Somerset Community Foundation

What Somerset Community Foundation does

Somerset Community Foundation is a UK-registered grant-making charity (Charity No. 1094446) founded in 2002 and headquartered at Yeoman House, The Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet. It builds stronger Somerset communities by channelling donations from individuals, businesses, charitable trusts and the public sector into grants for local charities, community groups, individuals and social enterprises. Since inception it has awarded over £35 million of funding, with £4.3 million distributed in 2024/25 alone across more than 400 local charities.

Its product surface is structured around four giving segments: Collective Giving Funds (The Somerset Fund, Somerset Forever Fund, Surviving Winter Appeal, plus themed funds for Youth, Older People, Wellbeing, Environment and Arts/Heritage), Personal Charitable Funds for HNW individuals and families, Corporate Charitable Funds (e.g. The Old Mill Fund, The Mulberry Somerset Community Fund, Hunt's Food Group Community Fund), and a Charitable Trust Transfer Service that consolidates smaller standalone trusts (e.g. Graham Burrough Charitable Trust 2018, Dyke Exhibition Foundation 2020) into SCF's endowment. Grant-making and donor services are delivered through a small team of 11-50 staff, supported by named philanthropy managers and a professional adviser referral network spanning solicitors, accountants, financial planners and tax professionals.

Commercially, SCF does not charge applicants or advisers — grant applications, philanthropy advice and corporate fund management are all free — so its operating economics depend on inbound donations, endowment returns, and the HPC Community Fund (a £20 million Section 106 commitment from EDF tied to Hinkley Point C). The underlying technology is non-proprietary, consisting of a standard website with a Raisely donation integration and basic CRM tooling; the durable value is local knowledge, brand trust built over 20+ years, and a curated network of professional advisers and corporate partners. Distribution is partnership-led rather than sales-led, with growth driven by corporate fund launches, trust transfers and word-of-mouth across the Somerset charity ecosystem.

Name

Somerset Community Foundation

Legal name

Somerset Community Foundation

Website

https://somersetcf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Somerset Community Foundation is a UK-registered grant-making charity that channels donations from individuals, businesses and charitable trusts into grants for local charities and community groups in Somerset, distributing £4.3 million in 2024/25.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Grant-making charity
• Philanthropy advisory services
• Charitable fund management
• Endowment fund grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Shepton Mallet

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: SCF receives donations from individuals, businesses, charitable trusts, and the public sector to build an endowment fund. Donations are pooled and deployed as grants to local charities and community causes in Somerset.
2. Grant-making Services for Charitable Trusts: SCF provides grant-making services for standalone charitable trusts, running their funding programmes or entire charitable trust operations. This is a service offering that helps trusts administer their charitable activities.
3. Charitable Trust Transfer Service: SCF offers a Charitable Trust Transfer Service where trustees concerned about long-term viability can transfer their trust to become a Fund held by the Foundation, preserving original objects while ensuring continued impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Somerset Community Foundation is a grant-making charity that pools donations from individuals, businesses, charitable trusts, and the public sector into endowment and themed funds, then distributes grants to local charities, community groups, individuals, and social enterprises across Somerset. It also provides free, impartial philanthropy advice to donors, professional advisers, and corporate partners, including personal and corporate charitable fund creation, charitable trust administration, and Charitable Trust Transfer services.

Product overview

Somerset Community Foundation operates as a philanthropic services organization offering a comprehensive suite of giving and grant-making products. The core offerings include Collective Giving Funds (Youth, Older People, Wellbeing, Environment, Arts, and general Somerset Fund), Personal and Corporate Charitable Funds for individual and business donors, and specialized services such as Grant-Making Services and the Charitable Trust Transfer Service for existing trusts. Additional services include a Professional Advisers Philanthropy Service, Gifts in Wills legacy planning, and themed funds like Surviving Winter and SWEF Enterprise Fund. The foundation manages over £4 million in annual grant-making and has awarded over £35 million since 2002.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Old Mill Fund: Corporate named fund with Old Mill, launched in 2019, supporting local charities across Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon with focus on building brighter futures, reducing rural loneliness, and strengthening communities.
• The Mulberry Somerset Community Fund
• Hunt's Food Group Community Fund
• The Somerset Fund
• Surviving Winter Appeal
• The Somerset Forever Fund
• The Somerset Arts and Heritage Fund
• The Somerset Environment Fund
• The Somerset Youth Fund
• The Somerset Wellbeing Fund
• The Somerset Older People's Fund
• SWEF Enterprise Fund
• HPC Community Fund

Products and services

• Collective Giving Funds A suite of themed funds allowing donors to pool resources strategically, including Youth, Older People, Wellbeing, Environment, Arts and Heritage, and the Somerset Fund (general causes), with the Somerset Forever Fund offering an endowment option and Surviving Winter Appeal supporting older people with winter heating costs. Funds are research-driven and continually refreshed through community consultation.
• Personal Charitable Funds Individual or family charitable funds managed by SCF's expert team, offering an alternative to setting up a personal charitable trust, with focused giving on causes and places that matter to the donor.
• Corporate Charitable Funds Corporate charitable funds created for Somerset businesses to achieve their charitable and ESG goals, managed by SCF's team with employee engagement and brand benefits. Named examples include The Old Mill Fund, The Mulberry Somerset Community Fund, and the Hunt's Food Group Community Fund.
• Grant-Making Services for Charitable Trusts Expert grant-making team that awards over £4 million of funding annually through diverse funding programmes, available for standalone charitable trusts seeking to deploy their capital effectively in Somerset. Includes co-funding opportunities and Somerset Funders Forum membership.
• Charitable Trust Transfer Service Service for trustees concerned about the long-term viability of their charitable trust, allowing transfer to become a standalone Fund held by SCF while preserving original objects and wishes. Examples include the Graham Burrough Trust (transferred 2018, mental health causes) and the Dyke Exhibition Foundation (transferred 2020, bursaries).
• Professional Advisers Philanthropy Service Free bolt-on philanthropy service for solicitors, accountants, financial planners, and tax professionals, providing high-quality advice on charitable giving for their Somerset-based clients. Acts as a white-label extension of advisers' wealth management, legal, and tax propositions.
• Gifts in Wills Legacy giving service allowing donors to leave gifts to SCF in their Will, supporting local charities for generations to come. Connected to The Somerset Forever Fund endowment model.
• SWEF Enterprise Fund Enterprise grants of up to £2,000 to help young people in Somerset turn business ideas into reality, supporting youth entrepreneurship in the county.
• HPC Community Fund Fund part of a £20 million commitment from EDF through Section 106 agreements for communities affected by Hinkley Point C nuclear power station development. Managed by SCF to administer grants across affected Somerset communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £35 million awarded to thousands of charities since 2002
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MulberrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Mulberry partnered with SCF in 2021 to launch The Mulberry Somerset Community Fund, building on a history of supporting small local charities. The fund has awarded over £35,000 of grants. Mulberry's Somerset team has a Charity Committee involved in choosing projects, and staff have completed challenges like the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money.
• The Dyke Exhibition FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Historic bursary fund originally enabling boys from limited-income families to study at Oxford. Transferred to SCF in 2020. Since transfer, has awarded 34 bursaries to young people from Somerset, Devon and Cornwall for university costs.
• Old MillcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Old Mill, a financial planning firm, has worked in partnership with SCF since 2019. They launched The Old Mill Fund which SCF manages on their behalf, making strategic donations to support local charities across Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon. The partnership has awarded over £50,000 in funding. Old Mill's financial planning team also refers clients to SCF for philanthropy advice.
• The Graham Burrough TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Mental health charitable trust founded in 1998 by Pam Burrough. Closed in 2018 with assets transferred to SCF as a Forever Fund. Since 2018, has made grants of over £50,000 to local mental health charities in Somerset.
• Hunt's Food GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food distributor Hunt's Food Group partnered with SCF and Dorset Community Foundation to launch the Hunt's Food Group Community Fund. The fund has awarded £130,000 in grants to 5 charities across Somerset and Dorset with 3-year grants. Hunt's Food Group is B-Corp accredited.
• Somerset Funders ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA group founded by SCF to foster collaboration and share research, insight and best practice among charitable funders in Somerset.
• Professional Advisers NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSCF works with solicitors, accountants, financial planners and tax professionals as a free bolt-on philanthropy service for their clients. Provides quality philanthropy advice as part of wealth management propositions. Partners like Old Mill describe relationship as 'very much a partnership'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UK Community Foundations: Umbrella body representing 47 accredited community foundations across the UK. Comparable in mission and member-level model; not a competitor but provides national advocacy, accreditation (which SCF holds via IVAR) and shared learning that defines sector standards.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF): National charity providing donor-advised funds, payroll giving, and philanthropy advisory. Overlaps with SCF on personal charitable fund creation, Gifts in Wills and corporate giving — but operates nationally and at scale across multiple causes, not a single county.
• National Lottery Community Fund: UK's largest community grant-maker (£500M+ annually) funding voluntary and community projects. Competes for the same local-charity funding pool and donor mind-share, but operates national programmes rather than county-specific expertise.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Large UK grant-making foundation funding social, environmental, cultural and educational causes. Comparable grant-making function but operates at national thematic level rather than hyper-local Somerset knowledge and professional adviser partnerships.

Direct peers

• Devon Community Foundation: Devon county-level community foundation with overlapping grants footprint (Old Mill Fund spans Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon). Closely comparable in size, product set (collective giving funds, corporate funds, trust transfer) and GTM.
• Dorset Community Foundation: Dorset's county-level community foundation and an explicit operational partner — Hunt's Food Group Community Fund spans Somerset and Dorset, and the Graham Burrough Trust assets were shared between the two foundations. Operates the identical grant-making + corporate fund + trust transfer model.
• Wiltshire Community Foundation: Neighbouring county-level community foundation with the same Collective Giving Funds, corporate partnership, and professional adviser referral model. The Old Mill Fund explicitly covers Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon, making this a direct comparator.
• Heart of England Community Foundation: Warwickshire/West Midlands community foundation operating the same county-level model (collective funds, corporate partnerships, professional adviser referral, trust transfer). Comparable size band and product set to Somerset CF.
• Gloucestershire Community Foundation: South-west county-level community foundation operating the same community foundation model — endowment build, grants to local charities, corporate fund partnerships, professional adviser referrals, and trust transfer services.

Emerging players

• Prism the Gift Fund: National donor-advised fund provider allowing individuals and businesses to set up charitable funds for any cause. Overlaps with SCF's Personal Charitable Funds and Corporate Charitable Funds products but operates digitally at national scale rather than via a county-embedded adviser network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SomersetCF
• Facebookfacebook.com/SomersetCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/somerset-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Somerset Community Foundation