Elma Foundation (UK)

The Elma Foundation (UK), established in 2017 as a private grant-making charity and part of the international ELMA Group of Foundations founded by philanthropist Clive Calder, drives systemic change to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and families, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and to a lesser extent the UK. Its mission centers on evidence-led investments in health, education, and wellbeing, prioritizing scalable solutions that address poverty, disease, inequity, migration, and crisis. Core values of accountability, transparency, and performance management underpin a "philanthropic investment" mindset, emphasizing quantifiable impact through robust evaluation, data-driven decisions, and catalytic partnerships for long-term transformation.

Funding targets health systems strengthening (maternal/newborn health, vaccinations, HIV/AIDS, neglected tropical diseases), early childhood development, education access/quality, and safeguarding vulnerable groups like adolescent girls and youth. Grants support service delivery, capacity building, advocacy, policy reform, and multi-year initiatives benefiting children via large-scale NGOs, child rights agencies, and health/education networks, with a focus on proven, high-impact models.

Eligible entities are typically mid-to-large established charities with strong track records, operational capacity, and evaluation frameworks, operating in sub-Saharan Africa or UK-based programs for disadvantaged youth; no formal income thresholds, but preference for national/regional-scale organizations. Strictly invitation-only—no unsolicited applications, open calls, or deadlines—with rolling approvals via trustee meetings. Typical grants range from £100,000 to several million pounds over multiple years, favoring strategic, unrestricted, or core costs for ambitious, risky projects.

Distinctively, Elma avoids small-scale or grassroots efforts, one-off projects, and unproven interventions, standing out for its scale, Africa-centric ambition, reserved capital for future generations, and leverage of multi-sectoral collaborations to drive child survival, immunization, workforce strengthening, and rights-based reforms.