’s largest charitable foundation, was named by only 2% of the public.
This lack of recognition is stark, especially given the scale of these organisations’ influence and income. Wellcome made grants of £1.5bn in 2023/24.
Low understanding leaves space for negative sentiment
When looking at sentiment towards trusts and foundations, it’s clear that low understanding can lead to people developing negative perceptions.
- 51% of the public believe that trusts and foundations function to the benefit of society
- However, 33% believe they serve the interests of wealthy individuals and corporations
- High levels of “don’t know” responses point to widespread uncertainty or disengagement.
The narrative here is fragile. Without a clearer understanding of how trusts and foundations operate, there is a risk that misconceptions fill the gap.
Why awareness matters – inside and outside the sector
Some people might say that the people who need to know about trusts and foundations already know about them. I’m not so sure. If one in four people have never even heard of these funders, and a further 50% don’t know what they do, how many people working or volunteering in the charity sector are missing out on vital funding opportunities because they simply don’t know where to look?
Low public awareness might also be a proxy for low sector awareness, especially among community groups, grassroots organisations, and under-resourced charities that don’t have fundraising specialists on hand. If we're serious about equity and inclusion in grant making, this knowledge gap should concern us.
Where can we educate?
This raises a practical challenge: where is the best place to educate people about trusts and foundations? Should this happen in fundraising training, through umbrella bodies, or within wider public education efforts about charity funding? Should foundations themselves be more proactive in telling their story? A stronger public profile could build trust, attract talent and help people understand how impact is funded.
Trusts and foundations are fundamental to the UK’s charity ecosystem. Their low profile helps them avoid controversy but also creates missed opportunities – for understanding, engagement and impact. If a third of the public thinks foundations benefit the wealthy, and two-thirds can’t name a single one, we should ask ourselves if this invisibility is still serving the sector.
These organisations have a powerful story to tell. It’s time we helped them tell it.