What Jacobs Futura Foundation does

The Jacobs Futura Foundation is a UK-registered philanthropic foundation (charity number 1208303) established by Philippe Jacobs and officially launched in September 2024 at RSA House in London. It operates exclusively as a grant-making body in two vertically distinct cause areas: tropical rainforest protection (with emphasis on Africa and Latin America) and post-sport transition support for elite and non-professional athletes (primarily in the UK). The foundation distributes capital sourced from the founder's endowment and Jacobs Holding/Jacobs Capital holdings, and does not generate commercial revenue.

Name

Jacobs Futura Foundation

Legal name

Jacobs Futura Foundation

Website

https://jacobsfutura.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jacobs Futura Foundation is a UK-registered philanthropic foundation, established in 2024 and funded by Philippe Jacobs, that makes grants to organisations protecting tropical rainforests in Africa and Latin America and supporting elite athletes transitioning out of sport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grant-Making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant-making
• Rainforest conservation
• Athlete transition support
• Non-profit foundation
• Environmental philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grant-Making: The Jacobs Futura Foundation generates no commercial revenue. It operates as a philanthropic foundation established in London in 2024, making grants to charitable organisations working in rainforest protection and athlete transition support. Funding is sourced from the founder's endowment/investment holdings (Jacobs Holding). The foundation's revenue model is not commercial; it distributes capital as grants to mission-aligned partners.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Jacobs Futura Foundation is a UK-registered philanthropic foundation that makes multi-year grants to charitable organisations in two focus areas: protecting tropical rainforests (with emphasis on Africa and Latin America) and supporting elite, Olympic, Paralympic, and non-professional athletes through post-sport transitions. It works in active partnership with established NGOs, Indigenous-led organisations, and athlete welfare bodies, providing funding, monitoring and learning, and convening capacity.

Product overview

Jacobs Futura Foundation is a philanthropic organization established in London in 2024, not a commercial technology product company. It operates as a grant-making foundation with two focus areas: rainforest protection and athlete transition support. The foundation does not offer software products or services; instead, it provides funding to partner organizations (grantees) working in conservation (rainforest projects across Latin America, Africa, and globally) and athlete welfare (support programmes for transitioning athletes in the UK). The 'products' are effectively the grant programmes and focus areas rather than commercial offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rainforest Protection Grant Programme Multi-year grant funding and active partnership support for non-profit and Indigenous-led organisations delivering tropical rainforest protection, restoration, land rights, and sustainable livelihoods projects across Africa and Latin America. Funded partners include WWF-UK, Andes Amazon Fund, Treesistance, Tenure Facility, MapBiomas, and others.
• Athlete Transition Support Grant Programme Multi-year grant funding and active partnership support for UK-based sport charities and player associations running post-sport transition programmes for elite, Olympic, Paralympic, and non-professional athletes. Funded programmes include Women's Sport Trust Unlocked, Switch the Play Foundation, Dame Kelly Holmes Trust More than Medals, Netball Players Association The Next Quarter, and others.

Quantifiable outcome

• 284+ athletes supported through targeted programmes in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

42 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Imperial College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Collaborating with Conservación Amazónica (ACCA) to establish a monitoring framework across four sites spanning an altitudinal gradient from 5,000 to 500 metres in southern Peru. Imperial deploys sensor networks to measure water, soil, microclimate, and biodiversity, combining scientific research with ACCA's field expertise.
• MapBiomassupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Amazonia 3D project: LiDAR mapping of 6.4M hectares in Amazonas state, Brazil — one of the largest LiDAR mapping efforts in tropical forests. Generates 3D forest data revealing micro-topography, watercourses, archaeological sites, and forest structure. All data publicly available as open digital infrastructure.
• Cadasta FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Tenure Security Project in DRC to strengthen recognition and protection of community land rights through participatory, government-aligned, technology-driven approach. Jointly with SPFA and CONAREF, directly impacting national land reform process. DRC lost 2.55M hectares of tree cover 2022–2023.
• WRI Brasil / Instituto Floresta TropicalsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Building enabling conditions for a Pan-Amazon Bioeconomy Network. Supports the Secretariat's sustainability and Strengthening Capabilities Taskforce to train the bioeconomy workforce in the Amazon region. Develops materials tested in three extractive reserves in Brazil, then transferred to other pan-Amazon countries.
• World Resources Institute (WRI) — CongocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Leading an 11-month research initiative to strengthen community-led forest management across the Congo Basin (DRC and Cameroon), addressing knowledge gaps on deforestation rates in IP&LC lands. Subgrantees: Tropenbos DRC and CERAD. Aligned with new forest governance frameworks in DRC and Cameroon.
• WWF-UK and WWF-BoliviacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Three-year programme improving forest management and governance in Bolivia's Amazon and Chiquitania regions. Central component is expansion of Forest Foresight AI system predicting illegal deforestation. Also supports sustainable livelihoods (cusi, cacao, certified wood) in Indigenous territories.
• Dame Kelly Holmes TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025More than Medals programme: supports elite athletes transitioning out of sport to become mentors for young people facing adversity. Dame Kelly Holmes Trust has 17 years' experience and has supported over 650 athletes since 2008.
• The Mintridge FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025The Full Circle Project: harnesses sporting role models to improve life skills, health, and wellbeing of young people. Provides blended peer-to-peer personal development for athlete ambassadors and 6-month remote mentoring for young people.
• TreesistancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Tackles deforestation with crime science and situational crime prevention, empowering Indigenous communities to protect territories. Protecting over 1 million hectares of primary rainforest across Pará, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso through self-demarcation of 5 territories and access to justice strategies.
• CITA (Indigenous Council of Tapajós and Arapiuns)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Subgrantee under Treesistance partnership. Founded 2000 to promote social, political, economic and cultural wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples of the Lower Tapajós region, focusing on territory defence, self-demarcation, and political action.
• Fundepag (Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa do Agronegócio)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Incentivising soy farmers in the Brazilian Amazon to stop deforestation and achieve full traceability. Uses Protocol for Sustainable Regenerative Agriculture. Subgrantees: AgriTIERRA, Alauda Consulting, Imaflora. Targets community interest groups, builds capacity for sustainable practices, and connects to buyers.
• Instituto Arapyaú (Kawá Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Funding the Kawá Fund providing integrated financial and technical assistance to smallholder cocoa farmers in Pará and Bahia. Promotes sustainable 'cabruca' agroforestry systems. Subgrantees: Violet, Tabôa, CIAPRA Baixo Sul, Polímata, Solidaridad. Addresses 85% lack of credit access and 75% lack of technical assistance among cocoa farmers.
• Violet, Tabôa, CIAPRA Baixo Sul, Polímata, SolidaridadsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Subgrantees and partners of Instituto Arapyaú's Kawá Fund. Violet (capital facilitator), Tabôa (community empowerment), CIAPRA (municipal consortium), Polímata (sustainable development), Solidaridad (50+ years inclusive supply chains) — collectively supporting smallholder cocoa farmers in Brazil.
• Netball Players Association (NPA) — The Next QuartercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Three-year initiative (May 2025 – February 2028) providing bespoke personal development for netball athletes, including balancing sport with education and career, guiding transitions, stress management, and financial planning. Delivered through Personal Development Managers in a co-design process with current and retired players.
• Imaflora (Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Strengthening and expanding the Origens Brasil® network — connecting companies and producers in Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units to promote ethical trade and traceability of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). JFF funding expands operations into a new territory, implements communications strategy, and strengthens traceability platform.
• Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Indigenous-led global network representing 35M people in forest territories across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. JFF supports GATC to co-design the Financing Allocation Mechanism for IP&LCs within the proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), confirming percentage of funds allocated directly to Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities.
• Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Enhancing data transparency and traceability in Brazilian beef and soy supply chains. Subgrantees: Centro de Inteligência Territorial (CIT) and Trase. Incorporates new data into Trase's platform, supports Forest Code compliance risk assessments, and delivers recommendations for deforestation-free supply chains.
• Trase (Stockholm Environment Institute / Global Canopy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Global science-based partnership providing open access data on sustainability of forest-risk commodity production and trade. Founded 2015. ICV project incorporates new data into Trase's platform to help users understand supply chains and deforestation risks.
• Centro de Inteligência Territorial (CIT)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Non-profit academic spin-off from Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), established 2018. Bridges cutting-edge university research into societal impact through territorial intelligence and technology transfer. Brings geospatial modelling expertise to ICV supply chain transparency project.
• Andes Amazon Fund (AAF) / Conservación Amazónica (ACCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Multi-year support for Peru's 32 Regional Conservation Areas spanning 3.6M hectares, providing training, equipment, livelihood support, and expansion of the protected area network. Also partners on monitoring restoration across the Andes-Amazon gradient in collaboration with Imperial College London (2026–2028). AAF has supported 46M acres across 200+ sites to date.
• Tenure FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Supporting demarcation processes of three Indigenous territories covering 730,530 hectares in Brazil, home to five different Indigenous Peoples. Project includes Life Plans, women-led livelihood enterprises, and a proposal to the Amazon Fund. Led by Podáali Indigenous Fund and COIAB.
• Podáali Fund (Indigenous Fund of the Brazilian Amazon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025First Indigenous-led fund covering the Brazilian Amazon (launched 2020), result of over 20 years of collaboration within the Amazonian Indigenous Peoples' Movement. Leads the demarcation project, managing FUNAI partnership and community Life Plans.
• COIAB (Coordination of the Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Founded 1989, COIAB coordinates nine regional organisations across 64 priority sub-regions involving 165+ ethnic groups. Collaborating on tenure security project in the Brazilian Amazon.
• Fundación JocotococoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Using advanced remote sensing and AI for conservation in Northern Ecuador's Andes-Amazon region. Focusing on 200,000-hectare area around Narupa Reserve. Expanding AI models for automated acoustic identification of bird, frog, and mammal calls. Safeguards 10% of world's bird species across 42,000 hectares of reserves.
• Nature and Culture International, ProPurús, Instituto del Bien Común, Centro para el Desarrollo del Indígena AmazónicosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Five Peruvian NGOs participating in the Andes Amazon Fund's regional conservation areas training initiative alongside ACCA, supporting SERNANP and regional governments.
• Professor David Lavallee, Abertay UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024World's first Professor of Duty of Care in Sport. Led monitoring and learning effort for JFF athlete transition programmes. Delivered keynote at 'Forged in Competition, Tested in Transition' report launch. Research findings: over 50% of athletes transition involuntarily; pre-retirement planning has positive impact on transition quality.
• Baroness Tanni Grey-ThompsonsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 202411-time Paralympic Gold Medallist. Facilitated the athlete panel at 'Forged in Competition, Tested in Transition' report launch, sharing personal experiences and sports governance expertise. Emphasised systemic changes needed to better support athletes.
• Women's Sport Trust — Unlocked ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024JFF partners with Women's Sport Trust to fund the Unlocked programme supporting elite female athletes in the UK. The 12-month programme provides community, expert-led development, one-to-one mentoring, and opportunities to amplify issues athletes care about. 111 athletes have completed since 2020. JFF's partnership enables continued cohort delivery from April 2025 to December 2026.
• Portas Consulting / Upshot / State of LifesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Professor David Lavallee led monitoring and learning effort with support from Upshot and State of Life to capture insights and measure impact of athlete transition programmes funded through Paris 2024 grants.
• Switch the Play FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024JFF funds multiple programmes through Switch the Play: Evolve to Thrive (mentoring and group development for 40 athletes in 2025) and Switched On (personalised discovery, coaching, psychological care pathway, career guidance). Switch the Play's ambition is to empower 15,000 athletes by 2030.
• Human First Athlete Transitions, Reboot, The True Athlete ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024JFF funds the First Steps Programme — a 6-week online workshop series — along with the Human First Retreat (residential transformation), Reboot_ (12-month peer forum journey), and The True Athlete Project's Global Mentoring Programme matching young athletes with champions. Collectively providing holistic emotional, psychological, and practical transition support.
• Synchronicity Earth — Congo Basin ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024JFF contributes to SE's Congo Basin Pooled Fund bringing together 10 funders to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities resisting destructive developments. SE has provided over GBP 21M in grants to 200+ organisations since 2009.
• Rainforest Trust UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Two major projects: (1) Expanding the Onepone Endangered Species Refuge in Ghana — 10,000 acres protecting the Critically Endangered Togo Slippery Frog; (2) Creating the 560,512-acre Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park in Guinea — connecting Outamba-Kilimi National Parks, locking up ~29M metric tons CO2 equivalents.
• Wild Chimpanzee FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Partnering with Rainforest Trust UK and the Guinean Government to create the Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park in Guinea, protecting chimpanzee habitat and creating a wildlife corridor connecting national parks across borders.
• Herp Conservation GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Subgrantee under Rainforest Trust UK expanding the Onepone Endangered Species Refuge, protecting 10,000 acres of threatened rainforest and breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Togo Slippery Frog. Works with local communities on farming methods and ecotourism.
• Andes Amazon Fund and Conservación Amazónica (ACCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Field visits to Peru to understand deforestation challenges and solutions. Visit included Los Amigos Biological Station (360,000 acres of pristine rainforest, 213+ research projects) and Wayqecha Cloud Forest Research Station (3,000m altitude). Highlights gold-mining impacts and Andean bear research.
• Los Amigos Biological Station / Amazon ConservationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Conservation hub in the Peruvian Amazon — part of Amazon Conservation. Hosts 213+ research projects, works with local communities and uncontacted peoples, protects 360,000 acres of pristine rainforest.
• Wayqecha Cloud Forest Research Station / Amazon ConservationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Research station at 3,000m altitude in southeastern Peru, studying climate change impacts on cloud forests. Home to 200+ orchid species. Connected to Climate Corridors project for species migration.
• Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya (National Geographic Explorer, biologist)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Foremost expert on Andean bear, using camera collars to document bear behaviour. Research at Wayqecha station reveals previously undocumented behaviours. Bears play key role in rainforest seed dispersal, ensuring ecosystem integrity.
• Marlene Mamani / Conservación Amazónica (ACCA)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ACCA representative working with local communities on native tree nursery and Andean forest restoration. Part of broader ACCA community engagement in the Cusco region.
• Enrique Ortiz / Andes Amazon FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Guided JFF team during Peru field visit, sharing passion and expertise on deforestation challenges and conservation solutions in the Amazon.
• Rainforest Trust UK, Herp Ghana, ClientEarth, Taylor Crabbe, Birdlife International, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Ghanaian Wildlife SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023JFF reflections from Ghana field visit (November 2023) highlight collaboration with Rainforest Trust UK, Herp Ghana, and international organisations working on environmental protection. Special recognition to these entities for supporting Ghana's rainforest ecosystems and communities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-registered charitable foundation. Comparable to JFF in jurisdiction, governance structure (corporate trustee), and operation as a private charity funded by a single source. Differs in scale and thematic focus (health vs. climate+sport).
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large global philanthropic foundation with multi-thematic focus including climate/energy and public health/sports. Comparable to JFF's dual mission structure but at far larger scale. Provides a benchmark for how a major foundation can run concurrent conservation and athlete/sport programmes.

Direct peers

• Bezos Earth Fund: Single-funder climate philanthropy focused on nature conservation, restoration, and food systems transformation. Direct overlap with JFF's rainforest protection pillar. Both deploy large-scale grant capital through established conservation NGOs and Indigenous-led organisations.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: US-based philanthropic foundation with major focus on environmental conservation and Indigenous-led land management. Strong overlap with JFF's rainforest strategy, particularly in supporting tenure rights and conservation in the Amazon. Comparable funding approach (long-term, evidence-based, partnership-driven).
• Arcadia Fund: UK-based environmental and cultural heritage grantmaking fund. Highly comparable in funding model, scope, and emphasis on biodiversity and land conservation. Both are European-registered grantmakers backing conservation outcomes in tropical regions under long-term arrangements.
• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation using sport for social development. Most direct peer to JFF's athlete transition portfolio, with a similar focus on sport as a vehicle for social outcomes. Both fund athlete-centred programmes and convene sector actors around sport-based impact.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): UK-based climate and child health philanthropic foundation. Highly comparable to JFF: large-scale climate grantmaking, dual thematic focus, CEO Justin Johnson previously served as CIFF's Climate Director before joining JFF. Both rely on scientific evidence, multi-year partnerships, and convening at international policy tables.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Global philanthropic platform supporting climate mitigation including forest protection. Comparable to JFF as a grantmaking intermediary that funnels capital to established conservation and climate NGOs. Both use pooled and directed funding mechanisms to scale climate action.
• Minderoo Foundation: Australian family foundation with dual focus on environmental conservation/Indigenous rights and broad social causes. Operates with similar grantmaking-plus-advocacy model across multiple continents. Comparable to JFF in family-ownership, dual-mission structure, and willingness to back Indigenous-led conservation.

Emerging players

• Synchronicity Earth: UK-registered climate and biodiversity funder actively partnering with JFF through the Congo Basin Pooled Fund. Smaller in scale but directly comparable in grantmaking philosophy, supporting Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in forest regions. Co-funder rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobs-futura-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacobs Futura Foundation