Lunar Foundation

The Lunar Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC043270), headquartered in Peterhead, dedicated to providing care and relief for vulnerable populations, including the aged, people with disabilities, young people, children, and those in need due to youth, age, ill-health, or disability. Established as a traditional philanthropic grantmaker, it emphasizes social welfare, inclusion, and immediate need alleviation through substantial annual grants—ranging from £747,000 to over £1 million in recent years—without a published strategic plan or theory of change. Its approach is practical and responsive, focusing on direct relief and care rather than innovation or sector leadership, distinguishing it by its consistent, high-volume giving relative to its size within Scotland's funding landscape.

The foundation supports charities delivering relief, care, and support services for disadvantaged groups, prioritizing health, welfare, and aid for those facing hardship by reason of age, disability, illness, or youth. Grants backbone its activities, funding a generalist range of social welfare initiatives without specified thematic sub-priorities, project types (e.g., core costs, capital), or named recipients in public records.

Eligible applicants must operate in Scotland, with no specified legal entity requirements, income thresholds, or size preferences—encompassing small to large charities. However, it is strictly invite-only, accepting no unsolicited applications and lacking public guidelines, online forms, or enquiry processes; selections occur via internal networks. Typical grant sizes and deadlines are unpublished, with decisions undisclosed.

Distinctively low-profile, the Lunar Foundation avoids open calls, formal strategies, or exclusions beyond its beneficiary focus, setting it apart as a reliable, network-driven supporter of essential frontline services for Scotland's most vulnerable, rather than experimental or high-visibility philanthropy.