Wood Foundation

The Wood Foundation, established in 2007 by Sir Ian Wood KT GBE and his family in Aberdeen, Scotland—with Garreth Wood MBE as current chairman—is a venture philanthropic organization dedicated to tackling societal and economic inequities through transformational change in Scotland and Sub-Saharan Africa. Rooted in family values of innovation, partnership, and capacity building, it acts as an active investor, project manager, and thought leader rather than a passive grant-maker, emphasizing empowerment, sustainability, and systemic impact to foster self-reliance and prosperity.

It prioritizes three strands: economic development and entrepreneurship in East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), focusing on smallholder agriculture like tea and vanilla sectors to enable market access and self-sufficiency for marginalized farmers; youth development in Scotland via programmes such as Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) and Excelerate, building employability, citizenship, and aspiration; and broader Scottish economic progress through initiatives like Opportunity North East for innovation and skills diversification. Funding supports scalable projects addressing poverty, education, and agri-market transformation, often with non-financial expertise and leadership.

Eligible applicants are OSCR-registered UK charities operating in Scotland or the specified African countries, targeting schools, communities, or scalable organizations demonstrating partnership potential; unsolicited applications are not accepted. Grants range from £3,000 fixed awards via YPI (school-nominated for Scottish state schools, September-June windows) to tens of thousands or millions for strategic partnerships developed proactively by invitation. It excludes core funding, short-term interventions, or non-priority geographies, distinguishing itself through deep co-management, market systems change, and bold, legacy-driven investments for long-term societal shifts.