Lightbulb Trust

The Lightbulb Trust is an independent family foundation established in West London in 2019 by Salome and Ben Holden, with Salome as CEO and trustee on a small, diverse board. Its mission focuses on enhancing life chances for disadvantaged children and communities through empowerment, equalising opportunity, and cross-sector collaboration. Guided by values of individual empowerment, inclusive learning, thoughtful partnering for grassroots and systemic needs, and empathetic collaboration, the Trust bridges divides via grants and impact investments in entrepreneurial organisations, prioritising literacy and learning, digital inclusion, and social infrastructure. It supports young people, vulnerable adults, marginalised communities, and those facing inequality through education, digital access, employability training, social mobility, London Living Wage roles, and catalytic arts initiatives that widen participation.

Eligible entities are UK-registered charities and social enterprises based in the UK, with a strong priority for West London but funding across England and Wales; it favours small to medium-sized, grassroots, entrepreneurial groups—especially minority-led and BAME-led—with strong leadership and transformative impact, showing no strict income thresholds but a preference for well-run organisations demonstrating diversity in teams and demographics served.

Grants include core funding, multi-year commitments, project support, capacity building, and equity investments (pre-seed to Series A, typically £5,000–£100,000, averaging £40,000), with annual expenditure of £300,000–£750,000; amounts for traditional grants are undisclosed but flexible and unrestricted. Applications are invite-only via proactive identification—no unsolicited submissions accepted—with initial phone enquiries encouraged; funding panels meet quarterly, issuing invitations ongoingly without fixed deadlines, emphasising long-term partnerships, due diligence, and quick decisions.

Distinctively, the Trust avoids safe incrementalism, championing bold, risk-taking "game-changers" that disrupt inequality, with a "learning organisation" philosophy, transparency, responsiveness to issues like cost-of-living crises, and no religious restrictions, setting it apart through its blend of rigorous, relationship-driven funding and DEI focus.