Alex Ferry Foundation

The Alex Ferry Foundation, established in late 2018 from a landmark surplus of the 1989 35-Hour Week Fund contributed by over 200,000 UK shipbuilding and engineering trade union members, supports the wellbeing of current and former workers in shipbuilding, engineering, and related manufacturing industries, along with their families, dependants, and communities. Rooted in solidarity, worker empowerment, and evidence-led action, it honors historic struggles through trade union-dominated governance—majority trustees are union officers or shop stewards—and pursues progressive change via direct community aid and policy-influencing research in industrial heartlands.

It funds two streams: Community Grants, partnering with ten CSEU regional branches for grassroots projects in community development, skills/education, health improvement, poverty alleviation, and economic resilience; and invitation-only Research Grants for academic/policy work on good work, workplace wellbeing, economic justice, and industrial futures. Beneficiaries are tied to UK industrial sectors, with examples including CLES reports on economic zones, IPPR studies, and local initiatives in Yorkshire, North East, Scotland, and Wales.

Eligible applicants—UK-registered charities, community groups, or academic institutions—must operate in CSEU areas (East Midlands, Eastern, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Southern, South West, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire/Humberside, North East) and secure CSEU regional endorsement for community grants; research is by invitation. No unsolicited applications; start with regional CSEU contact. Typical grants: £5,000–£25,000 (community), £10,000–£50,000 (research), project-specific only—no core costs. Rolling basis, no deadlines, with decisions via regional review and trustee approval.

Distinctively worker-led with union capital, it bridges charity and trade union sectors, prioritizing small/medium grassroots groups advancing social justice in industrial communities over general operations.